Origin
The chocolate chip cookie was invented by American chef Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1930 at the Toll House Inn, a hotel owned by Wakefield and her husband. Ruth invented the chocolate chip cookie while she was baking a batch of ‘chocolate butter drop do cookies’, a popular colonial recipe.
Many food experts believe that the cookie was invented by accident when she added chopped-up bits from a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar hoping it would melt to give chocolate cookies. However, the chocolate bits did not blend entirely into the batter, it instead gave rise to the famous chocolate chip cookies. The customers loved the cookies and it became an instant hit. She called her invention the chocolate crunch cookie.
On the contrary, there are reports that suggest Wakefield knew the semi-sweet chocolate would not melt into the dough as she was an experienced baker. In an interview she herself had stated. “I was trying to give them something different. So i came up with the Toll House cookie,” suggesting that she was fully aware of the type of cookies being baked.
The recipe made the first appearance in print in the 1938 edition of Wakefield gave Nestle the right to use her cookie recipe and the name Toll House. In return, she was assured of free chocolate for life and was also a consultant of Nestle.
The popularity of the cookie rose during the Great Depression and World War II, as it was an inexpensive and tasty comfort food. The cookies were common constituent in packages shipped to American soldiers overseas.
Evolution
Once World War II came to an end, the chocolate chip cookie moved out of American households to become a mass-produced dessert. Apart from the cookies being sold in restaurants and cafes, its refrigerated dough was sold in supermarkets. Within a few years, the cookie became popular globally. Today, chocolate chip cookies are prepared in ways to suit local palates and choices. For instance, in certain west Asian countries, they are topped with chocolate sauce and eaten with a knife and fork.
What’s inside?
The traditional chocolate chip dough comprises butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, vanilla extract, brown and white sugar. Chocolate chip cookies can also be made with other types of chocolate, nuts peanut butter, or oatmeal.
There are ingredient substitutions such as vegan chocolate chips and vegan margarine for those who do not consume dairy products.
World’s largest cookie
The largest cookie was made by the Immaculate Baking Company (U.S.) in North Carolina, the U.S. in 2003. This was a chocolate chip cookie and it measured 8,120 sq.ft. with a diameter of 101 ft. The total weight of the cookie was 18,000 kg.
Wide varieties
Chocolate chip cookies can be made in many flavours. Here are a few interesting ones: peanut butter banana, caramel pretzel, salted caramel, brownie and marshmallow, coconut, pumpkin and white chocolate.
Munching on cookie dough
The trend of eating cookie dough began in 2017 and has become a hit in many countries. There are stores that sell different flavours of cookie dough.
They are also prepared in a variety of ways, such as cookie dough, sandwiches, cones, sundaes and shakes.
Picture Credit : Google
