"I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find."
~ James Beard
Some women look up to Amelia Earhart for her famous flights in the 1930's. However, one of my favorite females in that era happens to be someone of a different caliber. She was a "household arts" major. May I introduce you to Ruth Graves Wakefield? You might say she was an inventor of sorts...
As co-owner of the Toll House Inn (with her husband), she become well known for her tasty desserts. In fact, her resourcefulness changed the way many Americans eat their cookies!
Legend has it that her famous recipe was prepared on mistake when she ran out of baking cocoa. Instead, she added broken pieces of chocolate, hoping that it would melt into the batter. The result was the creation of the "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie". Mrs. Wakefield then sold the recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips.
During World War II, popularity of the chocolate chip cookie grew as local soldiers from Massachusetts shared their care packages overseas with others. Soon, soldiers from all over were writing letters back home requesting these tasty morsels and the rest is homemaking history...
Legend has it that her famous recipe was prepared on mistake when she ran out of baking cocoa. Instead, she added broken pieces of chocolate, hoping that it would melt into the batter. The result was the creation of the "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie". Mrs. Wakefield then sold the recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips.
During World War II, popularity of the chocolate chip cookie grew as local soldiers from Massachusetts shared their care packages overseas with others. Soon, soldiers from all over were writing letters back home requesting these tasty morsels and the rest is homemaking history...
- Use real butter.
- Once the dry ingredients are added into the bowl, do not over mix the final dough. Place in the refrigerator for an hour if you think you over-beated the dough (meaning it resembles a creamy cake mix instead of a thicker paste like it should).
- Use an ice cream scoop if you want to create cookies of a uniform size.
- Do not grease your baking sheets as this can cause the cookies to spread and flatten.
- Once the corners of your cookies show signs of being golden, remove them from the oven. Let them sit on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before removing cookies from baking sheets so that they have time to "set".
- Finish cooling the cookies on cooling racks.
- Chocolate chip cookies freeze well so we prepare a large batch at one time. Our recipe makes approximately 6 dozen.
While I still adore the famous "Toll House Cookie Recipe", I wanted to prepare something a bit more wholesome for our family. We do try to eat healthy but still struggle in this very delicate department of desserts (*sorrowful sigh*).
Here is how we ended up making them a bit more heartier (this is the recipe shown in these photos) by introducing some whole wheat flour, oatmeal, coconut sugar and a splash of coconut oil. You are welcome to download our version HERE and print it out for your recipe book if you like :)
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Thank you for sharing your healthier than the original chocolate chip cookie recipe. I think my husband may like these better than the recipe from the morsel bag. I had no idea this cookie had been around since the 1930's. I had my first one in the early 1970's and knew immediately that I would be making and eating them for the rest of my life, lol. Loved reading the history of the cookie and Ruth Graves Wakefield.
ReplyDeleteYour cute comment gave me a nice smile this morning :) Thank you...
DeleteIt is so fun to hear how things we take for granted came about. There is nothing quite like a c-chip cookie hot from the oven:)
ReplyDeleteSmiles,
JoeyLea
Dearest JES, this was quite fascinating to read :) Thank you so much for sharing and might I add that your cookies look so delicious! One cookie would go well with my cup of coffee right now. Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteWow, this comment was back in 2013....it's hard to believe it's now 2015 :)
DeleteThank you, dear JES, for sharing at ROI. I enjoyed reading through this post again. Hugs and blessings!
Thank you so much for sharing JES. I enjoyed reading about the origin of the Toll House Cookie, the only thing is now I want some and I am working on self-control :) I have not heard of coconut sugar and will check that out. I truly enjoy your blog and am finally back to blogging myself. Thank you again and have a most Blessed Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! Thank you for sharing the history of the Toll House Cookie. Your recipe looks great. I've never heard of coconut sugar before.
ReplyDeleteI love the history about the cookie! Reminds me about the history of the donut and how it gained it's popularity during the World War as well!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this! I love to know history, and I adore chocolate chip cookies! Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteHi JES,
ReplyDeleteI make the tollhouse recipe all the time. My neighbors have been known to call on a whim and beg me to bake them some cookies. LOL... I tell people the recipe is on the bag but they like me to do it.haha. imagine that. I loved hearing the history.
