When I was a kid, it was a given that Nestlés made the very best choc-olate. If you're over a certain age, you're totally singing that in your head, aren't you? You are. It's true. Embrace it.
Imagine my delight to be invited to spend an entire day in the Nestlé Kitchens!
They invited me and a few other Latina Bloggers for an amazing lunch. To read the recap from Nestlé's point of view, click on this link from the Meals: from Nestlé Kitchens.
We were given a menu listing the following:
- Strawberry and Arugula Salad with Cocoa-Spiced Pecans
- Shrimp Ceviche
- Moroccan Quinoa
- Nestlé Abuelita® Enmoladas
- Marinated Flank Steak with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
- Original Nestlé® Toll House® Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies*
- Berry Delicious Fruit Snacks
- Wonka® Chocolate-filled Strawberries
- Lemon and Berry Parfaits
And were then invited to put on some aprons and join Chefs Chris Garboski and Ani Simón in the legendary Nestlé Kitchens to help create this delectable feast.
* I volunteered to help bake the cookies. Recipe and details of how I ended up on Cookie Detail follows. =D
I'm sure they didn't know what to expect when they met us. "Us" included myself, Liz from Thoughts of a Mommy, Dariela from Mami Talks, Ericka from Nibbles and Feasts, and Catalina from Greenery in Mommyhood. But, when you get bloggers and mothers and foodie-types in a kitchen working side-by-side to put a meal on the table there's an instant familiarity that's formed.
I was lucky enough to get Chris Garboski, Manager of the Nestlé Kitchens to myself to help make the Classic Nestle Toll House Cookies. (I may or may not have knocked over a few people when it came time to volunteer for this, but that's not important right now.)
But, hello?! I have been baking Nestle Toll House C0okies since I first learned how to read in English and I laid eyes on the recipe on the back of that famously familiar yellow and brown bag.
Besides, there was also an iconic RED Kitchenaid Stand Mixer involved in this process…..I could barely help myself. 😉
We made the Toll House Cookies with DARK Chocolate Chips which may not be available everywhere yet, but Chris mentioned they had them at WallMart, so there's that.
What was so cool about baking with Chris, whom I will from now on refer to as the Goddess of Nestlé Kitchens (or GNK), is that she gave me some great tips for getting the BEST cookies.
Thing 1) Use an old-school uncoated flat cookie sheet. Nothing with a lip or dark coating. The cookies will not turn out right. In fact, they will burn! To illustrate this point, she made me bake a few on a one of those dark, coated cookie sheets and they were burned to a crisp. After I got over the trauma this caused me, (I burned cookies in the Nestlé Kitchens!) I was glad she taught me that lesson.
Thing 2) Although the original recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, Chris explained that using just one will make the cookies rise just enough to give them the perfect texture and it wouldn't hurt the taste at all. (She was totally right.)
Thing 3) Using a mini scooper device (not as big as an ice cream scoop) makes cookies that are just the right size.
Thing 4) Reserve a quarter cup of the chocolate chips and add them to the cookies once they're already on the baking sheet in a food-stylist way. Gently push a few of the chips morsels into the cookies just before baking.
Perfect. I know.
Okay, so here's me making the classic Nestlé Toll House® Cookies in the Nestlé® Kitchens. I know. Shut up.
And here's the recipe for the BEST Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (This is different from the recipe on the package, remember.)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet (or Dark, if you can find them) Chocolate Morsels
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Gradually beat in flour mixture.
- Stir in chocolate morsels (and nuts if desired).
- Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.
- Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
I loved everyone at Nestlé. I loved baking in their kitchens and sharing the day with my fellow bloggers and the knowledgeable Ani and Chris.
If that wasn't enough, they sent us home with a fabulous gift basket full of all kinds of Nestlé goodies. (There's some La Lechera products in there that are not visible here, but which, just trust me, I got into right away.)
So, what does this mean to you?
Well, The folks at Nestlé have generously offered to send one of these Amazing Baskets of Nestlé Fabulousness to one lucky MBFCF reader. (Yay!)
So, for a chance to win a basket like the one pictured above, please leave a comment on this post and answer one or both of the following questions:
- Do you like to bake?
- What's your specialty?
I'll choose a winner on Wednesday, June 1st at 6 pm Pacific Time.
(I'm going to suggest that you "like" Meals: from Nestlé Kitchen on Facebook. I promise that they have the best recipes EVAH!)
Good luck!
Disclaimer: I received a basket of goodies and got to cook in the Nestlé Kitchens, plus a basket to offer as a giveaway. The opinions about Nestlé and their products are my own.
My husband is actually the baker in the house. His specialty is Monster Cookies. I help pick out the ingredients and mixing!
Do I like to bake? Heck to the YEAH:) My specialty is the Cuban flan but I make a mean key lime pie and a mean cheese cake pie too.Thanks again Martica!
I love to bake, my specialty is tres leches! The best in south Florida.
I love to bake! It can be so relaxing. I’m my family I am famous for my coconut cupcakes. It is actually Ina Garten’s recipe. They are AMAZING.
