amUSIngArtifacts

*Post written by Mona Meyer, Archives and Special Collections Metadata Librarian

Are you a chocoholic?  Does the sight, aroma, or mere mention of chocolate make your taste buds go into hyperdrive?

“Everybody loves chocolate, right? Well, not everybody, at least not to the same degree. According to Statista Market Insights, there’s a huge gulf in chocolate consumption around the world. While the cocoa-based treat is very popular in large parts of Europe and in the United States, many people in Asia prefer other sugary snacks to satisfy their sweet tooth. When it comes to the league of chocoholics, Switzerland is out in front with annual per capita consumption amounting to an impressive 11.8 kilograms in 2022. The country is well known for its excellent chocolate industry with Toblerone and Lindt among the most recognizable brands. Neighboring Germany is also high up on the list with 5.8 kilograms per capita, while Americans are estimated to eat 9 kilograms of chocolate per year on average. At the other end of the scale, India and China have considerably lower per-capita consumption at 1.0 and 0.2 kilograms, respectively, according to Statista.” 

One way to satisfy that chocolate sweet tooth is to enjoy the always popular chocolate chip cookie. In 2022 a CBS News poll showed that it’s the favorite cookie of 35% of Americans, who would choose it as their favorite. Let’s take a peek into some fascinating history of this crowd pleaser.  

My interest in this was peaked when I ran across this postcard. If you happen to remember that the “official name” for the classic chocolate chip cookie is Nestle’s Toll House Cookie, then you have some idea of what is to come. 

In 1930 Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband purchased this property and opened what they called the Toll House Inn, operating it until 1967. First disclaimer: this structure never served as a toll house—it was a home.  The use of Toll House Inn was marketing strategy.  Second disclaimer—it was said to date to 1709, but it was built 1816-1817.

The Wakefields operated an elegant restaurant that served full course meals.  Keeping in mind that this was the Depression, the meals cost $1; still a lot of money for that time period, but the food was good, the service outstanding, and people found a way to come up with the necessary dollar.

“Amidst all of this finery, Ruth Wakefield unwittingly made one of the greatest single contributions to American dessert cuisine. Having run out of baker’s chocolate and desirous of finishing a batch of cookies for the restaurant’s patrons, she dropped pieces of Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate into the bowl, figuring they would melt. When she pulled the cookies out of the oven, she discovered that they hadn’t and, even more surprisingly, folks loved the cookies as they were. She had mistakenly invented the chocolate chip cookie, although she called it the “Toll House Crunch Cookie.” (Possible third disclaimer—some sources say that Wakefield was an excellent cook, and this was no mistake.)  

Customers loved the new cookie, and the Toll House Inn became more popular than ever.  The savvy Mrs. Wakefield contacted Nestle and made a deal: Nestle could print her recipe on every package of chocolate chips, and in turn, she got a lifetime supply of chocolate. 

Ruth Wakefield died in 1977. The inn burned down in 1984 and was not rebuilt.  All that remains today is this commemorative sign.  There’s a Wendy’s restaurant there now.

I don’t know about you, but right now I want to go home and bake up a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies!  In the meantime, enjoy this video of The History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie—Depression vs. WW2, part of the Tasting History with Max Miller series.  Bon appetit!