Nestle Toll House cookies have been an iconic American treat since the original chocolate chip cookie recipe was first published in 1930. For generations, home bakers have relied on the quintessential semi-sweet chocolate morsels and distinctive maple-brown sugar flavor to create the perfect cookie experience. However, in recent years, fans of the Nestle Toll House cookie have noticed some changes that have left them wondering if their beloved cookie has lost some of its magic.
The History of Nestle Toll House Cookies
The original Nestle Toll House cookie recipe can be traced back to 1930, when it was first published in a cookbook called Toll House Tried and True Recipes. Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, claimed to have invented the recipe by accidentally adding chopped up chunks of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate to cookie batter. The nuts and chocolate created a cookie with bursts of flavor in every bite.
Wakefield struck a deal with Nestle to print the recipe on the packaging of their chocolate bars in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Nestle began promoting the recipe and it quickly became popular across America as the chocolate chip cookie. Generations of home bakers and cookie lovers grew up making Nestle Toll House cookies, establishing it as one of the most beloved American dessert recipes.
The Original Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe
The original recipe, still printed on Nestle chocolate chip packages today, calls for:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
The recipe combines the flour, baking soda, and salt before beating in the softened butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Once the batter is mixed, the Nestle chocolate chips and nuts are folded in. The dough is then portioned and baked into cookies.
Changes to the Nestle Toll House Cookie Over the Years
While the basic recipe has remained unchanged, fans of the Nestle Toll House cookie have recently noticed some differences in the finished product that seem to have altered the classic experience of this beloved cookie.
Use of Palm Oil
In the last decade, Nestle reformulated their famous chocolate chips, replacing the cocoa butter with palm oil. This change was met with significant backlash from consumers who argued that it altered the flavor of the chips.
Palm oil, while used for many years in packaged foods and candies, has a noticeably different flavor profile than cocoa butter. Many bakers felt the new chocolate chips tasted waxy and left a filmy texture when baked into cookies.
Boxed Cookie Mixes
Nestle has capitalized on the popularity of their chocolate chip cookie by releasing pre-packaged cookie mixes and refrigerated cookie dough under the Toll House brand. However, many fans argue these convenient products don’t reflect the authentic taste and texture of the original recipe.
The brand’s pre-made cookie doughs replace granulated sugar with corn syrup solids. The pre-mixed batter also often contains gums, emulsifiers, and anti-caking agents not found in homemade dough. Many bakers feel these extra ingredients lead to a cookie with a thinner, crispier texture compared to the original chewy Toll House cookie.
Changes in Ingredient Quality
There is a perception amongst consumers that the quality, freshness, and source of common baking ingredients like flour, sugar, and butter have declined over the years while products have been streamlined for mass manufacturing.
For example, most mainstream all-purpose flours are more finely milled and bleached compared to decades ago. Many brands use gums and preservatives not found in simpler, small-batch flours. These changes can impact the texture, flavor, and appearance of baked goods like cookies.
Examining the Differences between Old and New Nestle Toll House Cookies
To understand why so many bakers feel the classic Nestle Toll House cookie recipe doesn’t produce the same results anymore, we conducted a side-by-side test baking the cookies with original and modern ingredients.
Test Parameters
We baked two batches of Nestle Toll House cookies using the original recipe from the 1930s.
The first batch was made with:
- Nestle Toll House chocolate chips (current formulation)
- Crisco all-vegetable shortening (current formulation)
- Gold Medal all-purpose flour (bleached, enriched)
- Domino granulated cane sugar
- Domino light brown sugar
- Modern large grade AA eggs
- McCormick pure vanilla extract
- Diamond crystal kosher salt
- Arm & Hammer baking soda
The second batch was made with:
- Nestle Toll House chocolate chips (1990s formulation)
- Crisco all-vegetable shortening (1990s formulation)
- Gold Medal all-purpose flour (unbleached, unenriched)
- C&H granulated cane sugar
- C&H light brown sugar
- Heritage breed medium eggs
- Madagascar vanilla bean paste
- Morton coarse kosher salt
- Rumford baking soda
We compared the cookie doughs and finished cookies from each batch to identify differences in flavor, texture, and appearance.
