What better way to experience a city than through its food? This is especially true in Chicago, where the options are plentiful. After you’ve made your way through the Windy City’s deep-dish pizza eateries, Chicago-style hot dogs and more, you may be craving something sweet. Look no further than a sweet treat that originated in the city itself: the brownie.

This is not your average brownie, however. To find out what makes it so special, head to the heart of downtown Chicago’s theater district and enter the nation’s longest continually operating hotel — Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel — for the epitome of a decadent treat. Palmer House’s executive sous chef, Jason Shroeder, who attended culinary school in Chicago, is on hand to demonstrate what makes the Palmer House brownie stand out.

Schroeder says, “What is there not to like about a brownie? It’s pure happiness baked into a fudgy cake. It’s always exciting to see something that makes people happy.”

Expertly made using the same recipe as the one used over a century ago, the Palmer House brownie (aka the Bertha brownie) is credited to Bertha Honore Palmer — socialite, philanthropist and wife of local business magnate, Potter Palmer, who gifted the hotel to his wife on their wedding day. In 1893, before attending the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition, Bertha asked pastry chefs at Palmer House to devise a cake-like confection to be included in boxed lunches for attendees. The rest is sweet, chocolatey history.

Today, you can pair your perfect brownie with a Bertha’s Brownie Latte, served hot or cold, at Lockwood Express, located just off the grand lobby. For the over-21 crowd, sample the hotel bar’s top-seller – a traditional old fashioned garnished with maraschino cherries and a brownie. Inspired to whip up a batch at home? Make note of Schroeder’s number one tip: “Always pay extra for better butter.”

So, go ahead, splurge and spread some cheer in the form of a rich, chocolatey brownie. Enjoy!