Brownie originates from a sweet bread made in New Zealand and Australia. The first time the word was used in English in 1883, an explanation had to be added which clarified that a brownie was a “bread sweetened with currents and sugar”. The recipe for the calorific treat eaten today was first found in the 1906 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book and includes flour, butter, eggs, cocoa powder and sugar.
Let us not forget that 99 years ago, the Brownies were set up, the name given to what are now almost universally known as Girl Guides. The name came from one of the first writers of children’s literature, Juliana Ewing, who published The Brownies in 1865. In the story the two protagonists learn that children can be good and helpful (Brownies) or lazy (boggarts).
