Different Takes On Tollhouse Cookies

 who doesn't love a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie? Well there are some who do and some who want a little more variety. Not surprisingly the recipe has some interesting turns over the years.

Chocolate chip or Tollhouse cookie us a Twentieth Century invention created by Ruth Wakefield in 1939. She added broken chocolate pieces to a brown sugar cookie recipe, thinking the chocolate would melt. They didn't, much to the delight of her diners at her famed Tollhouse restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts. However that's a myth , She deliberately created something new on her dessert menu to give her other cookie recipe, a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream. It appeared in her Tollhouse cookbook too, spreading the recipe through the Boston area. It was World War Two however that make her "chocolate crunch"cookie super popular. They were packed into the care packages that families sent their sons overseas and in turn the boys shared it with fellow troopmates. Soon these GIs were writing home, begging their moms and sweethearts to bake and send this new kind of cookie. The recipe is a basic one (that can be made without the chips for a buttery brown sugar snap) that combines brown and white sugars with shortening , flour , hot water and baking soda.Vanilla and salt are added for flavor and to bring out the other ingredients flavors.

Eighty years later the recipe is still going strong but with many variations. One of the earliest - )and my and child hood favorite) is where M&M's are subbed in for the chips. These came out almost as soon as the original chocolate chip cookie did. M&M's were created in 1942 for our troops. They were modeled on the British Smartie, with a soft, melty milk chocolate center and hard candy shell. These are a fun variation, especially when biting into those crisp shells. The holiday M&M's make them perfect for Christmas, Valentines' Day, Easter and Halloween cookie trays, You can also sub in M&M Peanut variety or even Reeses Pieces too. Toss in some walnuts or almonds too if you want more flavor. The basic recipe stays the same. The basic recipe can also change, The original one calls for using Crisco, but using dairy or plant based butters give the cookie a richer flavor.What about whole wheat flour? Many home chefs wonder if this will change the cookie's original taste.It won't.It may give it a denser texture however thanks to the entire wheat kernel being used. You can also use almond and rice flour too.As for the brown sugar you can use both light and dark, omitting the white. This results in a cookie with very crispy edge. 

Chocolate chip cookies are one of the best cookies out there. However there are variations to try. The result? An even better version of this American favorite.

Mmmmm M and M's

One of the most classic American candies is M&M's. These little multicolored gems are just good on their own or in a variety of different dishes and treats.What is even more interesting is their history and their impact on the American culinary landscape.

M&M's made their debut in 1941 during the beginning of World War II. Forrest Mars Senior based them on the British candy Smarties when he saw soldiers eat them as a snack during the Spanish Civil War. The British version had only debuted a few years before in 1937. and were possibly based on the Moravian version first made in Holesov Czech Republic as early as 1907.Mars was the father of the famed Milky  Ways and Mars Bars  introduced in 1923 and 1932. The candy is nothing more than a chocolate pellet coated with hard panning, basically hardened sugar syrup. Those iconic M's? One  is for Mars - of course and and Bruce Murrie, son of Hershey's chocolate president  William F.R. Murrie. They candy was made with Hershey's chocolate which had control of all the rationed chocolate at the time.After receiving a patent for it ,Mars had the candy made in the posh neighborhood of Clinton Hill, in Newark, New Jersey. Their first customer was the US Army who saw the candy as the perfect foodstuff that wouldn't melt in the pockets of soldiers stationed in tropical climates. It was strictly  army food until the end of the war when it was finally sold to civilians. The iconic brown package came about in 1950 while the Ms came about in 1949.It was black at first and then changed to white in 1954.

Most of us grew up with the classic milk chocolate or peanut ones that came about in 1954. The eighties saw the candies go global with being introduced all over the world, from Australia to Malaysia. They even hit the UK where they 've been competing with Smarties.Holiday M&M's were introduced then too, with pastel candies imprinted with bunny, chick and egg symbols. The Christmas ones were colored with  red, white and green coatings, with the last one  being mint flavored. The M's were replaced with fir trees, bells and candles. The Nineties saw the ushering in of M&M Minis sold in plastic cylinders . The new century welcomed such new flavors as dulce de leche, caramel, and peanut butter.Also entering the candy scene was dark chocolate - a nice break from the milk along with white chocolate.There's also chocolate crispy and pumpkin spice that comes out in the fall. Fruit flavors have also crept into the M&M flavor mill as  well. There are coconut, orange,cherry cordial raspberry and even candy apple.! Newer flavors are birthday cake and pretzel - the last a nice mix of sweet and salty.Mars  also makes pecan pie and caramel which is sooooo addictive.

