Happy International Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! đȘ
A Delicious Deep-Dive into Cookie Origins and Ingredients
August 4th is International Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and whether you're a crispy-edge or chewy-centre fan, today is your excuse to indulge in one of the world's most comforting and iconic treats. But beyond their heavenly flavour, chocolate chip cookies have a fascinating historyâand a recipe thatâs a science experiment in disguise.
Letâs take a bite into the history of cookies; exploring the origins of the word, how it was created, and break down how each ingredient functions to create cookie perfection.
đȘ Where Did Cookies Come From?
The term "cookie" comes from the Dutch word "koekje," meaning âlittle cake.â Dutch immigrants brought this word to America in the 1600s, and over time, it became part of everyday English.
Historically, cookies trace back even further. Around the 7th century in Persia, one of the first regions to use sugar extensively, bakers created small test cakes to monitor oven temperature. These small âtest cakesâ evolved into their own sweet treatâwhat we now call cookies.
By the Middle Ages, cookies were spreading across Europe, with each culture developing their own variations using local ingredients and spices.
đȘ The Sweet Origin of the Chocolate Chip Cookie
The chocolate chip cookie is a relatively modern marvel, invented in 1938 by Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. She was experimenting with cookie dough and decided to chop up a chocolate bar into chunks, expecting it to melt completely into the dough. Instead, the pieces held their shape and softened just enough to create gooey, molten pockets of chocolateâan instant hit.
The recipe became so popular that Nestlé struck a deal with Wakefield to print it on their packaging. In exchange, she received a lifetime supply of chocolate (a sweet deal indeed!).
đȘ Whatâs in a Cookie? The Functionality of Each Ingredient
Chocolate chip cookies may seem simple, but theyâre a carefully balanced chemistry of ingredients, each plays a specific role in texture, structure, and flavour:
1. Flour
Function: The backbone of the cookie. Flour provides structure through gluten development. A softer flour is standard, giving cookies the perfect chew.
Tip: Too much flour makes cookies dry or cakey. Too little causes them to spread.
2. Butter
Function: Adds richness, flavour, and affects spread and texture. Melted butter makes cookies chewier, while softened butter (creamed with sugar) traps air for a lighter texture.
Tip: Browning the butter adds a nutty depth and richer flavour.
3. Sugar (Granulated and Brown)
Function: Sweetens and affects texture. Granulated sugar creates crispiness. Brown sugar (which contains molasses) adds moisture and chew.
Tip: The more brown sugar, the softer and more caramel-like your cookie.
4. Eggs
Function: Bind ingredients and provide moisture. The yolk adds fat for tenderness; the white helps structure and lift.
Tip: One egg too many can make cookies cakey; one too few makes them dry and crumbly.
5. Baking Soda or Baking Powder
Function: A leavening agent that helps cookies rise and spread. Baking soda also promotes browning and a deeper flavour.
Tip: Using baking powder instead will give puffier cookies, while baking soda keeps them chewy.
6. Salt
Function: Balances the sweetness and enhances flavour. Even a small amount makes chocolate and butter taste richer.
Tip: Sprinkle flaky salt on top before baking for gourmet flair.
7. Vanilla Extract
Function: Adds warm, aromatic depth. It enhances all other flavours.
Tip: Real vanilla extract offers much better results than imitation.
8. Chocolate Chips
Function: The star of the show! Semi-sweet is traditional, but any variety worksâmilk, dark, white, or even chopped chocolate bars for extra melt.
Tip: Add in several types for a layered chocolate flavour in every bite.
The chocolate chip cookie may seem humble, but its rich history and deceptively simple recipe make it a baking classic with global appeal. So on this International Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, take a moment to savour the chewy, crispy, melty masterpiece that has stood the test of time.
Cookies arenât just a treatâtheyâre a tradition, a science, and a little bit of magic. đȘ
Triple Chocolate chip cookiesÂ
Ingredients
200g Unsalted butter (room temperature)
300g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
80g of cocoa powder
3g baking powder
Pinch salt
300g Nelstrop self-raising flour
For the filling
200g chocolate chips mixed dark, milk and white
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).Prepare 2 baking trays with, baking paper.
2. Using a wooden spoon or hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together ensure there are no lumps.
3. In 3 stages add the egg to the mix until entirely incorporated, add in the vanilla.
4. Sieve and then fold in to the mix, the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder until fully combined and it forms a dough, donât mix any more than required.
7. Divide the cookie dough in balls at around 50g each and put onto tray, when placing them on the tray ensuring they are evenly spaced apart and not touching, they will spread twice their size, once they are in position gently push them down.
6. Evenly put the chocolate chips on top of the cookies and gently push them down into the cookie.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are a light golden colour they will appear soft but will firm up when cool.
9. Allow to cool and enjoy.
Traditional Chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients
140g Unsalted butter (room temperature)
135g caster sugar
110g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
250g (1 2/3 cups) Nelstrop plain flour
For the filling
200g chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).Prepare 2 baking trays with, baking paper.
2. Using a wooden spoon or hand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together ensure there are no lumps.
3. In 3 stages add the egg to the mix until entirely incorporated, add in the vanilla.
4. Fold in to the mix the flour salt and baking powder until fully combined to form a dough, donât mix any more than required.
7. Divide the cookie dough in balls at around 50g each and put onto tray, when placing them on the tray ensuring they are evenly spaced apart and not touching, they will spread twice their size, once they are in position gently push them down.
6. Evenly put the chocolate chips on top of the cookies and gently push them down into the cookie.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are a light golden colour they will appear soft but will firm up when cool.
9. Allow to cool and enjoy.
 
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