Chocolate chip cookie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chocolate chip cookie

Chocolate chip cookies
Course	Dessert or snack
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Whitman, Massachusetts
Created by	Ruth Graves Wakefield, Toll House Inn
Invented	circa 1938
Main ingredients	Flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter or margarine, chocolate chips, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt
Variations	Multiple, including adding nuts, oatmeal, peanut butter

A close-up view showing the texture of a chocolate chip cookie

A chocolate chip cookie prepared with chocolate dough

A chocolate chip cookie is a popular type of cookie from the United States. Its main ingredient is small pieces of sweetened chocolate, called chocolate chips. The classic recipe uses butter, brown and white sugar, chocolate chips, and vanilla.

You can find many different kinds of chocolate chip cookies. Some recipes use other types of chocolate. Others add ingredients like nuts or oatmeal. There are even vegan versions made with special ingredients like vegan chocolate chips and margarine.

How the Chocolate Chip Cookie Was Invented

The chocolate chip cookie was created by an American chef named Ruth Graves Wakefield. This happened in 1938. She owned a famous restaurant called the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. The Toll House Inn was known for its delicious home-cooked meals.

Many people think Ruth accidentally made the cookie. They often say she expected the chocolate pieces to melt. But Ruth herself said she invented the cookie on purpose! She wanted to offer something new and different to her customers. She said she was trying to give them "something different" from their usual butterscotch nut cookie.

The Cookie's Journey Through History

Ruth Wakefield's cookbook, Toll House Tried and True Recipes, was first published in 1936. The 1938 edition was the first to include her famous recipe. She called it "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie." This recipe quickly became a favorite in American homes.

During WWII, soldiers from Massachusetts shared these cookies. They received them in care packages from home. They shared them with soldiers from other parts of the United States. Soon, many soldiers wrote home asking for Toll House cookies. Ruth Wakefield received letters from all over the world asking for her recipe. This is how the chocolate chip cookie became famous across the country.

Nestlé Helps Spread the Word

Today, almost every bag of Nestlé chocolate chips sold in North America has a version of Ruth's original recipe. It's printed right on the back of the bag! This has helped make the recipe super well-known.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Today

Even though Nestlé's recipe is very popular, many other brands of chocolate chips also print a cookie recipe on their packages. Most cookbooks about baking will have at least one chocolate chip cookie recipe too.

You can buy chocolate chip cookies almost anywhere. Many bakeries sell them already baked or ready to bake. There are even special stores that sell freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Some hotels and airlines offer warm cookies to their guests. This helps them stand out from other businesses.

To celebrate this amazing cookie, Massachusetts made the chocolate chip cookie its Official State Cookie. This happened on July 9, 1997. A third-grade class from Somerset, Massachusetts suggested it!

What's in a Chocolate Chip Cookie?

Standard chocolate chip cookie ingredients

Chocolate chip cookies are usually made with common ingredients. These include white sugar, brown sugar, flour, and a little salt. They also have eggs, a leavening agent (like baking powder), and a fat (like butter). Vanilla extract and semi-sweet chocolate pieces are also key. Some recipes add milk or nuts, like chopped walnuts.

The way you mix and bake the ingredients changes the cookie. Some recipes make a soft, chewy cookie. Others make a crunchy or crispy one.

The steps for making cookies are usually similar:

• First, you mix the sugars and fat until they are creamy. You can use a spoon or an electric mixer.
• Next, you add the eggs and vanilla.
• Then, you slowly add the flour and baking powder.
• Finally, you stir in the chocolate chips and any nuts. This is done at the end to keep them from breaking.
• The cookie dough is then scooped onto a cookie sheet and baked.

Many people love to eat the raw cookie dough. It's also a popular addition to vanilla ice cream. This makes chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

The texture of a cookie depends a lot on the type of fat used. For example, some fat substitutes can make cookies softer and more like cake.

Different Kinds of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip bar cookies

There are many fun variations of the classic chocolate chip cookie:

• The M&M cookie uses M&M's instead of chocolate chips.
• The chocolate chocolate chip cookie has chocolate-flavored dough. This is made by adding cocoa powder or melted chocolate.
• The macadamia chip cookie features macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. This is a special cookie from Mrs. Fields bakeries.
• The chocolate chip peanut butter cookie has peanut butter flavored dough.
• If you bake chocolate chip cookie dough in a baking dish, it becomes a chocolate chip bar cookie.
• You can also use different sizes or shapes of chocolate chips. Dark or milk chocolate chips also change the flavor and texture.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ruth Wakefield's original recipe, "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies," is still used today. Here is a simpler version you can try!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the vanilla extract and eggs.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients (flour mix) to the wet ingredients (butter mix). Mix until just combined.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Remember, there are many ways to make chocolate chip cookies! You can add nuts or oats. You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Some people like their cookies soft and chewy, while others prefer them crispy.

No matter how you make them, chocolate chip cookies are always a delicious treat!

Images for kids

• 

  A "double chocolate" cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar (with milk in the background)

• 

  Chocolate chip cookies are often paired with milk. Milk fat enhances the taste of sugar from the cookies, giving a smoother mouthfeel.

See also

In Spanish: Galleta con pepitas de chocolate para niños