We have been bugging to tell you all week about National Chocolate Chip Day, which is always May 15. See how we avoided the whole hygiene issue on our posting, not that we have a "chip on our shoulder" about the subject or anything! We just thought we should make a "clean sweep" altogether by focusing on CHOCOLATE!No, not a cute chocolate Lab, but real chocolate!
Our love of chocolate dates back to 1100 BC, but the history of chocolate chips goes like this: In 1937, at the Toll House Inn in Massachussets, Ruth Wakefield cut up a block of Nestle chocolate into little chunks and added them to a butter cookie dough. She found that the chocolate pieces held their shape when baked. I guess you could say that it was "chips off the old block"! The Nestle company discovered her delicious cookie recipe and made a deal for the rights of the recipe. By 1939, Nestle had invented chocolate morsels and upon buying the Toll House name, they printed Ruth Wakefield's "Famous Toll House Cookie" recipe on the back of the bright yellow package.
We have a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, which is so easy, so be sure to have some cold milk ready to drink with it!
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Mix in chips. Spread into prepared pan (I put globs all over the pan and then spread evenly with a spatula).
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. (I run a knife around the edges and then flip it onto a cutting board and cut into bars.)
ENJOY!
Here's a list of the top 10 places to visit for some of the best chocolate in the world!
10. Cologne, Germany
9. Tain L'Hermitage, France
8. Hershey, Pennsylvania
7. New York, New York
6. Villajoyosa, Spain
5. San Franciso, California
4. Oaxaca, Mexico
3. Barcelona, Spain
2. Zurich, Switzerland
1. Brussels, Belgium
Because this blog is "like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get," we have added a video. Please click on the link after your fingers are clean and see a short SpongeBob video: http://youtu.be/KmWZjRMExcQ
