National Chocolate Chip Day...

is a thing. Go figure!

I was poking around Pinterest and came across a 2016 Marketing Planning Guide. Well, that's two years old, dates are off a bit. :) So I went to find the author and see if there was an updated 2018 version. Found it...https://www.rebeccavandenberg.com, Rebecca Van Den Berg is a Digital Marketing Strategist, check out her What We Do page here. Thanks to Rebecca I now have the updated 2018 Marketing Planning calendar, that's where I found out it National Chocolate Chip Day is a thing!! It is on May 15th, so I am a day late but hey who doesn't love a chocolate chip cookie any day of the year?

I Googled it and found a great article here on the National Day Calendar website explaining how chocolate chips became a thing. It goes back to 1937 and it's all thanks to Ruth Graves from the Toll House Inn of Whitman, Massachusetts. Great article, take a few to give it a read.

The first time I made homemade chocolate cookies, not from a package or box, was in 8th grade Home-Ec class somewhere in the late 80's (which they should totally offer in schools again! - tirade for another post). It was intimidating at first, all the measuring, mixing, making sure it was all done precisely, baking is a science after all. By the end of that class, I had fallen in love with baking.

My love for baking has stayed with me all these years, I bake just because, for holiday desserts, for birthdays, or because the bananas are a bit too ripe to eat so here comes some banana bread. :) Anything homemade is perfect for gift giving and relatively inexpensive.

Several years ago I started making cookies and giving them away as Christmas gifts to co-workers. They are not old-fashioned chocolate chips cookies, I make them instead with Andes Candies. Yep, those delicious little mint candies that you used to get after dinner at certain restaurants (still get them at Olive Garden).

A little gesture that really doesn't take too much time but makes a great impact on the people getting them. Who doesn't like a little treat?

Go forth and bake!!

Toll House Chocolate Cookie Recipe courtesy of www.epicurious.com here.

YIELD Makes about 5 dozen cookies
ACTIVE TIME 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pan Cookie Variation

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Slice and Bake Cookie Variation

Prepare dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Do Ahead

Dough may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 8 weeks.

This recipe is made available as a courtesy by Nestle USA and www.VeryBestBaking.com. Nestle® Toll House® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.