Tollhouse Cookies

Do you know who invented chocolate chip cookies?

The original chocolate chip cookies, Toll House Cookies, were invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield in the 1930s, who with her husband Kenneth owned the Toll House Inn, near Whitman, Massachusetts.

Ruth, an accomplished cook and baker provided home-cooked meals and cookies to her guests every day and even sold her sugar cookies in the Inn's Lobby.

Although it is clear who invented chocolate chip cookies, exactly how this occurred remains a bit fuzzy.

One story suggests that while a batch of sugar cookies were mixing in the large Hobart mixer, vibrations caused a Nestle chocolate bar to inadvertently fall into the mixing bowl, where it was broken up and incorporated into the dough.

Although Mrs. Wakefield believed the dough was ruined, she decided to be thrifty and bake them anyway.

The resulting cookies were an immediate hit and Toll House cookies were born.

Nestle acquired rights to publish Ruth Wakefied's Toll House Cookie Recipe on the back of it's chocolate morsels and still decades later, every bag of Nestle chocolate chips in North America has a variation of her original recipe printed on the back.

There must be hundreds of chocolate chip cookie recipes now available and many chocolate cookie recipes variations using a various kinds of baking chips and varieties of nuts, but the original chocolate chip cookies will always be Toll House Cookies.

Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

The original chocolate chip drop cookie! I have instructed you to use parchment or silicone liners on your cookie sheets for best results. Alternatively, you can just use un-greased cookie sheets, if you want.

2 1/4 cups 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
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 ounces) semi sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
In a small bowl combine the four, baking soda and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter sugars and vanilla with an electric mixer until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
Stir in the chocolate morsels and nuts.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely or enjoy warm.

This recipe yields about 60 Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Variation:

To turn your Tollhouse drop cookies into pan cookies, grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Spread the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Recipe Source: This Toll House Cookies recipe comes from the back of the Nestle semi-sweet morsels bag.