Important Breaking News…
Tuesday, May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day.
(Disclaimer: One website did seem to contest this, claiming August 4th is really National Chocolate Chip Day, and someone offering a National Chocolate Chip Day seems to think that August 4th is the correct date too.)
Still, whichever day (and why can’t we celebrate both?) without the chocolate chip, we would never have been introduced to the Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie. A little history for those of you’ve never heard the story of the Toll House cookie:
“The chocolate chip has an interesting history which dates back to 1930 when it was “invented” for use in toll house cookies by Ruth Wakefield. Wakefield was the owner of The Toll House Inn in Whitman Massachusetts and baked the meals for the guests herself. She was quite renowned for her cookies and one day while she was baking, a missing ingredient forced her to substitute broken up semi sweet chocolate bars for bakers chocolate. The result was chocolate chip cookies!Once the cookies were invented, they became so popular that it was only a matter of time before the chocolate chip as a product was born. You see, the bar that Wakefield used as a substitute was given to her by Andrew Nestle and he struck a deal with her to print the recipe on the back of the package in return for a lifetime supply of Nestle chocolate! But it wasn’t until 1939 that the chips were packaged as we know them. Prior to that Nestles printed the recipe on the package of the bars and even included a little chopper so that people could use them to make the cookies easily.” (Courtesy of http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-Of-Chocolate&id=90704)
How about grabbing that bag of chips in your cupboard and baking up some of these to go with your milk?
Really Good Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened (only sissies use margarine in this recipe)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla (not a little baby teaspoon – a big honking tablespoon will really make the chocolate sing!)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups chocolate chips (Splurge on the good stuff, you’re worth it)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans(optional only if you’re allergic to nuts and toast these for awesome flavor)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In another large bowl. stir together butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa.
4. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix until combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts until they are evenly distributed.
6. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
7. Bake about 10 minutes.
8. Cool on a baking rack.
9. Pour a large glass of milk, eat cookies, and enjoy! (Chip calories do not count today.)
