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SubscribeThe History of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Have you ever wondered who invented Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Well, for some odd reason, this question popped into my head while I was stirring up a batch of Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies a few days ago.
The origin of the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe you see on the back of Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip bags began in 1930.
The inventor?
Ruth Wakefield.
Graduating in 1924 from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts, Ruth first worked as a dietitian and lectured on food.
A few years later, Ruth and her husband Kenneth bought a tourist lodge, known today as a bed and breakfast.
At this lodge, Ruth would prepare meals and a place to stay for tired travelers between Boston and New York. Her customers paid her for her services, exchanged their horses to continue on their travels and enjoyed Ruth’s home-cooked meals.
One day, Ruth was whipping up a batch of her Butter Do Drop cookies (a popular Colonial cookie recipe), when Ruth decided to cut up a Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate bar into small pieces and add them to her dough mixture. Ruth assumed the Chocolate pieces would melt. She was surprised to find the little morsels instead held their shape, creating a delicious creamy texture.
Ruth’s Chocolate Chip Cookies were an instant hit at her bed and breakfast. Soon after, her recipe was published in a Boston newspaper as well as several other New England newspapers.
The recipe was a success!
Sales of the Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate bars shot up and Nestle decided to print Ruth’s recipe on the wrapper of every Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate bar.
Nestle went on to change their wrapping to include a little chopper for customer’s to cut up their Chocolate bars into little morsels.
It was in 1939 that Nestle started selling their semi-sweet Chocolate bars in the familiar and convenient Chocolate Chip pieces we know today!
How cool is that? All I have to say is, THANK YOU RUTH!!!”
Laura,
I loved this little history lesson!
School of Household Arts? Where did that go? I wonder if it morphed into a culinary college. Wow. How times have changed.
I second your thanks to Ruth Wakefield. Long live the chocolate chip cookie!!!
[Reply]
MsWonka replied: — March 8th, 2010 @ 5:27 PM
Hi Kim! Thanks. I thought it was interesting as well. It looks like my friend Colleen answered your question.
Ruth Graves Wakefield’s husband’s name was Kenneth D. Wakefield.
The Department of Household Arts at Framingham Normal School, has now become the Consumer Sciences Department at Framingham State College. http://www.framingham.edu/consumer-sciences/index.html
Best
Colleen
[Reply]
MsWonka replied: — March 8th, 2010 @ 5:28 PM
Thanks Colleen. I made the correction. Thanks for finding the link for Kim too. Much appreciated!