Is There A Difference Between Chocolate Chips And Morsels?

Chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate American sweet treat — simple, comforting, and incredibly satisfying. A warm chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk is the essence of childhood nostalgia. While almost everyone can describe their favorite chocolate chip cookies in graphic detail (whether it's thick and gooey, golden and crunchy, or an upgraded version with a dash of secret spice), you can't achieve the perfect bite without chocolate chips: the essential ingredient that makes them so special. But as you browse the grocery store aisle filled with chocolate chips in the traditional teardrop shape, you might wonder, "Should I get chocolate chips or morsels?" Don't worry, grab either. Chocolate chips and morsels are essentially the same thing, just with different names.

Today, in addition to being the key ingredient in iconic chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chips remain a baking staple that shines in all kinds of recipes such as cupcakes, biscuits, muffins, and brownies. However, before chocolate chips became widely recognized as a specific baking ingredient in the U.S., the term actually often referred to an English tea-time biscuit made with chocolate in the shape of wood chips. Several legends surround the invention of chocolate chips, many tracing back to the same place: the Toll House Inn, famously featured on every Nestlé chocolate morsel wrapper.

The most well-known story claims that chocolate chips were created in the 1930s when Ruth Wakefield, co-owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, found herself without baker's chocolate while baking her signature chocolate cookies. In a quick fix, she chopped up a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar. To her surprise, the chocolate chunks didn't melt but held their shape which created delightful pockets of gooey chocolate in each cookie. The cookies quickly became popular and Ruth gifted this recipe to Nestlé in exchange for a lifetime supply of free Nestlé chocolate. Nestlé soon featured the recipe on their wrappers and introduced pre-cut 'chocolate morsels.' And just like that, chocolate chips secured their place in baking history. Despite how charming the story is, the myth has garnered some criticism. 

The first critique is that Ruth Wakefield, a seasoned cook in a professional kitchen, was unlikely to have overlooked running out of such an essential ingredient while making her own recipe. Secondly, Carolyn Wyman, author of "The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book," points out that, with Wakefield's background as a trained cook, it's improbable that she would have improvised on a whim. Instead, there's a good chance she did it intentionally.

Regardless of whether or not the specific details of the origin story are true, Ruth Wakefield is generally credited as the original inventor of the modern day chocolate chip cookie and she was, in fact, working at Toll House when she did it. As with so many aspects of history, reasonable minds may differ on the details.

The types of chocolate available in stores can be overwhelming, especially for baking. Although cacao is the main ingredient in all chocolate, the three most commonly used (and confused) types are chocolate chips, regular chocolate, and baking chocolate which are each designed for different purposes.

Let's start with baking chocolate. Made with pure cacao, baking chocolate comes in unsweetened, bittersweet, and semi-sweet varieties; making it ideal for melting, drizzling, and recipes that require smooth incorporation into the batter. This would include recipes such as chocolate glaze for cakes, ganache, and brownies. Regular chocolate, or chocolate candy bars, usually contains less cacao and more cocoa butter, and there are often additional flavorings and sugars added for better taste. Due to its higher fat content, regular chocolate is creamier and may not melt evenly in recipes calling for melted chocolate. However, it can still be used in chunks or small pieces for added flavor and texture in baked goods.

Chocolate chips, by contrast, are designed to hold their shape when baked, thanks to added stabilizers like soy lecithin. This makes them ideal for maintaining their chunky texture in baked goods like cookies, where you want the chips to remain intact. Available in a wide range of flavors including semi-sweet, milk chocolate, peanut butter, mint, and so on, chocolate chips are a fun way to add unique twists and flavors to your baked goods. While each of these types of chocolate has its strengths, for chocolate chip cookies, you can use just about any of these chocolates interchangeably, though with varying effects.