C is for chocolate chip cookie

Chewy, crispy, nutty, rolled or dropped, refrigerated or not, dark, semi-sweet, white, with raisins, with cinnamon, bite-sized or jumbo, fine or coarse, version 2, version 3… there’s over a hundred different ways to satisfy the Cookie Monster within each of us.

Those of us who grew up with that lovable, fuzzy blue monster from Sesame Street were conditioned to believe that true happiness may be found in every bite of a chocolate chip cookie.

And cookie monsters of the world have to thank Ruth Wakefield, owner of the famous Massachusetts hostel, the Toll House Inn.

It was one day in the 1930s when the chocolate chip cookie was invented by mistake. The gracious hostess was supposed to bake chocolate cookies for her guests when she realized that she was out of baker’s chocolate. Resourcefulness led her to cut a semi-sweet chocolate bar into small pieces and mix it with the cookie dough, expecting the chocolate to melt throughout the cookie. But lo and behold! The chocolate remained hard and stayed in shape. Ruth’s fantastic Toll House cookies became an instant hit.

After realizing the popularity of her cookie creation, Mrs. Wakefield got in touch with the Nestlé Company. Upon her suggestion, the Nestlé Company produced chocolate in tiny morsels that we now know today as chocolate chips. Buying the Toll House name, Nestlé packaged these morsels in yellow label bags and are still popularly sold today with Ruth’s original "Toll House" chocolate chip cookie recipe printed at the back of the package. In fact it is so popular that studies show that over seven billion chocolate chip cookies are baked yearly using Nestlé’s Toll House morsels.

As chocolate chip cookie fanatics debate on the perfect chocolate chip cookie and continue to tinker with the basic recipe, I’ve finally found the chocolate chip cookie recipe of my dreams, after studying with chef Bo Friberg, author of the Professional Pastry Chef.

He told me to use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour to make it moist and chewy. I’ve realized from then on that my quest for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie is finally over. Now, I am gladly sharing this recipe with you to enjoy.

So, it’s time take out a glass of milk for some serious dunking. May it make your heart sing and your tummy rumble as it does mine.

This recipe is just as chewy as Mrs. Fields cookies. Just make sure you bake it just until it starts to brown on the sides to keep it chewy. However, those who want their cookie crispy can bake it until it is uniformly browned on top. You may also change the walnuts with macadamia nuts and replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate chunks to get a chunky white chocolate macadamia cookies. Hmmm… another yummy cookie that will surely melt in your mouth. Have fun baking!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

6 ozs. brown sugar
6 ozs. granulated sugar
9 ozs. Magnolia Gold Butter, softened
2 medium-sized eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
13 ozs. bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
6 ozs. walnuts, chopped
12 ozs. chocolate chips

Beat the butter and the sugars together. Add the eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together; mix into the batter.

Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.

Divide the dough into 455-gram pieces. Roll each piece into a rope. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for three hours. Cut each rope into 20 pieces.

Place the pieces, cut side up (it is not necessary to roll the pieces in rounds), on sheet pans lined with baking paper. Stagger the cookies so they do not bake together.

Bake the cookies at 375°F until just done, about 10 minutes. The cookies should still be a bit sticky in the middle and just lightly brown on the edges.

Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yields about 60 cookies.

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For you comments and suggestions, may e-mail the author at henysison@pacific.net.ph.