These cookies got their name in 1962 when Minnesota bakeries shaped them like sleigh runners for winter festivals.
Sleigh Ride Cookies
Get ready to spread some holiday cheer with our delightful Sleigh Ride Cookies! These scrumptious treats are packed with rich chocolate chips, crunchy walnuts, and a sprinkle of festive spices that will fill your home with warmth. Perfect for sharing or enjoying by the fire, these cookies are sure to become a seasonal favorite!
Prep
15
min
Cook
12
min
Serves
24
people
Level
beginner
The Story
These American drop cookies trace their DNA to 1930s Massachusetts when Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn accidentally ran out of baker's chocolate, chopped up a Nestlé bar instead, and created what became the chocolate chip cookie—though early settlers borrowed the basic butter-sugar-flour trinity from Dutch koekje recipes that sailed over in the 1600s, proving sometimes the best inventions happen when you're completely winging it.
Regional Twist
In Vermont's Champlain Valley, bakers swap half the chocolate chips for locally-made maple sugar chips and add a tablespoon of bourbon, turning these simple cookies into proper New England winter fuel.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 cup (237 ml) chocolate chips
- 1 unit egg
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- baking powder (to taste)
- 1 cup (114 g) butter
- salt (to taste)
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- vanilla extract (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
- 3
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- 4
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture.
- 5
Fold in the chocolate chips.
- 6
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- 7
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cream butter and sugar for exactly 3-5 minutes at medium speed to incorporate 20-30% air volume, creating the light texture that prevents dense, flat cookies.technique3-5 minutes, 20-30% air volume
- ✓Use butter at 65-68°F (pliable but still cool to touch) because warmer butter creates greasy dough that spreads excessively, while colder butter won't cream properly.ingredient65-68°F
- ✓Chill shaped cookie dough for 15-30 minutes before baking to solidify fats and prevent spreading beyond 25% of original size during baking.timing15-30 minutes, 25% spread limit
- ✓Space cookies 2 inches apart and rotate pans halfway through baking because oven hot spots can create 50°F temperature variations that cause uneven browning.technique2 inches apart, 50°F variations
- ✓Remove cookies when centers still look slightly underbaked as carryover heat will continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, preventing overbaked, dry texture.timing2-3 minutes carryover
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
12
min
Serves
24
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
These cookies got their name in 1962 when Minnesota bakeries shaped them like sleigh runners for winter festivals.
Sleigh Ride Cookies
Get ready to spread some holiday cheer with our delightful Sleigh Ride Cookies! These scrumptious treats are packed with rich chocolate chips, crunchy walnuts, and a sprinkle of festive spices that will fill your home with warmth. Perfect for sharing or enjoying by the fire, these cookies are sure to become a seasonal favorite!
The Story
These American drop cookies trace their DNA to 1930s Massachusetts when Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn accidentally ran out of baker's chocolate, chopped up a Nestlé bar instead, and created what became the chocolate chip cookie—though early settlers borrowed the basic butter-sugar-flour trinity from Dutch koekje recipes that sailed over in the 1600s, proving sometimes the best inventions happen when you're completely winging it.
Regional Twist
In Vermont's Champlain Valley, bakers swap half the chocolate chips for locally-made maple sugar chips and add a tablespoon of bourbon, turning these simple cookies into proper New England winter fuel.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 cup (237 ml) chocolate chips
- 1 unit egg
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- baking powder (to taste)
- 1 cup (114 g) butter
- salt (to taste)
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- vanilla extract (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
- 3
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- 4
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture.
- 5
Fold in the chocolate chips.
- 6
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- 7
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cream butter and sugar for exactly 3-5 minutes at medium speed to incorporate 20-30% air volume, creating the light texture that prevents dense, flat cookies.technique3-5 minutes, 20-30% air volume
- ✓Use butter at 65-68°F (pliable but still cool to touch) because warmer butter creates greasy dough that spreads excessively, while colder butter won't cream properly.ingredient65-68°F
- ✓Chill shaped cookie dough for 15-30 minutes before baking to solidify fats and prevent spreading beyond 25% of original size during baking.timing15-30 minutes, 25% spread limit
- ✓Space cookies 2 inches apart and rotate pans halfway through baking because oven hot spots can create 50°F temperature variations that cause uneven browning.technique2 inches apart, 50°F variations
- ✓Remove cookies when centers still look slightly underbaked as carryover heat will continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, preventing overbaked, dry texture.timing2-3 minutes carryover