Wakefield's cookie recipe nearing 90 years

Jan. 26—Westerns — books or movies — were always one of my dad's favorites. He loved a good John Wayne western.

I have to confess that I still love a good John Wayne western myself. "The Undefeated," "El Dorado," "Rio Bravo," and "Rooster Cogburn" are my all time favorites.

For the most part, the plots are simple — the good guys against the bad guys. However, with John Wayne alongside talented stars such as Rock Hudson, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Maureen O'Hara, Vera Miles, or Katharine Hepburn — you're in for a good time no matter how simple the plot.

Of course, if "McClintock" were made today, the spanking scene at the end would have to be omitted or there would be outcries and protests from women's groups across the globe — and rightly so.

John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn character did meet his match in Katharine Hepburn's character in the movie and their onscreen exchanges were a hoot to watch.

At one time, I loved "Bonanza" and Dan Blocker was my favorite. I'm not easily offended and I'm not a real stickler for political correctness. However, while watching some television bloopers, the camera caught Blocker saying something that I thought was very offensive to all women. Much too offensive to repeat here. I haven't watched the show since and I refuse to watch anything in which he appears. When I am offended, I can be a little stubborn.

A few years ago, while waiting for a public meeting to begin, the conversation veered to the recent election results and how many women would be taking office. One man, for whom I did have great respect, said in a disgusted tone, "Women are going to take over everything."

While I was disappointed that such outdated prejudice still existed, it was more disappointing to learn his true thoughts. Truth is, he was surrounded by a lot of women already in positions of authority.

And, I've got news for him, women have been right there at the forefront all along — credited or uncredited for their efforts.

Women have been influential in the arts, in industry, in technology, in education, in medicine, in science, in engineering, in sports, in politics, in animal rights, in human rights and other social reforms — you name it. Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama, Margaret Thatcher, Jane Goodall, Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, to name only a very few, have had a hand in changing the course of history.

Females from earlier centuries are responsible for numerous inventions that still make our lives much easier, including the refrigerator, dishwasher, among numerous others. At the time of these inventions, the devices were conveniences women needed to make their lives easier.

From computer programming to WiFi, female inventors have contributed much to modern-day living.

Born Hedwig Eva Kiesler in Vienna, Austria, she would become one of Hollywood's most glamorous movie stars. Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) starred in "Samson and Delilah," "White Cargo," among other films and is also credited with the invention that led to today's WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

First married to an Austrian munitions dealer who reportedly mistreated her, Lamarr was extremely unhappy and, after escaping him, eventually made her way to London. While in London, she met Louis B. Mayer of MGM Studios. She then met and dated Howard Hughes, who not only inspired her creativity, but encouraged her.

I imagine support and encouragement have been foundations for numerous advancements in our society — no matter one's gender.

While we take entering a few keystrokes to command a computer for granted, Grace Hopper (1906-1992), nicknamed "Amazing Grace," is the first person to develop programming that allowed computers to "talk" in numerical code. A Navy mathematician, she also co-invented the COBOL language — the first universal computer programming language used in government and business. It is still used today.

Margaret E. Knight (1838-1914) invented a machine that cuts, folds and glues flat-bottomed paper bags that is still used today. After seeing her iron model being built, Charles Annan, a machinist, reportedly stole the invention idea and applied for the first patent.

Knight took him to court, where Annan argued that a woman could not possibly understand the complexities of the machine.

Knight, however, provided blueprints, drawings, journals and models, along with several witnesses who testified about her years of work on the machine. She won the court case and received her patent in 1871.

Sarah Tabitha Babbitt (1779-1853) is credited with inventing the circular saw, a process to manufacture false teeth, and an improved spinning wheel head.

Maria Beasley (1847-1904) designed a much-improved life raft, credited with saving untold numbers of lives because it could be accessed and deployed much quicker than previous designs. She also invented an anti-derailment device for trains, a foot warmer, a barrel-making machine, among other inventions.

Mary Anderson (1866-1953) invented windshield wipers after riding in a trolley car in which the driver had to open the front window to see while driving in sleet. While previous devices had been tried, Anderson's was the first that actually worked.

Cadillac was the first car manufacturer to use wipers on all their cars. When Anderson's patent expired, the windshield wiper became standard vehicle equipment, according to historians.

Another woman, Margaret A. Wilcox (1838-?), is responsible for heating cars. She used the heat created by the combustion and channeled the air over the engine, into the car.

To switch gears (I know, I'm sorry), the chocolate chip cookie is nearing its 90th year and is still America's favorite. As you might have already guessed, the recipe was created by a woman.

In the late 1930s, Ruth Wakefield, who ran the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Mass., mixed chocolate chunks into her cookie dough and the rest is history, as the saying goes. The recipe first appeared in her 1938 cookbook "Tried and True."

In 1939, she sold Nestle the rights to use her recipe as well as the Toll House name — reportedly for $1 and a lifetime supply of chocolate (I have my doubts about this last bit of information).

The recipe still appears on the back of the semi-sweet chocolate chip bag — 84 years later. Countless variations can also be found online and in other sources. Now that's a cookie with staying power.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1 (12-ounce) package (2 cups) Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional (if omitting the nuts, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour)

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla at high speed. Beat, scraping bowl often, until creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Gradually add flour mixture, mixing at low speed after each addition.

Stir in chips and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

I get the best results by lining my cookie sheets with parchment paper. If I bake the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, they stick. If I use a non-stick spray, the cookies seem to spread out too much.

Also, I use milk chocolate chips rather than the semi-sweet chips.

I've also used peanut butter chips and I've used a mix of peanut butter and milk chocolate chips. Yummy!

Depending on your taste, butterscotch, caramel, or cinnamon chips will work just as well.

As always, play around with this classic recipe and make it your own.

At any rate, think how your life would be without WiFi or "talking" computers, a warm car in the winter, windshield wipers, and on and on.

And how would we end up in out-of-the-way cornfields without GPS? Of course that could be just me.

In all probability, somebody would have finally developed a car heater and windshield wipers that actually worked and were practical for mass production.

Someone would likely have also come up with the technology that led to GPS; but, the truth is, I could probably have found my way into that cornfield without the GPS.

In reality, what difference does it make whether any innovation, or recipe, was created by a man or a woman?

We are all in this together. And, old-time westerns aside, it will take all of us working together — no matter the gender, the race, the religion, the politics — listening to each other with respect and an open mind to move forward.

Email: mcbrooks@register-herald.com