Women's History Month

Ruth and her husband owned an inn named the Toll House Inn (Ever heard of Toll House cookies?)  Ruth was bored with making the butterscotch cookies that she often made for guests.  She decided on a new invention, and broke up chunks of a Nestle’s baking chocolate bar into cookie dough, giving us our now beloved chocolate chip cookies. 
Ruth named them Toll House Crunch Cookies and the recipe spread like wildfire after appearing in a Boston newspaper. Nestle was selling their chocolate bars like crazy, so they made a deal with Ruth. Nestle would print Ruth’s recipe on the back of their chocolate package and in turn, she would receive a lifetime supply of Nestle’s chocolate and a $1 payment!
Thank you, Ruth Wakefield, for trying something new with your baking.  Sometimes, switching our ingredients turns into the BEST food!
Basic Recipe  (My niece, Jenny Dabb's Version) 
2 and 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12 ounce package) chocolate chips (semisweet) or 1 and 3/4 cups chopped semisweet chocolate
  1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, soda, salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the white and brown sugar together.  Add butter and vanilla; beat until creamy.
  4. Beat in eggs.  Add the flour mixture slowly and stir together well. 
  5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter.
  7. Drop my rounded teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just turning golden color.  Don't over bake.
  9. Let sit for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for cooling.  (or a plate)​
Chewy Version: 
You can try all of these or pick and choose to experiment!
  • Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 egg yolks.
  • Exchange 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar for light brown.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of powdered milk to your recipe.
  • Keep raw dough in a ball shape on the cookie sheet.
  • Under bake a few minutes.
  • Substitute all-purpose flour for equal measure of bread flour for extra-chewy cookies.  (You can try using half measure of all-purpose flour and a  half measure of bread flour, if you want.)
Crispy, Crunchy Version:
​You can try all of these or pick and choose to experiment!
  • Replace 75 - 100% of the brown sugar with white.
  • Flatten out the dough on the cookie sheet before baking.
  • Use a dark-colored cookie sheet - bottoms will brown faster, so be careful!
  • Bake a few minutes longer, but don't burn.
Gooey Goodness Version: 
  • Increase flour by 1/2 cup for a dough that doesn't spread much when cooked, but retains thickness and is gooey in the center.   
  • OR:  Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to your recipe. Cookies will be lighter in color and gooey inside.
  • Don't over bake.
Cake-Like Version:
  • Use more brown sugar than white.
  • Substitute the baking soda in the recipe with baking powder.  ​
Other Tricks:
  • Firmer, More Flavorful:  Refrigerate dough for 12-24 hours before baking cookies.
  • Rounded,  Even Shape:  Substitute cold cubes of butter in your recipe.
  • Better Chocolate Flavor:  Chop your own semi-sweet chocolate for better chocolate distribution.
  • Flatter and Browner:  Use melted butter in your recipe.
  • Salty Goodness:  Lightly sprinkle with sea salt flakes before cooking.
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