Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I can't remember ever meeting anyone who did not like chocolate chip cookies. And it seems that everyone I meet has the `best' chocolate chip cookie recipe. Over the years I have tried dozens of recipes for chocolate chip cookies. Starting of course with the original Toll House cookies.

There has always been debate on whether to use butter or shortening or a combination of both to get the best-textured cookies. I think this falls into the personal choice category. Every cook you meet will tell you they have a secret ingredient that makes their cookie the best. I hope I never have to judge a chocolate chip cookie contest. I would be hard pressed to find one I didn't like!

Since I began baking, I have re-vamped my chocolate chip cookie recipe many times. I have finally settled upon two that I think are some of the best around. They are soft, moist and bursting with chocolate chips. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I do have some recommendations to help you make the best cookies:

Use an insulated cookie sheet. This helps keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

Also, line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. The cookies will slide right off with no fuss.

And last but not least, use a cookie scoop to scoop and place the dough on the lined pan. Your cookies will be uniform in size and shape. This is especially nice if you are giving the cookies as a gift.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups butter

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 small packages instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Stir in the dry pudding mix until blended. Then stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. This recipe can easily be halved.

Black Midnight Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup dark cocoa

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 cups butter

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Stir in the instant pudding until blended. Then add the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

The Story of Nestle Toll House Cookies

Back in 1930, Kenneth and Ruth Wakefield purchased a Cape Cod-style toll house located halfway between Boston and New Bedford, on the outskirts of Whitman, Massachusetts. Originally constructed in 1709, the house served as a haven for road-weary travelers.

The Wakefields decided to open a lodge, calling it the Toll House Inn. In keeping with the tradition of creating delicious homemade meals, Ruth baked for guests who stayed at the Toll House Inn.

As she improved upon traditional Colonial recipes, Ruth's incredible desserts began attracting people from all over New England. One day, while preparing a batch of Butter Drop Do cookies, a favorite recipe dating back to Colonial days, Ruth cut a bar of our Nestlé Semi-Sweet Chocolate into tiny bits and added them to her dough, expecting them to melt. Instead, the chocolate held its shape and softened to a delicately creamy texture.

The resulting creation became very popular at the Inn. Soon, Ruth's recipe was published in a Boston newspaper, as well as other papers in the New England area. Regional sales of Nestlé Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar skyrocketed. Ruth eventually approached Nestlé and together, they reached an agreement that allowed Nestle to print what would become the Toll House Cookie recipe on the wrapper of the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar.

Part of this agreement included supplying Ruth with all of the chocolate she could use to make her delicious cookies for the rest of her life. As the popularity of the Toll House cookie continued to grow Nestle looked for ways to make it easier for people to bake. Soon, they began scoring the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar, and packaged it with a special chopper for easily cutting it into small morsels. Shortly after, in 1939, they began offering tiny pieces of chocolate in convenient, ready-to-use packages and that is how the first Nestlé Toll House Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels were introduced.