Happy 75th Birthday to the chocolate chip cookie

December 23, 2013 by
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chocolate chip cookie

We’re taking a moment off from holiday cheer to note a different celebration – it’s the 75th birthday of the chocolate chip cookie. For those of you as interested in food history as we are, The New Yorker has a wonderful history of the cookie here. Briefly, after its origin at the Tollhouse Inn in Massachusetts, the cookie performed stalwart service during WW II, “Before the war they were a largely East Coast-based fad; after Toll House cookies rivaled apple pie as the most popular dessert recipe in the country.”

The article goes on to note that in the 70’s and 80’s the Baby boomers rescued it from too much industrialization and prepackaging in the 50’s and ’60’s, “The Baby Boom generation, which had been raised on the Toll House cookie, sought to recapture the original taste of these homemade treats in stores that sold fresh-baked cookies. Famous Amos, Mrs. Fields, and David’s Cookies all opened their first stores in the seventies, and prospered in the eighties. By the middle of that decade, there were more than twelve hundred cookie stands in business across the country.”

And, of course, we can’t overlook the introduction of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream by Ben and Jerry’s, “By 1991, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough replaced Heath Bar Crunch as the company’s bestselling product.”

But maybe, rather than reading the history of the cookie, we should celebrate by baking a batch. And while there are no end of recipes that claim to be the best – for this occasion, you might try the original Tollhouse version – at least to compare it to your own favorite version. And please feel free to mention your own personal favorite below –  we’d love to hear about it.

Category: Antipasto, Food Online

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4 Comments

  • Jane  on  December 23, 2013

    In my view (and of my children and their friends) the best choc chip cookie recipe is Debbie Koenig's The Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies in the Entire World (appropriately). There is an online recipe link on EYB. I have made them A LOT and they are always great – make sure you follow her recipe, especially the overnight rest, which gives them a lovely toffee flavor.

  • Christine  on  December 23, 2013

    I have tried so many different recipes looking for the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie, but so far two favorites are a recipe from my husband's aunt (not even sure where it came from! will have it investigate) and these Brown Butter & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies, yum! http://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/932874/brown-butter–sea-salt

  • boardingace  on  December 24, 2013

    I haven't found a favorite amongst my cookbook recipes for chocolate chip cookies, yet, so thank-you Jane for your recommendation 🙂

  • cpauldin  on  December 29, 2013

    I was a Toll House recipe fan until I read Joanne Chang's chocolate chip recipe in Flour. She uses the basic TH recipe as a framework but tweaks it enough to make it DIVINE. Highly recommended! It't the only one I use now.

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