Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is not the original recipe. I have an autographed cookbook from 1942. One wrong item are the chocolate chips--she said 14 oz, not 12. My family went to her restaurant many, many times. My sister and I always asked if we could eat in the "tree room". The waitresses wore beautiful dresses. In those days there were many courses of food and no matter how big the group the waitresses were not allowed to write any order--they had to memorize everything.

Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread. Also, the sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid. I still include the hot water. I add the baking soda to it so it dissolves, and then add this to the eggs, butter and vanilla mixture.

Flat cookies? Too much butter. Here is the equation for each type of chocolate chip cookie, whatever your preference thin and crisp: 2- 1/2 sticks butter, 1 -1/2 cups granulated, 3/4 cup brown sugar soft and chewy: 2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup granulated, 1 cup brown sugar light and cakey: 1- 3/4 cups butter, 3/4 granulated, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon white vinegar too much baking soda: reduce to 1/2 teaspoon all the other ingredients are OK always refrigerate dough at least 30 minutes

I am surprised that Step 1 continues to be lighting the oven. For years, I have made the dough in advance and chilled it after reading that advice without realizing that was Ruth Wakefield's own secret at the Toll House. It breaks up the task of making cookies for someone short on time and really does result in a better cookie.

I LOVE this recipe, but have two revisions. I use 1/2 cup of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup of shortening. I get great flavor from the butter and chewiness from the shortening. Also, the cookies don't dry out as much if any are left for the following day. I also use 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

What I have done in the past is roll the dough into small, individual balls, place them on a small baking sheet and then place the baking sheet in the freezer for a few moments until the dough hardens. I then put a dozen of these cold dough balls into a zip lock bag and then return the bag to the freezer until a later time. This way, all I have to do is place the frozen cookie balls on a sheet and by the time the oven heats up to either 350 or 375 degrees, the cookies are ready for baking.

I agree! I NEVER make these without chilling the dough for several hours before baking. By baking on oven paper placed on the cookie sheet, it is possible to slide the whole batch off the cookie sheet immediately after removing from the oven, freeing the sheet for the next batch. Also, for soft, chewy goodness remove from oven at exactly nine minutes. Although the cookies may appear uncooked, upon cooling, the texture will be perfect.

Some years ago I found an article online called "The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies." The author began with the standard Toll House recipe and made variations to it (one at a time) so you can understand how the changes impact the final product. One of the variations she tried was refrigerating the dough for a minimum of 24 hours. I liked the results enough to have incorporated that variation into my chocolate chip cookies.

We always cook some of the dough immediately and refrigerate the rest to bake as needed (so we don't eat too many cookies at one sitting). I find the dough more difficult to handle after refrigeration. But try this: Make the cookies larger than usual and place the hot cookies in individual bowls right out of the oven, molding them to the bowls' shape. Add a scoop of ice cream and enjoy.

I agree. I still make them with 14 oz. I noticed that a few years ago when they reduced the size of the package from 14 oz to 12 oz, they changed the recipe.

Question recipes says is makes "5 dozen" that equals 60 cookies, but the nutritional analysis is for 18 servings. Why? Why don't you do the analysis based on 60 cookies? 60 cookies divided by 18 servings isn't even an even number.

My aunt made the best ones from the recipe on the bag of Baker's. Puffy and chewy, not flat. Her secret (which I swore I would never tell my mother) was creaming (in a mixer) the butter and sugars for 3 minutes then a minute after each egg. And she put them in the fridge for 30 minutes and returned the batter to the fridge between baking batches.

Mrs. Wakefield's obituary in the NYT says she chilled the dough overnight. What do others think of that? Also, why omit (or include) the teaspoon of hot water? We all strive for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, usually the cookie we remember from childhood.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (>5,200 feet): INCREASE flour to 2 1/2 cups; add 2 teaspoonfuls water with flour; reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookies for 17 to 19 minutes.

I started baking this when my kids were small and we were on a tight budget. I only used margarine as a cost savings and still usually use that. Now, I also use the best chocolate chips/best vanilla I can find. I never bake at 375 but at 350 or sometimes as low as 325, which yields a very chewy cookie rather than crumbly. I always mix by hand. Note: the softness of the butter or margarine will dramatically affect the texture of the cookie. Softer margarine yields flatter cookie.