Did you know that the famous American chocolate chip cookie was created by accident?

It is true that they are known all over the world, but few people know that they were created by accident.

Changing the recipe for a lifetime supply of chocolate.

It''s hard to imagine that these popular chocolate biscuits were actually created by accident. We have an American, Ruth Wakefield, to thank for this invention, who was famous in her native Massachusetts for making delicious desserts. There are several stories about the invention of the biscuit, but the most popular is this: one night, Ruth was making chocolate-covered biscuits using an old colonial recipe, but ran out of edible chocolate.

Instead, she used pieces of Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate, which didn''t soak into the dough nicely, but the chocolate pieces remained in their original solid state. Ruth''s biscuits soon became a real hit and Nestlé''s semi-sweet chocolate grew in popularity along with them. Ruth struck a deal with a Swiss food company to sell them the recipe in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate.

It is true that they are famous virtually all over the world, but few people know that they were created by accident.

The recipe was soon publicised in the newspapers and on the radio, giving housewives the opportunity to bake the biscuits in their own kitchens. The original recipe is still printed on a Nestlé bag of chocolate-chip biscuits.

Chocolate biscuits one hundred and one ways

American chocolate chip cookies became very popular during World War II and were regularly sent to American soldiers fighting overseas. And so they quickly became popular in other parts of the world. They are still one of the most popular desserts today, and sweet tooths love to prepare them in different ways. In the post-war years, these chocolate biscuits followed in the footsteps of many other American culinary innovations, moving from the home kitchen to the factory floor, where they began to be made on a conveyor belt.

The traditional recipe includes butter, brown and white sugar, chocolate chips, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla extract. Of course, there are many other variations of this recipe, using other types of chocolate and milk, and the biscuits are often flavoured with nuts, oatmeal, cocoa powder, kikiriki butter or various sweets. There are also recipes for vegans that include vegan chocolate instead of regular chocolate, and vegan margarine as an alternative to butter.

This year, chocolate biscuits celebrate their 80th anniversary

The popularity of these delicious biscuits is unparalleled - nowadays, virtually every confectionery recipe book contains a recipe for them. In their honour, the US state of Massachusetts, where Ruth made the first cookies, established Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in 1997, which is celebrated annually across the country on 15 May. But that''s not all; these chocolate biscuits are also the official ''state'' biscuit in the US states of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. How quirky, isn''t it?

And there is no end of interesting things about these biscuits. In 2003, the largest chocolate chip cookie was baked in the US state of North Carolina - over 30 metres wide and weighing almost 20 tonnes! It probably goes without saying that they had to build a special oven for the purpose, and this feat also earned them a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

A tasty snack that goes anywhere

Whether you''re baking them for a snack or to welcome an important visitor, chocolate biscuits are always the way to go! Eaten by 7000 million people in the United States alone each year, they also go well with a variety of beverages - from coffee, tea and, surprisingly but proven, wine and whiskey! And of course, we shouldn''t forget a glass of milk, which perfectly enhances their delicate flavour.