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The first chocolate chip cookies were invented in 1937 by Ruth Graves Wakefield (1905-1977), of Whitman, Massachusetts, who ran the Toll House Restaurant.
The Toll House Restaurant site was once a real toll house built in 1709, where stage coach passengers ate a meal while horses were changed and a toll
was taken for use of the highway between Boston and New Bedford, a prosperous whaling town. The Wakefields sold the restaurant in 1966. It
burned down on New Year's Eve in 1984.
One of Ruth's favorite recipes was an old recipe for "Butter Drop Do"
cookies that dated back to colonial times. The recipe called for the use of
baker's chocolate. One day Ruth found herself without a needed ingredient.
Having a bar of semisweet chocolate on hand, she chopped it into pieces and
stirred the chunks of chocolate into the cookie dough. She assumed that the
chocolate would melt and spread throughout each cookie. Instead the
chocolate bits held their shape and created a sensation. She called her new
creation the Toll House Crunch Cookies. The Toll House Crunch Cookies became very popular with
guests at the inn, and soon her recipe was published in a Boston newspaper,
as well as other papers in the New England area. Word of the cookie spread and it became popular.
This cookie became known nationally when Betty Crocker
used it in her radio series on "Famous Foods From Famous Eating Places" in 1939.
Ruth approached the Nestle company and together, they reached an agreement
that allowed Nestle to print what would become the Toll House Cookie recipe
on the wrapper of the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar. The company developed a scored semisweet chocolate bar
with a small cutting implement so that making the chocolate chunks would be
easier. According to the story, part of this agreement included
supplying Ruth with all of the chocolate she could use to make her delicious
cookies for the rest of her life. In the 1940s, Ruth sold all legal rights to the use of the Toll House trademark
to Nestle. On August 25, 1983, the Nestle Company lost its exclusive right
to the trademark in federal court. Toll house is now a descriptive term for a cookie.
Official State Cookies: -
- A group of fourth-grade students at Caln Elementary School in
Coatesville introduced a resolution to designate the
chocolate chip cookie as the official state cookie of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania in 1996.
- A third grade class from Somerset, Massachusetts
proposed that the chocolate chip cookie be designated the official
cookie of the Commonwealth. The chocolate chip cookie was designated the
official cookie of the Commonwealth on July 9, 1997 under the General Laws
of Massachusetts.
- Senate Bill 271 was introduced on February 1, 1999 to designate
and adopt the chocolate chip cookie as the official cookie of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The House is
supporting the Nazareth sugar cookie, in a bill sponsored by eight
representatives, including Moon Township's state Rep. and Senator-elect
John Pippy.
- Another Senate Bill 320 was introduced by Thompson, Helfrick, M.
White, Greenleaf, Rafferty, and C. Williams on February 13, 2003
to designate and adopt the chocolate chip cookie as
the official cookie of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The House and
Senate have been in disagreement or debate since these bills were
introduced. The bills have been tabled.
More favorite
Cookie Recipes and
Secrets To Making Perfect Cookies. Also learn
How To Have A Successful Holiday Cookie Exchange or Cookie Swap.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
These are the absolute best Chocolate Chip Cookies! The addition of powdered rolled oats makes
these exceptional chocolate chip cookies. This will definitely become your favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe!
Recipe Type:
Cookies,
Christmas Cookie,
Chocolate
Yields: 9 dozen
Prep time: 15 min
Bake time: 15 min per cookie sheet
Ingredients:
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 cups all-purpose
flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons
baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated
sugar
2 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
4
eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (24-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Either lightly grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use the Silicone Baking Mats to prevent the cookies from sticking.
Make a powder out of the rolled oats by putting small amounts into the blender or food processor at a time.
In a large bowl, combine powdered rolled oats, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In another large bowl, blend butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and
creamy; stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture; stir until well
blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Roll dough into golf-ball-sized cookies. Place 2 inches apart onto prepared
cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire cooling racks.
Freezing the Dough:
You can freeze this dough. Form the dough into balls and place on a
parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze and then place the balls of dough in a
plastic bag, seal, and freeze. When ready to bake the cookies, place the frozen
balls of dough on a baking sheet and bake as directed above (you may have to
increase baking time a few minutes).
Yields 9 dozen cookies.
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