Who Invented Chocolate Chip Cookies?

The mysteries behind a cookies history can sometimes seem to be endless, but for Americas favorite, the chocolate chip cookie, its got us guessing… who invented the chocolate chip cookie?

This may seem like an impossible question to answer; with many companies claiming the title, but actually only one woman is the true inventor of the chocolate chip cookie.

According to the Eagle Tribune, the person who invented the chocolate chip cookie was Ruth Wakefield.

In 1924 Ruth graduated from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts. For many years Ruth gave food lectures and worked hard as a dietitian. Ruth first discovered the chocolate chip cookie like many other famous foodsby mistake. Her story and the cookies story started when she and her husband opened a little Inn known as the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.

To bring in more visitors, Wakefield baked fresh cookies for the guests. Her most popular, the Butter Drop Do cookie, is responsible for creating the chocolate chip cookie. The Butter Drop Do cookie recipe called for bakers chocolate but one day Ruth ran out. Frantically searching for a substitute she grabbed a Nestle Chocolate bar (a gift from Andrew Nestle himself), chopped it up, and threw it into the batter.

Fortunately for us, the chocolate didnt completely melt and so in the cookies there were little pieces of the chocolate chips still left! Mrs. Wakefield, who invented the chocolate chip cookie, was stunned with her cookies success and before long her new cookie was extremely popular!

Along with the growing demand of the cookie, sales of the Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar also increased. Ruth Wakefield and Andrew Nestle soon formed a partnership in order to accommodate the large increase in sales. The deal said that Ruth could have a lifetime supply of Nestle chocolate if she would let Nestle print the Toll House Cookie recipe on their packaging. She agreed and weve been enjoying her chocolate chip cookies for many generations now.

Not only is Ms. Ruth Wakefield the woman who invented the chocolate chip cookie but she also invented an age-old American tradition.

History of Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the mid 1930s a woman by the name of Ruth Wakefield accidentally stumbled upon Americas favorite cookie and so began the history of the chocolate chip cookie.

The chocolate chip cookie was originally discovered when Mrs. Wakefield substituted her usual melted bakers chocolate for Nestlse semisweet chocolate bar. When the bar didn’t melt completely it left little bits of chocolate, known today as chocolate chips, in the cookies.

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History of Cheesecake Making

There are not many other things which can compare to cheesecake history. It traveled across countries and had a role in other historical events. Even now-a-days, people continue to try to perfect their favorite cheesecake recipes.

They alter cheese types; usually between cream cheese (most popular), ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and Neufchatel. They also use different mix-ins to flavor the cake, like chocolate, fresh fruit, or special liquors.

But beyond the changes we make in our cheesecakes today, what about the changes people made in the ancient times; especially ancient Greece. The first appearance of cheesecakes came in 2,000 B.C. when anthropologists found cheesecake molds in ancient Greece. From there cheesecakes moved into the Olympics.

In 776 B.C, on the Isle of Delos, it has been recorded that cheesecakes were served to the first Olympic athletes during competition. As times changed so did the cheesecake.

Soon the fall of ancient Greece came, and the secret of the cheesecake fell into Roman hands. The Romans then took Greece’s recipe for the special cake and gave it a new name…placenta or libum. These forms of cheesecake were usually baked on a pastry base or in a pastry case. The cakes were then used as temple offering to the gods. Slowly the cheesecake was spread across Europe by Romans.

Again, the times would change. Immigration became popular, especially to America, and the traveling of the cheesecake began continuing to create the cheesecake history. The cake followed immigrants into America where it became popular. Americans took the recipes and altered it even more, changing the cheese type from Neufchatel, to cream cheese thanks to Mr. James L. Kraft.

In 1912, Kraft invented cream cheese, which led to the creation of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, the most popular cheese used for making cheesecake today.

So from ancient Greece, to Rome, to America, and beyond; the adventures of the cheesecake are far from over.

Restaurants continue to develop new ways to enjoy the special cake, and who knows where the cheesecake history will go from here.

The History of Cake Baking

Cakes come in all shapes and sizes now-a-days… but has it always that way; what is the history of cake?

Well, like all great recipes and creations, the cake started off with the basics. In medieval England, documents have been found relating to baking cakes. In these writings, the cake was basically just described as a flour-based sweet food. It was similar to bread, only bread didn’t have the sweetening.

