Introduction to Ruth Graves Wakefield

Born on June 17, 1903 in East Walpole, Massachusetts Ruth Graves Wakefield (Ruth Wakefield ) is the face behind one of America’s favourite cookies. Her culinary creation is now a household name around the world.

Education and Early Career

Ruth Wakefield graduated from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924. That gave her a strong foundation in food related sciences and education. Before her most famous project, she worked as a dietitian and gave lectures on food. In 1930, she and her husband purchased a tourist lodge in Whitman Massachusetts called the Toll House Inn. This was the point when she unknowingly discovered a culinary phenomenon of her own.

Creation of the Chocolate Chip Cookie

Dinner at the Toll House Inn soon became a well-known local treat, as did its desserts. Ruth was a perfectionist in the kitchen, and one of her passions (she had many) were radical new recipes. She experimented with vegetarian dishes before it became popular. The Toll House cookie was created around 1938.

According to the story, Wakefield was preparing a batch of chocolate cookies when she ran out of baker’s chocolate. The reflex baking resulted in the use of a chopped up Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar that she thought, if it melted properly, would spread throughout the dough. But the chocolate chunks still held their shape while they softened but didn’t melt completely. The perfectly baked cookie was crisp on the outside while oozing melted chocolate bits, providing a texture and flavour combo that quickly won over guests.

Rise to Fame and Legacy

The cookie was first called a “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie” that relates to the inn. It became an almost instant hit, not only with the inn’s patrons but also by word of mouth and publication in newspapers and on radio shows. The cookie’s popularity even resulted in booming sales for Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bars. Realizing the marketing opportunity, Andrew Nestlé made a deal with Wakefield to give her free chocolate for life in return for printing her recipe on every package. In this way, the Toll House cookie became known and entered American culinary history.

Impact and Contributions

Ruth Graves Wakefield was the Most Important Woman in baking. In 1936, she published a cookbook called “Toll House Tried and True Recipes”, which featured the now-famous cookie recipe and established itself as an important tool for home bakers of all experience levels. From her work in the Toll House Inn and through her book, she was responsible for establishing many American dessert traditions.

Personal Life and Legacy

Her life was not only about food, either. She was committed wife and mother, she co-ran the Toll House Inn with her husband until 1966. She stayed active in the culinary world, by becoming a food writer and speaker, even after selling off her inn. Wakefield died on January 10, 1977 but her spirit is with us every time a tray of chocolate chip cookies are baked in the oven.