There's no recipe more important to the baking legacy of the United States than the chocolate chip cookie.
Its ubiquity has transcended borders just as its versatility has spawned global appeal. It is an icon of the Stars and Stripes, and one that can be traced right to its birthplace in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
The Toll House Inn in Whitman, though not an actual toll stop, became a beloved rest area on the Old Stage Road—a historic route connecting Weymouth to New Bedford, now part of Route 18. In 1938, Mrs. Ruth Wakefield changed history at the inn's kitchen when she whimsically added broken bits of a semisweet Nestle chocolate bar into her butter-cookie dough. The candy bar failed to melt and mix completely, creating pockets of gooey chocolate that set the state of Massachusetts and the greater world on fire. The clamor for the cookies, which Wakefield called "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies," was so loud that Nestle offered her a lifetime supply of chocolate in exchange for her recipe and endorsement in 1939.
Like the time I fell asleep on the beach, the Toll House Inn burned to a crisp in 1984. But its legacy continues on through Nestle's semisweet chocolate chips-a product invented specifically for Wakefield's cookie craze. Here, I invite you to bake the icon as it was in 1938, featuring gobs of melty chocolate chunks, baked crispy instead of chewy, and portioned smaller than the beloved cookie we know today.
Yield: 5 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (225g) butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (165g) brown sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 14oz (400g) semisweet chocolate bar (3½ [4oz] Baker's bars)
METHOD
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a baking sheet with a thin layer of shortening or nonstick cooking spray. Do not grease with butter.
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In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the beaten eggs, followed by the vanilla extract.
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In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the creamed mixture until barely combined.
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With a sharp knife, chop the chocolate bar into small chunks, leaving some pieces fairly large. Add to the dough and mix well.
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Drop by level tablespoon or small cookie scoop (#60) onto the prepared baking sheet, allowing 2 inches (5cm) between each, and bake for roughly 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies have thoroughly crispened. Allow to cool briefly on the pan before freeing with a turner or offset spatula and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Wipe away any cookie debris from the pan before baking subsequent batches, regreasing the pan as needed.
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