I love to bake…now that I know how! I decided to start this blog to share my baking experiences and recipes. For me, baking is therapeutic. Whether I am by myself in the kitchen or sharing the experience with one (or more) of my children, I love baking treats that make people happy.
Years ago, with my oldest daughter, I would buy the premade dough or the boxed powder where you add eggs & water, and call that baking. We would cut the dough into shapes, throw some sprinkles on them, and BAM there were cookies…but we didn’t actually BAKE them. We just stirred and/or cut a few things, mind you; they were delicious none the less. Below you see our cute creations. My daughter was 13 at the time and loved to “bake” with me. I didn’t have a rolling pin back then, so the blue wine bottle was what we used to roll the dough out. (Ironically, I also didn’t drink wine back then.)*shrugs* At least I was resourceful back in the day.
“I don’t know how to actually bake.” I would often mutter to myself. I WANTED to know how to bake; I just didn’t know how!
Well, turns out, there are these magical spell books that give step-by-step instructions! I know, crazy, right?!?! And now with the interwebs…well, you know how the interwebs work.
SIDE NOTE: Now, you must know, I am a DIEHARD Red Sox fan. I was born into the fandom…my family have been diehards for generations. So, in 2011 when my beloved Red Sox made an epic, and I mean EPIC, collapse at the end of the season, I needed something to do to keep myself from going crazy all autumn and winter. (until Spring Training)
So, I got myself one of those magical spell books, went to the store to get the ingredients I needed, and wouldn’t you know…I baked cookies for the very first time from SCRATCH! Yeah, ME! The one who thought baking was some sort of voo-doo mystery only reserved for ethereal souls with some sort of magical skill set that I was clearly lacking. The cookies were delicious AND easy! So, I was either some sort of Baking Goddess who finally unlocked her magical skill set OR I discovered that baking wasn’t difficult!
(Let’s go with Baking Goddess…it’s good for my ego.)
Being a New England girl, I grew up with Toll House cookies! (Chocolate Chip cookies for those not from New England.) The inventor of the Toll House chocolate chip cookie, Ruth Graves Wakefield, and her husband, owned the Toll House Inn, located in Whitman, MA. (what would be considered a Bed & Breakfast today) While trying to get creative for her guests, Ruth placed pieces of Nestlé’s semi-sweet chocolate bars into her drop cookies and they were an instant hit in 1938! Massachusetts families started shipping care packages to soldiers in WWII containing the Toll House cookies. The soldiers shared the treats and thus a sensation was born! Because she was inundated with requests from around the globe for her cookies, Ruth struck a deal with Nestlé’s and they printed her recipe on the back of their semi-sweet chocolates. In return, Ruth received a lifetime supply of Nestlé’s semi-sweet chocolate bars. (not a bad deal, if you ask me.)
Ruth Graves Wakefield died 2 months before I was born, but from all I have read about her, we would have gotten along famously! In 2016, while searching for a new house with my husband, Ruth’s house (not the Toll House, but her actual house) was up for sale. One of the selling features was the fact that it was Ruth’s house. We looked at it online, but it just wasn’t for us…it needed one more bedroom to suit our needs. How cool would that have been though???
The very first cookies I made from scratch were Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies! I modified the reccipe a tiny bit by adding 1 TBSP of cinnamon to the batter, but otherwise, they’re just like Ruth intended. Here is the recipe:
TOLL HOUSE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
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 (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
- 1 TBSP cinnamon (Mama Foley’s secret ingredient which is totally optional)
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE
- Flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in small bowl. (cinnamon lets you see it’s mixed well)
- 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/or nuts.
- Put in fridge for 20-30 minutes to harden a bit.
- Roll dough in palms of hands forming balls and place on parchment paper. (on cookie sheet)
BAKE
- 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. (If they’re a little thick, it will take a few minutes longer.)
- Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.
- Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
I hope you have enjoyed this first baking blog. As I experiment in the kitchen, I will be sharing my trials and tribulations as well as recipes of what I am baking. (or attempting to bake) If you have a recipe you would like to share…and I do encourage you to…please email them to me at IrishMooseCookies@yahoo.com.
Cheers,
~Mama Foley
IrishMooseCookies 