Everyone has a favorite M&M. What's yours? Mine are caramel and almond for now. That may change when I taste the dark chocolate ones again.

Lolli and Pops A New Fashioned Candy Store

Everyone of a certain age  has memories of their local candy store. It was a place to enjoy favorite treats and to try new concoctions. Sadly they went the way of Main Street America - that was until Lolli & Pops came along.This is an old fashioned candy story with a modern twist.

I discovered this fun paeon to all things sugary on a trip to my local mall. I hadn';t been to it in a long time.(three years!!!) and was curious if it had changed. It had and one store stood out  -Lolli & Pops, It looked intriguing .It smelled heavenly.The aroma of chocolate lured me into this Candyland of a shop. At first glance it looked like James Candy in Atlantic City. There were homemade sea salt caramels, homemade marshmallows, cocoa dusted truffles and rich bars, filled with peppermint or nuts. Those alone were dazzling but other treats caught my eye . British sweets such as the tangy Wine Gums and creamy Maltezers, There were marshmallow gummy treats from China along with rice candy (!). Mexican Chupa Chup lollipops shared the spotlight with German Kindereggs.There's a whole section dedicated to gummy bears  with even a giant seven foot bear in the middle of the display.. Every color, every flavor was there  in plexiglass tubs waiting to be put in plastic bags to take home.Not to be outdone, there was a section devoted to American classics, that is a shrine to every Yank's youth  Cow Tales, those brown and white wonders share a shelf with those crazy Eighties Pop Rocks and traditional Necco Wafers.You can satisfy a Smarties craving at Lolli & Pops too..

Chocolate is big here. I  bought the dark chocolate covered dried cranberries. but had the choice of other milk and bitter  chocolate goodies. The cranberries were tasty with the right amount of chew and glossy chocolate. Next visit ,I'm definitely buying the chocolate covered blueberries. Other fun aspect of the store is that you can also buy macarons in almost every flavor imaginable.Again these are on my radar to try and to gift. They also have rich petit fours - definitely unusual for a sweet shop. Alongside of these are hand dipped caramels , bonbons of every flavor and orange slices.It wouldn't be a candy store without candy bars.Lolli & Pop's have ones that have toffee laced through them as well as ones riddled with almonds and peppermint.Some are filled with unusual flavors such as pretzels and potato chips. The store even has its' own hot cocoa, sold in quaint old fashioned milk bottles.Again another fun thing on my radar.What is great about Lolli & Pops is that they also make up  amazing gift baskets. They are reasonably priced and reflects every candy and chocolate lover's passion.

Lolli & Pops are the new old fashioned candy store. Chocoholics and sweets lovers will have a field day here. They really will feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Smarties Rock!

Nothing beats a fun roll of Smarties candies. In the States and Canada they're they fruity tasting little tablets that come in long tubelike packs. They're a fun candy as a snack and also a great way of getting a quick sugar rush. The worst or the best part is you can't just eat one roll. You usually have to go through three or four - or until you're sick of them.

Smarties originated in 1949 in Bloomfield , New Jersey when an English immigrant Eddie Dee created these fruity little wafers. They company moved to Ontario Canada where they're known as Rockets and Union , New Jersey. There are about about six smarties colors, The white is orange/cream, the white pineapple, the pink cherry, the green strawberry, the purple grape and the orange is well - orange. What I love to do with them is open the pack and eat them by color grouping. - I think almost everyone does this. There are also bigger sized Smarties and even sour Smarties along with Smarties lollipops. The candy is not connected to the British Smarties which are kind of a large M&M.

Recently there has been some controversy. Middle schoolers have taken to "smoking " the rolls. They crust the the candies into a fine powder, put the tube in their mouth and suck in the dust exhaling quickly . as if smoking . This has caused a lot of problems for this innocent little candy. Kids should just enjoy them as they were originally meant to be. They're just a fun snack to be enjoyed on the playground or while doing homework.

Smarties are one of the best candies out there. It's always a treat to buy a bag of them and then gleefully unwrap the rolls.You never know what flavors you'll get. Every rolled combo is a surprise!Smarties are just fun!