The History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Chocolate Chip Cookie dates back to 1930 when Ken and Ruth Wakefield opened a restaurant in a house in Whitman, Massachusetts. The house was located on a road that was used by many people traveling from Boston to New Bedford. The house was known as "The Tollhouse Inn" and was a place where many a stagecoach stopped to pay their toll and passengers ate excellent food and were provided excellent service.

As with many recipes the Chocolate Chip Cookie was conceived by accident when Ruth ran out of nuts for her famous butter cookie called Butter Drop Do's. What does any good cook do? They substitute, and that's exactly what Ruth did. She substituted a Nestle semisweet chocolate bar for the nuts. She thought the chocolate would melt and mix in with the cookie dough while baking, but to her surprise and the pleasant surprise of her customers, the chocolate melted a little but there were still chucks of the chocolate remaining. Ruth's new Chocolate Crispies were highly demanded by her customers.

Somehow the recipe was published in a Boston newspaper and the cookie caught on with the New Englanders which increased the sale of Nestle's semisweet candy bar. Well, this caught the attention of Nestle. They did discover the source of the success of their candy bar and to make it even easier for bakers to use they scored the bars so they would break easily. Nestle went so far as to market a special chopper for cutting the chocolate into pieces..

By 1939 the Nestle Company began making chocolate in the chips we are now familiar with. They bought the Toll House name from the Wakefields back in the 40''s and the rest is history!

You can find this recipe on any package of Nestle Semisweet chocolate chips and I have also included this recipe on my blog. It is nice to know my love affair with the Chocolate Chip Cookie has such a nice history and is still popular today.

CAROL'S CHOCO-CHERRY COOKIE RECIPE

Here is a cookie recipe that is one of my husband's favorites. If you like chocolate covered cherries then this will be a cookie recipe you will love. This is a cookie recipe that you can take to family get togethers or church pot lucks. It is sure to impress any cookie lover and be prepared because someone is going to ask you for this cookie recipe.

In fact, I got this cookie recipe from a lady that attends our church. The church was having a special program with coffee and desert afterwards. Some of the ladies were asked to bring some cookies to share and this is the cookie recipe that Carol brought. That is why I call this cookie recipe Carol's Choco-Cherry Cookie Recipe.

Carol's Choco-Cherry Cookie

Ingredients for the cookie dough

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups butter (softened)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
48 marachino cherries (drained, reserving the juice)

Ingredients for the frosting:

6 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

Mix flour & cocoa together; set aside.

Beat butter and add sugar, vanilla, baking soda, egg, baking powder & salt. Beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture. Mix well.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

With thumb press down in center of the ball and place a cherry in each impression.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes

While cookies are cooling make the frosting.

Combine the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and heat until chocolate chips are melted. Once melted add about 4 or 5 teaspoons of cherry juice until you reach a consistency that will drizzle over the cherry on the cookie.

Ooooh, it makes my mouth water just thinking about them. I love chocolate covered cherries and this is the next best thing.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie

Here is one of the easiest cookie recipes I have ever tried. This is a cookie recipe that you can do with your children or grandchildren. It uses a store bought box of cherry chip cake mix that can sometimes be hard to find, so if you do see it in the store grab a couple boxes. Of course, I believe you could use any flavor cake mix for a variety of different cookies!

Cherry Choco Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 box cherry chip cake mix

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 cups chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate)

Mix half the dry cake mix with butter, vanilla, eggs and milk; stir in remaining cake mix and the chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 9 to 11 minutes. Cookies should be firm on the edges and soft (not gooey) in the middle.

As you can see from this cookie recipe there are a lot of options you could try with just a little imagination. How about a yellow cake mix with peanut butter flavored chips or swiss chocolate cake mix with coconut?

I would love to give credit for this cookie recipe to the person who made it but I don't know who it was. I heard it on a radio station in Michigan and quickly wrote it down. I believe it was around George Washington's birthday and they were looking for recipes with cherries.

Give this cookie recipe a try and if you come up with a winning combination for a cookie recipe, other than the recipe and ideas shown here, please let me know.

The Original Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie

In 1939 the Nestle company began making chocolates in the chocolate chip form we are so used to seeing on our grocery shelves. They have been a staple in my house for over 40 years. The love affair with chocolate chip cookies doesn't stop at my house or even in my home state of Michigan, the Europeans have adopted our recipes and even the French cookie companies have competed to produce the most authentic chocolate chip cookie.

The Original Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie is an all time favorite. This is the recipe found on the package of Nestle chocolate chips.



Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Nestle Semi-Sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) or both


In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Mix well. Stir in Nestle semisweet chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by level measuring tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cookies should be brown around the edges and will look a little soft in the middle but once cooled they will be perfect. The yield is about 5 dozen.






I always double this recipe because 5 dozen would last about 2 days in my house. Happy Eating.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

I must admit we are "cookie people" in our house. I have been baking cookies since the children were babies and now I have 12 grandchildren. I guess what I am saying is that I have been baking a very long time. The cookie everyone asks for, in my house, is the chocolate chip cookie. I must admit it is one of my favorites also. Must be the chocolate!

I find garage sales are a great source for finding "old" recipe books and there is always a section on cookies. A garage sale is where I found a book titled "The search for the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie", by Gwen Steege. I am going to share some of my favorites from that book.

My "go to" recipe is called "DAD'S FAVORITE MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES"

Ingredients:

6 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
3 cups milk chocolate chips
2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, and set aside.

Combine the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla and blend until creamy (use a mixer). Add the sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture and blend well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Shape into balls and place on lightly greased baking sheets, Bake at 350 degrees F. for 7 to 9 minutes. Sides will be slightly browned but the centers will look gooey.

Yield: about 6 dozen depending on the size of balls you make.

Note: I use a small or medium mellon baller depending on the size of cookie I want and it works great. I would highly recommend the use of this tool for all your cookie baking.

I must also recognize Karen Klooz Hunter of Hay Springs, Nebraska. This is her recipe and a great one.

My next favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is called "BIG BATCH CHIP COOKIES"

If you like coconut you will love this recipe!

Ingredients

4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar/firmly packed
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Sift together flour, baking soda & salt; set aside.

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla & almond extracts, blend well. Add sifted ingredients and blend well. Gently stir in chocolate chips, nuts and coconut. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 dgrees F. for 10 minutes or until edges of cookies turn golden. Do not overbake. Cookies will continue baking after being removed from the oven. Allow to set for a few minutes on trays before gently removing to racks to cool.

Yield: 4 to 5 dozen

Give thanks to Angeline Birdsall of Corning, New York. This is her recipe.

The last recipe I will give you on this post is from a restaurant called The Orchards, it is called:
"THE ORCHARDS' CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES"

Ingredients

5 1/4 cups flour
1 cup, plus 2 tablesppons unsweeted cocoa
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups margarine
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips


Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl cream the margarine with a wooden spoon. Gradually beat in the granulated and brown sugars, creaming until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. Stir in the dry ingredients, combining well with your hands to avoid overmixing. Add the chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 8 minutes. Do not overcook. Place baking sheet on a rack so that air can circulate under the cookies as they cool or slide parchment paper with cookies still in place, onto racks to cool. When completely cool, store tightly covered.

Yield: 9 to 9 1/2 dozen

I hope you try at least one of these chocolate chip recipes and let me know how you like them or if you had any problems.

Cookie baking is a great family activity and your children will love you for the results.