Blessings,
Amy Jo
Hi JES! Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite here, especially with my little guy! Whenever we bake a different kind of cookie for the week, it's like the end of the world for him! :) Oh, to be a kid again and have such problems!
ReplyDeleteI bought some coconut sugar a while back and it's been sitting in my pantry. Does it taste a lot like coconut? We aren't a fan here, though I do sneak coconut oil in recipes where it doesn't stand out.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Hi Johanna, Coconut sugar actually tastes a lot like a vanilla-ish brown sugar in my book. We really like it… I don't think it tastes like coconut. If you were to make the cookies, omit the shredded coconut and I think that may work for your family ;) Have a wonderful weekend!
DeleteThanks so much for this. I read this early this morning when I couldn't sleep. Making cookies was on my to do list today. When a random cookbook fell out of the cupboard, a Sesame Street one, the kids wanted to use it to make cookies. We found a chocolate chip recipe and one of the tidbits of information on the page was about Ruth Wakefield! So, as soon as the first round was in the oven, we sat down and had a history lesson!! Thanks so much for helping me know who Ruth Wakefield was when my daughter asked!!
ReplyDeleteRebecca Ayers
That is sweet, thanks for sharing! :)
DeleteThat was neat to read a little history on my families favorite cookie. I don't make them too often as they have a tendency to "disappear" rather quickly. :-) Thank yo for sharing, Heather
ReplyDeleteThank you JES! Now I'm off to find some coconut sugar...
ReplyDeleteYou had me at the word "Chocolate". mmmmm they sure do look good.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the tips! Chocolate chip cookies never last long in our house! I know all about the dessert struggle!
ReplyDeleteA little bit of history+chocolate= big smiles!! Thank you so much for a wonderful post and a new cookie recipe to try!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a choco chip recipe I have had for YEARS - 35 to be exact. I don't remember which cook book I got it out of (still have them all too!) but I altered it a bit over the years to make them moist on the inside, tad crunchy outside. I listened to Melinda Lee about 15 years ago and her tips on doing this, so that is when I altered the recipe and they are perfect..and my kids even ask for them. I put the recipe in my own book...of which I am working on revising. I made myself (and then a copy for my daughter when she got married and she hates to cook) but now..with 6 grand children..I want to re do the book, add a few more of my own recipes I created and they love(like Secret Dogs...(or pigs in a blanket!) and have them a copy of "Nanny's Cookbook" when they grow up! I have been putting that on the bottom of my list from my fabric lace books and other sewing, but thanks to your inspiration, I think that will pop to the top now...at least one recipe a day...okay, one a week! And get them done!
ReplyDeleteCheri
www,fabricandmemories.blogspot.com
I do love a chocolate chip cookies, thanks for sharing.Don't think I've heard of coconut sugar.
ReplyDeleteLove the cookie story, thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteWe all love the chocolate-chip-cookies.
JES - We love chocolate chip cookies... and like them several different ways... thank you for sharing this one. :)
ReplyDeleteChocolate chip cookies are my husband's favourite. He likes them crispy, so I flatten them before baking and let them cook a bit longer. After I make the dough, I form it into a log and refrigerate it. Then each night I slice off just the right amount for fresh baked cookies each evening. They even freeze well if we don't eat them quick enough, but that rarely happens. - Margy
ReplyDeleteAaaahh, the perfect chocolate chip cookie!!!
ReplyDeleteThank so much for sharing!
Hope to see you again tomorrow on Wednesday's Homestead Blog Hop.
Pinned! :-)
My favorite cookie. I like to make healthier versions too, so I appreciate your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI loved the history lesson with this!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great history (herstory) lesson! Your cookies look scrumptious! And don't worry, a lot of us struggle with desserts. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat little history lesson! I took a home ec sort of class when I was in high school, where I gained my famous (in my family, at least!) chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was chocolate chip cookies were created by accident but didn't know the whole story until now. Thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteChristina
www.ourwoodhome.com
Pinned it!
ReplyDelete