Massachusetts Woman Accidentally Invented the Chocolate Chip Cookie

It's one of the most iconic treats in American history and  it was accidentally invented here in Massachusetts. National Cookie Day seems like a good time to talk about it.

Her name was Ruth Graves Wakefield and she was the owner and chef at at a tourist lodge in Whitman. The name of that lodge is important as it's now the name synonymous with the semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies we know today.

The lodge was called The Toll House Inn. Does that sound familiar?

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Now, on to the important stuff. How did Wakefield accidentally create this delicious treat?

Wakefield baked treats for her guests all the time. One day as she was making her already popular Chocolate Butter Drop Do Cookies, she realized she ran out of one very important ingredient.

Some historians say that ingredient was nuts, while others claim it was baker's chocolate.

Wakefield improvised as a great baker should, hoping that the Nestle semi-sweet chocolate she was using would melt. It didn't. She served the treats to her guests anyway. The chocolate chip cookie quickly became a fan favorite.

Nestle and Wakefield struck a pretty interesting deal to capitalize on the cookie's popularity. Wakefield would have her recipe printed on all the packages of Nestle Semi-Sweet chocolate chips and she would get a lifetime supply of the chips.

Not a bad deal.

While the lodge burned down in the 1970s, there is still a site that you can visit commemorating the woman and her accidental phenomenon.

While the debate continues about who makes the best cookies, I like to think my aunt has come the closest to what Ruth whipped up.

In case you've ever questioned the popularity of the chocolate chip cookie, you should know that Subway, best known for their footlong sandwiches, recently came out with a footlong chocolate chip cookie.

Cookie monsters, rejoice!