Chocolate Chip Cookies — From Ruth Wakefield’s 1938 Toll House Accident to a Brown-Butter Modern Bake

Overview

This video explores the invention of the chocolate chip cookie in 1938 by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn and guides viewers through baking a modern brown-butter version. It emphasizes key techniques like browning butter, chilling the dough, and using high-quality chopped chocolate for superior flavor and texture.

Ingredients

• 225 grams (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 200 grams (1 cup packed) dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
• 100 grams (0.5 cup) granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg (60 grams)
• 1 additional yolk (20 grams)
• 12 grams (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional, for depth)
• 280 grams (2.25 cups) all-purpose flour
• 4 grams (0.75 teaspoon) baking soda
• 5 grams (1.25 teaspoons) fine sea salt
• 300 grams (10.5 ounces) high-quality chocolate (half dark 70%, half milk chocolate), chopped by hand
• Flaky sea salt (for finishing)

Instructions

1. Brown 225 grams of unsalted butter in a stainless steel skillet (never nonstick) over medium heat (140°C / 285°F) for six minutes, whisking constantly, until the milk solids turn deep amber and the kitchen smells like toasted hazelnuts.
2. Pour the brown butter, including every speck of brown bits, into a heat-safe bowl and cool for ten minutes until liquid but no longer hot.
3. Whisk 200 grams of dark muscovado or dark brown sugar and 100 grams of granulated white sugar into the cooled brown butter for one full minute until it looks like wet sand.
4. Add one large egg (60 grams) plus one additional yolk (20 grams) and whisk for 45 seconds until the mixture is pale and ribbon-thick.
5. Stream in 12 grams of vanilla extract and, if desired, one tablespoon of bourbon, whisking for 30 seconds more until the mixture is glossy and emulsified.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk 280 grams of all-purpose flour with 4 grams of baking soda and 5 grams of fine sea salt for 30 seconds to distribute thoroughly.
7. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet in three additions, folding with a silicone spatula (never a stand mixer), and stop the instant you no longer see flour streaks.
8. Fold 300 grams of chopped high-quality chocolate into the dough in two additions, reserving a handful to press onto each cookie top after portioning.
9. Press the dough flat into a parchment-wrapped disk, cover tight, and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours (72 hours is better).
10. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) for a full half hour, with a parchment-lined sheet pan on the middle rack.
11. Portion the dough with a number-20 disher (a 60-milliliter cookie scoop, about 70 grams of dough each), placing six per half-sheet pan in three rows of two, well-spaced.
12. Press a few reserved chocolate shards onto each cookie top and finish with flaky sea salt.
13. Bake for exactly 12 minutes, rotating the pan at six minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still pale and visibly underdone.
14. Pull the pan immediately from the oven and bang it once on the counter to deflate the centers.
15. Rest the cookies on the pan for ten minutes to allow carryover heat to finish cooking before transferring.

In this video

• The chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Wakefield in 1938 at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, when chopped chocolate failed to melt into her butter drop cookies.
• Nestle printed Ruth Wakefield's recipe on every Toll House label by 1940 and paid her one dollar plus a lifetime supply of chocolate.
• Browning 225 grams of unsalted butter in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat for six minutes until the milk solids turn deep amber and it smells like toasted hazelnuts is key for a great cookie.
• Using 200 grams of dark muscovado or dark brown sugar adds moisture and butterscotch notes, while 100 grams of granulated white sugar contributes to crisp edges.
• Only baking soda (4 grams) should be used for this cookie, never baking powder.
• High-quality chocolate, chopped by hand into irregular chunks (300 grams, half dark 70% and half milk chocolate), is preferred over bagged chips for better melting and texture.
• Chilling the dough for a minimum of 24 hours, and ideally 72 hours, fully hydrates the flour, dissolves sugars, and results in deeper-flavored, less cakey cookies.
• Cookies should be baked at 190°C (375°F) for exactly 12 minutes, rotated at six minutes, until edges are golden brown and centers are still pale and visibly underdone.
• After baking, immediately bang the pan once on the counter to deflate the centers, then rest the cookies on the pan for ten minutes for carryover cooking.
• Avoid common sins like using room-temperature butter, skipping the dough chill, or using bagged chips instead of chopped chocolate chunks for the best results.

Frequently asked questions

Who invented the chocolate chip cookie and when?

The chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Wakefield in 1938 at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, when she accidentally added chopped semi-sweet chocolate to her butter drop cookie dough.

What is brown butter and how is it made for cookies?

Brown butter, or beurre noisette, is unsalted butter cooked until its milk solids turn deep amber and it smells like toasted hazelnuts. It's made by whisking 225 grams of unsalted butter in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat for about six minutes until the color changes.

Why is it important to chill chocolate chip cookie dough?

Chilling the dough for a minimum of 24 hours, or ideally 72 hours, allows the flour to fully hydrate and the sugars to dissolve into the moisture, leading to deeper-flavored and less cakey cookies.

What kind of chocolate is best for chocolate chip cookies?

For the best results, use 300 grams of high-quality chocolate, chopped by hand into irregular chunks (half dark 70% and half milk chocolate), rather than pre-tempered bagged chips, to create both streaks and molten pools.

What are the correct baking temperature and time for these chocolate chip cookies?

Bake the cookies at 190°C (375°F) for exactly 12 minutes, rotating the pan at six minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still pale and underdone.