National Brownie Day 2016: 5 Fast And Easy Recipes To Celebrate The Chocolate-Filled Holiday

Thursday is National Brownie Day and you know what that means: For 24 hours, chocolate lovers everywhere have an official excuse to gorge on their favorite gooey treats.

The origin of brownies reportedly dates back to the late 19th century — possibly for a fair luncheon in the late 1800s. A chef at Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel whipped up what would later be called a "brownie," a dessert featuring an apricot glaze and walnuts. Decades later, the hotel still serves guests brownies made with that recipe.

While the chocolate version is the most popular type of brownie, the “blondie” — made with brown sugar and no chocolate — comes in a close second. The cross between a cookie and cake now commands a massive fan base across the world.

Here are four easy recipes to kick-start Thursday's brownie-focused festivities with some rich treats — and one to wash it all down with:

Five-Ingredient Brownies

If you are a beginner, the headache of going out and collecting numerous ingredients may put you off the idea of baking altogether. For this reason, the five-ingredient version is made with nothing but salted butter, sugar, flour, eggs and cocoa powder, all easily found in a regular pantry.

Get the full recipe here.

Nigella Lawson’s Everyday Brownies

Despite its name, there is nothing ordinary about the celebrity chef’s brownies — which are some of the most decadent ones you will have — but this no-frills recipe makes it easy for new cooks to try their hand at living a part of “Nigella’s Kitchen.”

The chef also gives the option of replacing light brown sugar with regular white sugar and chocolate with cocoa — specifying that it means unsweetened cocoa, not drinking chocolate — for easier access to ingredients.

View the full recipe here.

Chunky Cheesecake Brownies

When you’re in a mood to get a little more adventurous with your brownies, shift to this recipe, which gives you the best of both worlds — a brownie and cheesecake in one. The chocolate, marbled with cheesecake, makes for a fun twist to the traditional brownies and could be ideal if you are looking for a change.

Gorgeous and melt-in-your-mouth, the full recipe can be seen here.

Brownie Pie

Thanksgiving may be over but it’s never too late to indulge in a good pie, and when it is made with brownies, it’s perfect to celebrate the day dedicated to your sweet tooth.

The recipe comes in two parts — one for the crust and another for the brownie pie — and can be the star of any engagement. Get the full recipe here.

Brownie Milkshake

A mouthful of gooey brownies can always be washed down with a big glass of milk, but that tradition can be upgraded with this recipe. Blend chocolate ice cream with crumbled brownies, milk and chocolate syrup for a delectable dessert.

The recipe for the brownie milkshake can be viewed here.