Adrift in our memory banks are the smells and tastes of the food of our childhoods. One whiff of something familiar coming from the kitchen and we are instantly kids again. And no food is more closely aligned with that of childhood than the chocolate chip cookie. Warm and gooey, hard and crunchy, filled with nuts or deliciously plain, the chocolate chip cookie embodies all that is sweet and wonderful about childhood.
As owners and operators of the Toll House Inn in 1930′s Massachusetts, Ruth Wakefield and her husband tended to all of their guests’ needs in an effort to give them a unique experience. Ruth herself worked in the kitchen, quickly gaining popularity with her scrumptious desserts. One favorite, the Butter Drop Do cookie called for baker’s chocolate. Having run out of baker’s chocolate during one of her weekly cookie bakes, Ruth instead substituted semi-sweet chocolate from a bar given to her by one of her guests – Andrew Nestle of Nestle Chocolate Company. Needless to say, the new chocolate chip cookie became quite a hit, as tasters enjoyed the softened chocolate nestled inside the cookie – a far cry from the baker’s chocolate, which melted entirely.
The chocolate chip cookie rocketed to stardom taking Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate along with it. Eager to align his company further with this popular treat, Andrew Nestle traded Ruth Wakefield a lifetime supply of chocolate for the rights to print her chocolate chip cookie recipe on all of his chocolate packaging.
That famous recipe stands today delighting generation after generation with its simple goodness. Of course, as the years have gone by, those trying to elevate the chocolate chip cookie to the next level have added all manner of different ingredients. Contests are held all over the world in search of the best chocolate chip cookie. But most cookie enthusiasts will tell you that the very best chocolate chip cookie is the one that is simple in its creation. As the saying goes, sometimes less is more.
For the baking challenged among us, the chance to make the chocolate chip cookie is still within our grasp. Advancements in packaging have given way to pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough – ready to slice and bake; no mixing of ingredients, no mess of any kind – and in 10 minutes you have fresh baked cookies right out of the oven.
But if you want to give chocolate chip cookie making from scratch a try, you can always find the sweetest recipe of all – right on the back of Nestle’s Chocolate Chips!
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