COOKIE #9: CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS

It only took nine cookies, but we finally introduce chocolate! Love Potion #9 perhaps? Now, apple pies originated in England, hot dogs came from Germany, but chocolate chip cookies are all American baby! Yes, good ole America is a melting pot of delicious cuisines, but we can take full credit for this cookie.  

A not so quick history: Like many great discoveries, chocolate chip cookies were made by mistake. Back in the 1930’s, Ruth Wakefield was making cookies for her guests at the Toll House Inn she ran near Whitman, Massachusetts. That evening, she had begun to prepare some Butter Do Drop Cookies for her weary travelers when she realized she was out of Baker’s chocolate. The she remembered that she had a semi-sweet chocolate bar that Andrew Nestle had given her. So she chopped up the chocolate bar and added it to the dough, thinking that it would melt and create an all chocolate cookie. Needless to say, it didn’t. Thank heavens, right?! Ruth served them up anyway and history was made. Her butter cookies with chocolate chunks were a huge hit and quickly gained popularity after the recipe was printed in a Boston newspaper.

This gem of Ruth's, called the Chocolate Crunch Cookie back then, was so popular that she made a deal with Nestle. They could put her recipe on their chocolate bars if they would give her with a free lifetime supply of chocolate. Good thinking Ruth!  Originally, Nestle chocolate was sold in bars and included a small chopper in the package. Then in 1939, the more convenient chocolate chip was introduced and Nestle continued to use Ruth’s Tollhouse name and recipe on its packaging.  

These famous cookies are by far the most popular kind of cookie in America. Seven billion chocolate chip cookies are eaten annually. Half of all cookies baked in American homes are chocolate chip. And The Toll House alone produces thirty-three thousand cookies each day. There is a lot of chocolate chip love going on in this country, all thanks to Mrs. Wakefield’s fabulous foible.

The BH&G recipe I use is pretty similar to Mrs. Wakefield’s original recipe, except that I am going to use shortening instead of butter and more white sugar than brown sugar. I choose chopped hazelnuts as my choice legume (a. because I like them, b. because they’re cheaper than pecans. I’ve spent a small fortune on nuts so far.)  And by request of my husband, I use a good rounded cup of chocolate chips.

While the first batch is baking, I get Annalie ready for her photo op by setting her up with the BH&G cookbook to hold.  I turn for two seconds to get the camera, and she’s ripped out a page and has it in her mouth! “No!” I yelp. She continues to try and rip another page out. “Why isn’t she stopping?” I think. Then I realize that this is the first time I’ve ever told her No!  (the first of many, I’m guessing) Of course she doesn’t know what that means. She’s a baby! I laugh and quickly take the pages away, snap a photo, and return her measuring cups to chew on instead.

Onto the tasting. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, but since my pregnancy, I’ve grown to like it a bit more. And these cookies are awesome! Crunchy and chewy. The hazelnuts paired with the chocolate set up a flavor profile that reminds me of those delicious Ferrero Rocher gold balls. You know what I’m talking about. I would absolutely reuse this exact recipe if I were to make chocolate chip cookies again. This 50 year old recipe is timeless. 

Dolly came to help us today

These chocolate chip cookies are definitely something America can brag about. So, instead of saying its “as American as apple pie,” maybe we should say its “as American as chocolate chip cookies?”

Cookie Grade: A+ = hands down the most successful cookie made so far!

What I was jammin’ to: Maroon 5, and this love has taken control of me