I used to beg my mom to let me make chocolate chip cookies for two reasons. First, she had a beautiful blue KitchenAid stand mixer that I always wanted to use and second, because I loved baking. I chose cookies specifically because I knew she wouldn’t say “no” to them. It was really a win-win for both of us. Our favorite recipe was the one on the back of the Nestle Toll House bag of semisweet chocolate morsels. Little did we know that the recipe printed there was steeped in history, a modernized version of the first-ever chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Which Is the Original Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?
The original chocolate chip cookie was the invention of Ruth Graves Wakefield who, with her husband, ran the popular Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, Mass. in the 1930s. After being in the business for a couple of years, Wakefield wanted to change and update the traditional butterscotch cookie she had been serving guests.
The story goes that she wanted to add chocolate to the cookie, specifically melted chocolate. Wakefield didn’t have any in her kitchen though, so she went with what she did have: a Nestle semisweet chocolate bar. She chopped the bar into pieces and added them to the dough—along with chopped walnuts—and thus, the chocolate “chip” cookie was born.
Sara Haas
What Has Changed From the Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?
The amazing thing about Wakefield’s original recipe is the fact that it’s pretty perfect the way it is, even 80-plus years later. A few modifications have been made to the recipe over time, including the elimination of the step of combining the (historically clumpy) baking soda with hot water (a common practice believed to help disperse the baking soda in the dough). Thanks to improvements in storage, the clumping of baking soda isn’t as common as it used to be, so that step has been omitted over time.
The other noticeable difference to the recipe is the introduction of chocolate “morsels” in place of the chopped chocolate bars, thanks to Nestle and its invention of those in 1941.
Finally, let’s talk about cookie size. Wakefield’s recipe called for shaping dough into ½ teaspoon portions, leaving you with a yield of about 100 cookies. Today’s recipe, using nearly the same ingredients, yields about 60 cookies, each about 3-4 times larger than the original cookies.
I Tried the Original Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I’ve made hundreds of batches of chocolate chip cookies in my life, but the original recipe is my absolute favorite. I always refrigerate the dough before baking to keep my cookies from spreading, and I like to Wakefield’s original method, opting for chopped bars of chocolate versus chips, because I love those delicious chocolate shards that ensure I get a bit of chocolate in every bite.
And while I love the mini, ½ teaspoon cookies (which are great for ice cream or sandwiching with buttercream frosting) the larger “rounded tablespoon” size cookies are my preference. There’s a reason the recipe is still on the bag—it’s that good.
Sara Haas
Ruth Graves Wakefield’s Original Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Recipe adapted from “Toll House Tried and True Recipes”
Makes about 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 2 (7-ounce) bars Nestle semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into pea-sized pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl using a hand held or stand mixer on low speed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until combined. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Sift flour and baking soda over a medium bowl, stir in salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined. Add nuts and chocolate.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Note: for best results, refrigerate balls of dough overnight before baking.