Yes, I love to bake .. Flan and Cakes of all kinds, I also have a passion for cake decorating.
Baking is one of my favorite things to do…the best thing I have made thus far are Guayaba con Queso Crema filled muffins…it’s like un pastel de guayaba con queso crema, but not! Que rrrrrrrrrrrico!!! <3
I love to bake anything and everything. I am a big fan of those Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies (thanks for sharing the new recipe and tips) and just baked some chocolate walnut brownies (topped with cookies and cream ice cream)this weekend. I also love tinkering with cake mixes and am a back of the box enthusiast. My specialty is nut bread. I make nut bread with anything – the too ripe bananas, those left-over carrots that did not go into a stew, the mangoes that my son-in-law brings me from his parents house. Recently, he brought me some papaya from another tree in their yard. I usually make shakes with the fruit, but decided to make papaya nut bread. It came out moist and delicious and since I made it in individual small loaves, I gave him one in gratitude and shared another with a neighbor. Its great for anytime you want a quick snack. Last year, someone in my office made a loaf with avocado, but would not share the family recipe. When my neighbor’s avocadoes ripen this year, I think I will try to make some.
I LOVE to bake. My speciality is homemade custard for fruit trifle. I always have to make it for any family function. I also always make white chocolate cocnut truffles every Christmas – now they are always on everyone’s Christmas list.
Hi Marti! I love love love baking. As the daughter of a retired Cuban baker (from Miami, no less!), I’ve inherited some of his passion in the kitchen. I have a few specialties: candy bar brownies (with Snickers inside them!), blueberry crumble cake (the topping is magical), and apple-pear tort.I love recipe hunting and trying new things out in the kitchen. It is not necessary to say that I dabble in chocolate chip cookie making often (I have a three year old, afterall!) and love using chocolate chips, toffee chips, and those yummy peanut butter-chocolate ones. Yummy!
Toll House chocolate chip cookies are the only ones I ever make. We’ve never tasted any others that taste as good, Maybe it’s a childhood thing,
First of all Martica, there should have been a “napkin warning” posted. I am drooling!! Secondly, it must have been an amazing day! The next time you are coming to my neighborhood please tell me so I can come over and steal cookies from your cooling rack! Besos! (Such a food temptress!!)
Uhhh… Yes and YES. Is there *any* other cookie recipe besides Toll House?!?!?I bake as much as I can. My strategy is as follows: Bake till it tastes good. If it’s ugly, it’s a bonus. That means nobody wants to eat it and they’ll never discover how good my baking is 🙂 More for me!
Yes, I love to bake. The best thing I make is a Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake, Nestle Toll House Cookies and Chocolate Sambuca Cookies. I love trying new things and just started teaching my son to bake and cook. We love it!
loved the blog (as always) and love to bake rum cupcakes. co-workers always ask for them.
I love to bake. (I love to eat.) I don’t have a specialty – I like trying new things too much – but I am rather proud to have mastered my grandmother’s apple strudel after years and years of practice.
I love to bake key lime pie. It’s my specialty!runningmatey at hotmail dot com
Baking for me is terapia! There are lots of things that I love to bake but my recent favorite are called “Morning Glory” muffins. I found the recipe in a book about Southern funerals- yes I know- isn’t that great??!! Anyway, here in the South they are considered “healthy” because they have grated carrots and one apple in them. Never mind all the butter and sugar :)Thanks for the chance to win the fabulous basket!
Cooking? not so much. But baking is what I love! I make killer flans, rum cakes & cheesecakes to name a few. My creme brulee us pretty awesome too!I’m the official dessert person for all our gatherings. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I do like to bake. I like it better than cooking. I make a mean carrot/zucchini cake.I love the tip about adding some chocolate chips to the cookies once they are on the cookie sheet. Why don’t simple things like that occur to me?
About ten years ago I was invited to a cookie exchange party where everyone brought a favorite batch of cookies along with the recipe to share with everyone attending. It was such fun that now I can’t help but notice cookie recipes and enjoy discovering new ones. I usually go for the chocolate variety, so of course I can’t wait to try this low calorie tollhouse cookie recipe (half the butter cuts the calorie count by over 800 calories for the batch!) Thanks Marta!
I love to bake. I bake cheesecake, cakes, cupcakes,and my personal favorite, fruit cobbler with organic granola. I personally eat that with vanilla ice cream. 🙂
I LOVE to cook, but cannot bake to save my life! Luckily I have a mother that can still satisfy any seet tooth my family has! 🙂
Hi MBFCF. I hoped to comment in time, but if not…oh well! But here is my answers…baking, well I do enjoy baking or I use to before I started working again. Now that I am home I hope to start up. My favorite recipe is actually from a 1934 Hershey’s cookbook. (sorry, really thought it was Nestlé!) I’d be more than willing to try the recipe with Nestlé chocolates! The recipe is Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins! It is a delicious recipe! I use to make them for Christmas gifts, then the “pamogranate jelly” took over that spot! Kisses!
And yes she makes the best flan in the world and I say this not because she my wife but because she really does, I love you honey !! 🙂