Accidentally Famous

In thinking of my weekend project, I decided to do a little research and dive into the history of a relatively simple kitchen endeavour that even the most amateur bakers among us have been able to successfully put together: the chocolate chip cookie.

Just the image of a warm-from-the-oven, chewy chocolate chip cookie brings back a flurry of memories, from sitting in Gramma's kitchen with a glass of milk so large that no 5 year old could possibly imagine finishing it, to the first time Mom let me help her bake and -- more importantly -- eat the leftover dough from the sides of the bowl. But this little piece of comfort food has a history that dates back as far as 1930 when, by accident, the owner of an Inn accidentally invented the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie.

In 1930 in Whitman, Massachusetts, Ruth & Kenneth Wakefield purchased an over 200 year old toll house which they converted into a lodge called the Toll House Inn. As it was originally built as a stop where tired travellers could pay tolls and have a homecooked meal, Ruth decided to keep up the tradition of making much-welcomed meals and desserts. With time, she began to improve on some old, traditional recipes and soon the news of her desserts would attract visitors from all across the New England area.

One fateful day, Ruth was making some Butter Drop cookies when she decided to cut up a bar of Nestlé® semi-sweet chocolate into small bits to add to the batter. The hope was that they would melt and and mix with the dough. Instead, they held their shape and softened into a perfectly smooth texture, which became known as the Toll House chocolate chip cookie.

Once the recipe got out, it's said that the sales of Nestlé® chocolate bars skyrocketed. Soldiers gone to war received chocolate chip cookies in care packages from home and were quick to request more. Ruth was getting requests for the recipe from every corner of the planet. She approached the Nestlé® company and made a very sweet deal: in exchange for their printing the recipe on every semi-sweet chocolate bar they sold, Ruth would get a lifetime supply of chocolate so she could continue to make her now world-famous cookie.

Today, there are many, many variations on the basic recipe, including the additions of nuts, substituting butter with margarine and even a "reverse" cookie with chocolate dough and white chocolate chips. Companies have packaged the cookie and dough in as many ways as one can imagine, though the standard always tends to revert back to the original Toll House Cookie recipe.

So in celebration of this little piece of history, I invite you all to whip up a batch of cookies, grab a cold glass of milk and remember the simplicity. And also that, sometimes, brilliance comes when you least expect it.

Happy Baking!!

Crystal



Nestlé® Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestlé® Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.