The top three desserts in America are ice cream, chocolate chip cookies and brownies. These are so popular that they are often served together. Whether it is piling on a scoop of ice cream on top of a cookie, or combining both the chocolate chip cookie and brownie to create a blondie, one thing is certain, Americans love their desserts.
Americans eat more than 2 billion commercial cookies per year, according to Common Trivia, and that doesn’t even count the number of homemade cookies eaten each year.
The chocolate chip cookie is often said to be the number one homemade treat and is a staple across American households and can be found in almost every bakery.
Origins of the Chocolate Chip Cookie
Cookies became widely popular in the early 1900s when natural gas and electric stoves became a staple in American homes. While many sweet options became unaffordable to American families, the cookie became the dessert go-to during the Great Depression because white flour and sugar were cheap and easily accessible.
The first chocolate chip cookie recipe was created in 1930 by Ruth Graves Wakefield, and it was by accident. Wakefield added chopped pieces of chocolate into her dough when she ran out of chocolate powder. She expected them to melt, instead, the pieces stayed in tact as soft chunks. She named it the Toll House cookie, and she served them in her restaurant, the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. She served her cookies complimentary with the restaurant’s vanilla ice cream.
When Wakefield’s toll house cookies were gaining popularity, Nestle saw a spike in their chocolate bar sales. As a result, they began to sell small chocolate morsels. In 1939, Nestle’s CEO Edward Mueller bought the Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie recipe for one dollar from Wakefield. He put her recipe on the back of their bags, and soon nearly every household in America was replicating the chocolate chip cookie.
There are many options in the Raleigh area for locally-owned cookie shops that will help satisfy your sweet tooth. Here are some of our favorites.
Where to find the best, locally-owned chocolate chip cookie:
Captain Cookie & The Milk Man
Kirk Francis made his first cookie at 4-years-old and has been obsessed ever since. In 2012 he opened the food truck, Captain Cookie & the Milkman in Washington DC with his wife, Juliann. They opened six storefronts. They returned to Raleigh, Juliann’s hometown. You can find them in North Hills and in downtown Raleigh. They pride themselves on perfecting their cookie recipes for more than 30 years.
Captain Cookie and the Milkman
The Cookie People
A husband and wife opened The Cookie People in 2008. Their motto, fresh, local, simple ingredients. They pride themselves on their chocolate chip cookie. It is loaded with morsels. You can check out their Raleigh shop, or catch them at the Raleigh Farmer’s Market.
The Cookie People
Southern Sugar Bakery
Two friends, Angie and Christin are former high school counselors. They left their careers to pursue their passion for baking. After operating a home bakery for three years, they opened Southern Sugar Bakery. They offer individually wrapped boxes of a dozen, or half-dozen cookies. They even sell packages of their cookie mix so you can bake them at home.
Southern Sugar Bakery
Dining and Cooking