National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

The Original: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. It's funny to think about how this traditional American snack was actually a mistake by Ruth Wakefield.  One day while at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, MA.,  Mrs. Wakefield decided to add pieces of a chocolate bar to her butter cookie dough. She thought that the chocolate would melt when the cookies baked but to her surprise, the chocolate held its shape. The cookie was a hit and the recipe was published in a Boston paper. Since the recipe was such a success, Nestle began selling bags of chocolate chips to bakers beginning in 1939.

My mom is the one who perfected the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe back in the 1970s. This is the cookie recipe that started it all. We call our oatmeal chocolate chip cookie The Original. This cookie has been baked many times over way before we started the bakery in 2008. My sister and I would bake up batches of these cookies to give away as gifts, to sale for extra spending money, or just to enjoy with a glass of milk with friends.

From this original version, we came up with 15 other varieties. My favorites are the Holiday (oatmeal white chocolate cranberry), the Harvest (oatmeal blueberry, cranberry, cherry), the Southern Comfort (oatmeal chocolate chip pecans) and the Cinnamon Chip (oatmeal cinnamon).  Even though I have other favorites, I still enjoy an original right out of the oven with a glass of milk.

Since I really can't give you our cookie recipe since it is a secret, I'm posting a recipe from Williams-Sonoma's cookbook titled Cookies. The cookbook was first printed in 2002 by Weldon Owen Inc. and Williams-Sonoma Inc. I haven't made this recipe but a few of the others that I did make from this cookbook were delicious.

Celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day by whipping up a batch of cookies. Make some friends and share them or eat them all to yourself. Enjoy this sweet day.

Ingredients:  1 1/3 c (220g) flour, .5 tsp  baking powder, .5 tsp baking soda, .5 tsp sea salt, .5 c (125g) unsalted butter (room temperature), .5 c sugar, .5 c light brown sugar (firmly packed), 1 egg, 1 tsp pure vanilla, 1 c (185g) chocolate chips

Instructions:  (1) Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. (2) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. (3) Cream butter until fluffy and add in sugars and continue to beat until mixture isn't gritty when rubbed between a finger and thumb. (4) Add egg and vanilla and beat on low until blended. Scrap down the sides occasionally. (5) Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just blended. Add in chocolate chips until blended. (6) Scoop out cookies with a tablespoon or with dampened hands, shape into 1 inch (2.5cm) balls and drop onto baking sheets. Space cookies a few inches (5 cm) apart. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool briefly on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

* I use air-bake cookie sheets and an ice cream scoop to make the cookies uniform in shape.
* Feel free to use different types of chips in your cookies.