Apricot is the Palmer House Brownie topping described as a glaze rather than a nut. The historic dessert is associated with chocolate, walnuts, and an apricot glaze, so apricot is the only choice that identifies the glossy fruit coating.
The brownie’s origin story is linked to Bertha Palmer, a Chicago socialite whose husband owned the Palmer House Hotel. In 1893, she reportedly asked the hotel’s pastry chef for a compact dessert suitable for women attending the World’s Columbian Exposition. It needed to be smaller than cake and easy to eat from a boxed lunch.
The resulting Palmer House Brownie differs from many modern brownies because it combines nuts with a fruit glaze. Walnuts provide the nut component, while apricot contributes the sweet, shiny topping. Almond and pecan are not the glaze in this classic description.
The dessert was not immediately called a brownie in contemporary cookbooks or journals. The name became attached later, and the Palmer House Hotel continues to serve a version based on the historic recipe.