The chocolate chip cookie is one of America’s favorite sweets, and its story begins in a small Massachusetts inn. It is a tale of a clever cook, a baking experiment and a famous brand.
Ruth Wakefield and the Toll House Inn
Ruth Graves Wakefield ran the Toll House Inn, near Whitman, Massachusetts, with her husband. She was a trained dietitian and teacher, known for her desserts, and travelers came to the inn for her cooking.
The story of the “accident”
The popular version says that around 1930 Wakefield was making a butter cookie that normally used melted baker’s chocolate. She ran out, so she chopped a chocolate bar into pieces and mixed it into the dough, expecting the chocolate to melt through. Instead the pieces softened but kept their shape, and the chocolate chip cookie was born.
Some historians doubt that it was a pure accident. Wakefield was an experienced baker and may well have created the cookie on purpose. Either way, she is credited as its inventor.
From inn to supermarket
Her “Toll House Crunch Cookies” became so popular that a chocolate maker saw sales of its bars rise. In the late 1930s, Nestlé reached an agreement to print her recipe on its packaging, and later began selling chocolate morsels (chips). The recipe on the bag has been baked by generations of families since.
Why the cookie works
- Butter and brown sugar give a rich, caramel-like flavor and chewy centers.
- Chopped chocolate or chips keep their shape and melt slightly.
- A pinch of salt balances the sweetness.
Tips for better cookies at home
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes to stop it spreading too much.
- Bake until the edges are golden and the middle is still soft.
- Let cookies rest on the tray for 5 minutes before moving them.
