From Cacao to Chocolate Chips          The long road leading to chocolate chips is well worth traveling. Not only that they consumed these crudely processed cacao beans as a treasured drink, but also used them as currency. The Mayan Indians particularly worshiped these beans as their idol. Columbus introduced cacao beans to Spain in 1504. They were not really popular anywhere else until almost twenty years later when Cortez, a Spanish conquistador, planted them in Trinidad, Haiti, Fernando Po on his way back to Spain from Mexico. Chocolate chips were still far from realization, especially when western Europeans mispronounced cacao as cocoa because they thought that it was coconuts. During the 16th century, the Spanish began drinking chocolate heavily because they believed that cocoa was a panacea. They were not totally wrong, mind you. Scientists today have proven that chocolate contains theobromine, magnesium, tyrosine, phenylethylamine that affect brain chemistry. These chemicals are manipulated in treating depression. Phenylethylamine, in particular, is an antioxidant also found in red wine. It is known to prevent heart disease. Hot cocoa gradually made its way to France in 17th century through royal marriages. A love for cocoa spread widely throughout Europe, and many cocoa factories emerged during this period. In 1765, James Baker opened the first cocoa factory in the United States.
 Dutch-Processed (left) and Natural (right) Cocoa Powders *
Adding cocoa butter and sugar to ground cacao beans resulted in a malleable and smooth paste that was intoxicatingly delicious. Fry and Sons distributed the first eating chocolate in England in 1847. By then, the road to chocolate chips was optimistically getting shorter. Solid milk chocolate debuted in Switzerland thirty years later. It took another eighteen years for this product to be manufactured in the United States. Finally in 1939, Nestle Foods made its greatest contribution to homemade cookies by introducing chocolate chips. This may not have happened without the well-known incidence at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.  Chocolate Chips Production of chocolate chips is very labor intensive. The process involves removing cacao beans from pods, then drying, fermenting, roasting them to develop flavor and reduce bitterness. They are then crushed to a thick paste known as chocolate liquor. There is about 53% fat or cocoa butter and 47% cocoa solids in this paste. This is what you and I know as unsweetened or baking chocolate. Along with cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate is great for baking brownies. In fact, I sometimes substitute cocoa powder for unsweetened chocolate. For every ounce of unsweetened chocolate, I use 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder combined with 1 tablespoon of either vegetable shortening or butter.
Bittersweet and semisweet chocolates come in blocks, bars, and chips. Chocolate chips do contain some vegetable fat that help them retain their shape when baked. So for better results, use chocolate bars or blocks in cookie recipes when they call for melting chocolate.  A Varieties of Chocolate Chips, Disks, Chunks, and Cocoa Powder * White chocolate is basically milk chocolate without cocoa solids. It is made from sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, natural or artificial vanilla flavoring. It is extremely sweet, very rich in fat, and easily perishable. Vanilla is its main flavor. Milk solids make both white and milk chocolate very sensitive to burning. Unless your recipes call for them, never use either one for cookie baking. Buy the smallest available package, if possible, because they both have the shortest shelf life of all. Store all chocolates away from strong odor or moisture. Keep them in a cool environment with consistent temperature. Bittersweet and semisweet have the longest shelf life, up to a year without loss of flavor. For complete facts and stories about chocolate including its role in the slave trade and its use in wartime, visit your local public library and check out this charming book, Chocolate - The Nature of Indulgence, written by Ruth Lopez and published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2002. Would you also like to know what theobroma cacao means? Please visit chocolate ganache for answer.
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"The Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies are just yummy!! I added chocolate kisses and even mini Snickers to make them too good to pass up!"
Beckey
2/24/2011
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David King
12/30/2009
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Tiffany
11/30/2009
"i think this site is just brilliant!! That's alllllll..... Thank you for the wonderful recipes."
Jennifer
7/2/2009
"Oh my gosh, I just spent HOURS on your website! This is the epitome of a cookie website - I LOVE IT! I feel like I could keep reading on forever and still find new things. I am a die-hard cookie fan and passionate baker (even thought I'm only 23!), and this website has been the most informative I've come across so far - everything you need to know in one place. Thank you so much for all of the info! I would one day LOVE to sell my baked goods, and this website is definitely educating me on things I wanted to know. Thanks again, Holly."
Madison, WI
4/13/2009
"I'm the baker in my office and I love to bring treats on Monday morning. December was no-holds-bar baking month and now everyone is joking around and blaming me for their extra tummy pudge last year. The first Monday this month, I made your gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They were a huge hit and everyone was surprised to find out that they were gluten-free and low fat. At about 4g of fat and 65 calories per cookie, everyone ate them up and are demanding more. I love your website and I look forward to trying all of your cookie recipes, Thanks."
Barbara
January 11, 2009
"Love your site! I tried the cheese and walnut biscotti this afternoon, it is really tasty. I was out of cheddar, so used monterey jack. I know the cheddar will have more bite, but this combo was nice too! Have you used any other herb/cheese combinations that you liked? I have some herbs de provence with lavender - I think it would be great in a savory biscotti! Thanks for your great passion for all things baking!"
Elaine
5/28/2008
"Really nice site! Thanks!!"
Lara
2/25/2008
"......This imbalance of acid to base between the ingredients called for in old recipes is something that has always puzzled me. It's usually the other way around, baking soda and baking powder with no counterbalancing acid. I'm left to presume these early bakers and recipe writers weren't exactly clear about the chemistry behind their wonders, they just did what their moms told them and persisted with what worked. My own mother's cooking was remarkably uncreative but nonetheless utterly obedient and so turned out just fine, bless her. I noticed cookies with baking soda stay softer than the same cookies without it. If I was looking for a hard dunkable cookie I might experiment with leaving it out. Here, with the Greek cookie, perhaps they want it to go crispy so left out the baking soda. But what do I know? I'm just learning. That's why I came here, and now I'm delighted to have discovered you. I do believe this site may be perfect. I can't imagine it organized better. Thank you. Bookmarked. I emailed my housekeeper with your address because she's rather good with cookies, she emailed back squealing with delight and glowing warm encomiums. Cheers. Bo"
12/25/2007