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There's nothing quite like a chocolate chip cookie and a cold glass of milk, and this treat has been a favorite of generations of Americans. There are so many chocolate chip cookie recipes out there that it's hard to know which one was the first, but most sources credit Ruth Graves Wakefield with creating this childhood favorite.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ruth Graves Wakefield graduated from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924 and went on to work at as a dietitian and food lecturer before getting married in 1930. She and her husband purchased an historic home near Whitman, Mass. and turned it into an inn with a name that might ring a bell with lovers of chocolate chip cookie recipes -- the Toll House Inn.
One day, according to the legend, Wakefield ran out of baker's chocolate while she was making Butter Drop Do cookies, and she substituted some semi-sweet chocolate from a candy bar given to her by Andrew Nestle. Soon after, her recipe was printed in several Boston newspapers and the chocolate chip cookie was born. That improvised and inspired substitution spawned scores of chocolate chip cookie recipes and generations of devoted fans.
The granddaddy of all chocolate chip cookie recipes is, of course, the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. That can be found on the back of every bag of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips. But America's obsession with chocolate chip cookie recipes didn't end there. Plenty of other famous versions came along, and perhaps the most coveted of all is the Neiman Marcus version, which includes the ingredient instant espresso coffee powder.
While the Neiman Marcus website refuses to divulge the origins of this most coveted of chocolate chip cookie recipes, it is considered by many to be an urban legend. According to the myth-busting website Snopes, the story goes that a shopper asked for the recipe and was told that she could have it for a fee of "two fifty." The woman expected to see a charge for $2.50, but instead paid $250 for the recipe. According to Snopes, this story is totally false. In fact, those who have a keen interest in collecting chocolate chip cookie recipes can find it right on the Neiman Marcus website, with a humorous nod to the old wives' tale.
What makes chocolate chip cookie recipes so coveted? Perhaps because all bakers are striving to create the absolutely perfect chocolate chip cookie. It is, after all, as American as apple pie. There are so many versions available, and they range from soft and chewy to crisp and buttery. The New York Times set out on a quest to find the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. Recipes, that newspaper found, are just the tip of the iceberg. The true test of any baker, writes Davie Leite, is achieving perfection in chocolate chip cookie form. And perfection is best served warm, right out of the oven, with plenty of milk.
Email This
There's nothing quite like a chocolate chip cookie and a cold glass of milk, and this treat has been a favorite of generations of Americans. There are so many chocolate chip cookie recipes out there that it's hard to know which one was the first, but most sources credit Ruth Graves Wakefield with creating this childhood favorite.According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ruth Graves Wakefield graduated from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924 and went on to work at as a dietitian and food lecturer before getting married in 1930. She and her husband purchased an historic home near Whitman, Mass. and turned it into an inn with a name that might ring a bell with lovers of chocolate chip cookie recipes -- the Toll House Inn.
One day, according to the legend, Wakefield ran out of baker's chocolate while she was making Butter Drop Do cookies, and she substituted some semi-sweet chocolate from a candy bar given to her by Andrew Nestle. Soon after, her recipe was printed in several Boston newspapers and the chocolate chip cookie was born. That improvised and inspired substitution spawned scores of chocolate chip cookie recipes and generations of devoted fans.
The granddaddy of all chocolate chip cookie recipes is, of course, the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. That can be found on the back of every bag of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips. But America's obsession with chocolate chip cookie recipes didn't end there. Plenty of other famous versions came along, and perhaps the most coveted of all is the Neiman Marcus version, which includes the ingredient instant espresso coffee powder.
While the Neiman Marcus website refuses to divulge the origins of this most coveted of chocolate chip cookie recipes, it is considered by many to be an urban legend. According to the myth-busting website Snopes, the story goes that a shopper asked for the recipe and was told that she could have it for a fee of "two fifty." The woman expected to see a charge for $2.50, but instead paid $250 for the recipe. According to Snopes, this story is totally false. In fact, those who have a keen interest in collecting chocolate chip cookie recipes can find it right on the Neiman Marcus website, with a humorous nod to the old wives' tale.
What makes chocolate chip cookie recipes so coveted? Perhaps because all bakers are striving to create the absolutely perfect chocolate chip cookie. It is, after all, as American as apple pie. There are so many versions available, and they range from soft and chewy to crisp and buttery. The New York Times set out on a quest to find the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. Recipes, that newspaper found, are just the tip of the iceberg. The true test of any baker, writes Davie Leite, is achieving perfection in chocolate chip cookie form. And perfection is best served warm, right out of the oven, with plenty of milk.