National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day; SF Taste Test; Make Chef Marcel's Cookie

San Francisco celebrates "National Cookie Day". The San Francisco Chronicle did a taste test of delicious local cookies.Photo byphoto by: Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Today is national chocolate chip cookie day, and it remains one of the most popular treats in America. With so many brands of cookies for sale, it remains one of America's favorite treats. San Francisco remains one of the places to get some of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies. Many think of Ghardelli, but there are many great bakeries that create delicious treats.

Here is a list that was created through a blind tasting in San Francisco. Some are very unique and have flavors unlike a regular cookie. For the winners, there were Reem's, Day Moon's, and Sandy's.

Most cookie and chocolate historians say that Ruth Wakefield was the inventor of the chocolate chip cooking in the late 1930's. She was the owner of the Toll House Inn (yes, that Toll House). Betty Crocker’s very popular and influential radio program shared it on the show, and it began a huge growth of the recipe around the country. It soon became the most popular cookie and cookie recipe. In 1939, Wakefield sold the rights to use her recipe and the Toll House name to Nestle. The Toll House name was so well respected and thought of that Nestle still uses the name on the packages of their chocolate chips to this day.

One of the greatest chocolate chefs and experts was Marcel Desaulnier. His chocolate cook books to this day remain the chocolate standard to many chefs and experienced home cooks. Here is his recipe for chocolate chip cookies that take it to the next level. It's easy and fast!

This recipe comes from a cookbook by Marcel on baking cookies. The cookies are so named because they can be made and baked quickly. They were pretty quick to make and taste yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 ounce pieces

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350.

2: Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt onto a piece of wax paper.

3 Beat butter and sugar on medium for 3 minutes until soft. Scrape down the bowl, then add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium for 2 minutes until smooth. Scrape down the bowl. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients until incorporated, about 30 seconds. (I added another 3/4–1 cup flour here because the dough was really sticky.) Add chocolate chips and mix in by hand.

4: Using a cookie scoop, scoop onto baking sheets and slightly flatten each cookie. (Don’t omit this step; I did with the first batch, and they came out in round little balls; unless you like your cookies like that, then go ahead and don’t flatten them!) Bake for 10–12 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from baking sheets.

Makes about 4 dozen.