If you love a good origin story almost as much as you love a good cookie, this recipe has both. These Palmer House Brownie Cookies are my playful, bite-size tribute to the famous brownies created in 1893 at Chicago's Palmer House Hotel for the World's Fair.
While there is still debate about the very early origins of fudge brownies, the famous hotel brownies were commissioned by Bertha Palmer who wanted a portable chocolate dessert for ladies attending the World's Columbian Exposition. The pastry chef created a dense, fudgy square topped with apricot glaze and walnuts. The hotel still sells them today, packaged like this. You can also buy them on Goldbelly.
So in honor of their namesake, the Palmer House Brownie Cookies are deep double chocolate fudge brownie cookies with a thin topping of apricot jam and walnuts. I wasn't sure how chopped walnuts suspended in apricot preserves would look on top of the brownies and debated whether to put them on or under. And I also liked the look of just a walnut half on top, so some of the cookies have that.
Now About That Vodka
And I used vodka. It actually does something! The original brownie cookies these sprang from were a Claudia Fleming creation that called for a small amount of brewed espresso. I swapped it out for ice cold vodka. Vodka doesn't activate gluten, which helps cookies stay tender. It doesn't add flavor, and it helps the tops develop a glossy, brownie-like sheet. It also keeps the batter loose enough to spoon.
Apricot Glaze: The Signature Palmer House Touch
The Palmer House brownies have an apricot and walnut glaze on top. For the cookies, I mixed a tiny bit of softened gelatin with some apricot glaze and spooned it over the cookies. The tart sweetness plays beautifully with the deep chocolate, just like in the original. The gelatin, which you can leave out if you must, helps the glaze set a bit. And you can go as heavy or as light as you want. Not into apricots? Raspberry preserves would be fantastic!
Tips for Success
These are pretty simple, but you do have to follow the directions and avoid substitutions to get good results.
- Use chocolate that's around 70% cacao so that the cookies won't be overly sweet. You can use high end chips like Guittard Sante, but the cookies are less dry when made with chopped 72% chocolate bars. Do not use Toll House chips or the like. They're great in other things, but not here.
- The batter should start out slightly thin and will thicken as it stands. It should be thick enough to hold mounds when you scoop it.
- Do not overbake. 8 or 9 minutes max, then let them cool.
- Toast the walnuts! It really makes a difference.
- The apricot glaze needs some time to set. I recommend refrigerating the topped cookies for an hour. To serve, bring them back to room temperature.
Recipe
Palmer House Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (32 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sugar (130 grams)
- ½ tablespoon ice cold vodka
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 grams)
- 5 ounces 72% chocolate or Guittard Sante baking chips (140 grams)
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (56 grams)
- ¾ cup good quality chocolate chips
Apricot Glaze & Walnuts
- 2 teaspoons water
- ¼ teaspoon gelatin
- ¼ cup apricot preserves
- ⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs together in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the sugar and beat with the whisk on high until mixture is pale, bubbly and slightly thickened (about 5 minutes). Beat in the cold vodka and vanilla.
- While the eggs are whipping, place the butter and both chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt using 50% power, stirring every 30-40 seconds.
- Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. When it's about halfway mixed in, fold in the flour mixture. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes, then make sure the batter is not too warm and fold in the extra chocolate chips.
- Drop the batter by small cookie scoops or tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake until puffed and cracked, 8 to 9 minutes. Slide parchment off the sheet and onto the counter and let cookies set. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the apricot glaze.
- Soften the gelatin in the water for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, gently warm the preserves in a small saucepan by turning the heat on briefly and then turning it back off. Add the softened gelatin to the warm preserves and stir until dissolved.
- Using a generous ¼ teaspoon measure, spoon the preserves over the cookies, pushing any chunks of preserves to the side..
- Sprinkle walnuts over the preserves or press in one walnut half or quarter. If you like, spoon a little bit more of the preserves over the nuts just to make them shiny.
- Transfer the cookies to a plate and chill just long enough to set the preserves.
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