As the times progressed, archaeologists began to find simple cakes made from grains, moistened, compacted, and probably cooked on a hot stone. This recipe was first considered a cake, but then it was transformed and took on a history all its own.

Today it is known as a biscuit or a cookie.

To the Greeks, cakes were known as “plakous” which was a cake created using only honey and nuts.

Doesn’t it sound tasty? No?

Well, without this “plakous” your favorite cake recipe may not even exist today! The Greek definitely affected the history of cake.

Also, the words “bread” and “cake” were sometimes considered interchangeable. Cake was just small bread. The words “bread” and “cake” come from the Anglo Saxon origin. To many people in the olden times, cake represented wealth.

If you were rich then by all means, let them eat cake, and lots of it.

For the wealthy people, cake was served on a more frequent basis compared to the citizens living in poverty, who rarely enjoyed such a fancy treat. Cake was also a rarity because, well if you are going to make a cake, then you might as well go all out. People used the finest ingredients available and made it as extravagant as possible. As for the poor, they were just happy to have any old cake.

In the middle of the 18th century, yeast- the common raising agent was replaced with beaten eggs. The eggs allowed more air to be poured into the mold which gave the cake a lighter/fluffier texture; not quite so heavy. Once the batter was ready it was poured into elaborate molds and shapes for baking… but only if you were of the affluent class.

For the average family, they were simply transferred into little tin hoops, which were then set on parchment paper and a cookie sheet. It is from this original idea, that the round pan we continue to use today was created.

Again, the history of cake began to prosper. Once it entered into the states, cake became a symbol of well-being and wealth. The more you could afford, the better off you were. In the 19th century, the cake ingredients became more and more available thanks to the efforts of the Industrial Revolution. From there, things like baking powder and baking soda were invented and then years later, popular names like Betty Crocker and Sarah Lee presented themselves onto the cake scene.

Thanks to revolutions, recipes, and names too numerous to mention; the history of cake has been forever changed; from its Greek roots all the way to American modifications.

History of Brownies Creation

The history of the brownie is definitely an interesting one. Some say the brownie was discovered by housewives in Bangor, Maine while others claim brownies were created when a careless cook forgot to put baking powder in the chocolate cake batter recipe.

Still, a few state that the brownie’s creation is because of the mass production of chocolate in the late 19th century. Because there was so much chocolate to be had, it was no longer only enjoyed by the rich. Everyone could have some! Now isn’t that the best news of all…

With the addition of such a fine treat, it couldn’t have been long before the history of the brownie began to form. Whether one company created it or the recipe evolved from various families still remains a mystery but one thing is certain… brownies are delicious and one of America’s favorite desserts!

According to one theory, the brownie evolved from a bitter cake, like coffee. Soon it was sweetened with sugar, as sugar became more available in the late 18th century. Once it became a sweeter dessert it was not only popular with the adults, but children who happened to run across a brownie or two in their kitchen, also enjoyed it!

In 1780 a man by the name of John Hanan opened the first chocolate factory followed by the introduction of cocoa powder in 1828. After cocoa was invented it wasn’t long before the first chocolate bar made its way onto the scene. In 1842, the Cadbury Company of England developed that idea and it was an instant hit with all the locals and beyond.

In addition to the discovery of the brownie, what about that name “brownie”. It is believed that the name “brownie” was derived from… that’s right, you guess it… its color. When the brownie was first baked, same as now, it had a dark brown color in the confection which eventually led to its name… brownie.

Another interesting theory of the origin of the name “brownie” comes from a feature article in the Sears Roebuck Catalog of 1897. In this catalog, you could mail order chocolate candies that were named after cartoon elves. Yes, that’s right… I said elves. These elves were created by Palmer Cox and were displayed in a series that started as “The Brownies: Their Book” and some believe that that is how the name “brownie” was created.

Once invented and named the history of the brownie evolved even more. It went public; pictured in ads, magazines, cookbooks, and a brownie mix was even sold in the Sears Roebuck Catalog. By the 1920’s brownies could be purchased in local bakeries or made right in your own kitchen.

But really, how ever you slice it, brownies are tasty and worth every bite. The history of the brownie may be uncertain but their popularity isn’t and many people all around the world love them!