Comparison of Cookie Dough
| 1990s Ingredient Cookie Dough | Current Ingredient Cookie Dough |
|---|---|
| Richer brown sugar flavor | Milder brown sugar taste |
| Molasses notes from brown sugar | Hints of corn syrup flavor from brown sugar |
| Full egg yolk flavor from heritage eggs | More mild egg flavor from commercial eggs |
| Pronounced vanilla flavor from vanilla bean paste | Vanilla extract lending milder vanilla notes |
| Salt flakes add bursts of saltiness | Fine salt distributes more evenly |
| Unbleached flour contributes nutty, wheaty notes | Bleached flour has a neutral flavor |
| Cocoa butter flavor comes through in chips | Palm oil leaves a waxy taste |
Taste testing the cookie dough side-by-side revealed more complex, nuanced flavors in the batch made with original ingredients compared to the more muted, homogenized flavors from updated ingredients.
Comparison of Baked Cookies
| 1990s Ingredient Cookie | Current Ingredient Cookie |
|---|---|
| Deep brown exterior | Paler, lighter exterior |
| Chewy and dense interior | Thinner, crispy interior |
| Full sweetness balanced by complex flavors | Sweeter with simple flavors |
| Butter flavor comes through | Shortening leaves waxy aftertaste |
| Starts to spread during baking | Holds shape during baking |
The cookies baked with modern ingredients were notably paler, crisper, and sweeter while the 1990s ingredient cookies had deeper flavor notes and chewier texture.
Why the Changes to the Iconic Cookie Recipe?
Alterations made to the classic Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe over the past decades were likely motivated by a combination of factors:
Cost Cutting
Many of the ingredient changes reduced costs for Nestle. Switching from cocoa butter to palm oil in chocolate chips saves money. Mass produced eggs are cheaper than heritage breeds. Pre-mixed cookie dough requires fewer ingredients to manufacture and distribute compared to selling baking components separately.
Food Safety
New processing methods developed to eliminate potential pathogens and extend shelf life have changed ingredients. Heat treatment of flour kills E. coli and Salmonella but alters flavor and performance. Switching from raw eggs to pasteurized products prevents disease but impacts taste.
Mass Production
Scaling up manufacturing led to changes like finely milled flours that combine easily and emulsifiers that extend shelf life. New ingredients were required to allow national distribution and sales.
Consumer Preferences
Many consumers have come to expect sweeter, lighter baked goods. Products like bleached white flour and corn syrup lend a certain uniformity to items like cookies while heritage ingredients can seem unfamiliar. Nestle likely tailored their Toll House line to match changing tastes.
Is It Possible to Recreate the Original Toll House Cookie?
While the exact Toll House chocolate chip cookie of the 1930s may be difficult to reproduce today, it is possible to come close by sourcing high quality ingredients:
Seek Out Heritage Baking Ingredients
Specialty mills offer less processed flours without additives. Small batch sugars have bigger flavor impact. Using antique cookie recipes can offer guidance to more authentic ingredients.
Use Higher Quality Chocolate
Opt for chocolate that relies on cocoa butter instead of palm oil. Craft chocolate chips made with Belgian chocolate lend complexity.
Hand Mix Cookie Dough
Avoid over-mixing dough with electric beaters which can toughen gluten. Mix by hand for a more tender, delicate cookie.
Allow cookies to cool completely to set structure before storing. Wrap in parchment then foil for longest freshness.
Conclusion
The iconic Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe has changed over the decades as ingredients and manufacturing processes evolved. Many fans perceive a notable difference in flavor and texture in recent cookies versus those made with original ingredients from the 1930s recipe. While recreating the precise experience of early Toll House cookies presents challenges, choosing higher quality whole foods and avoiding highly processed ingredients can help bakers come close to the classic chocolate chip cookie they remember.