Is it just me, or has Nestle totally dumbed down their Toll House Chocolate Chips?

R

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
While I love all the German Christmas cookies I bake, there will always be a place on my cookie plate for Toll House Chocolate Chip. My grandmother always used Nestlé's and that was the taste. Whenever I tasted a cookie made with some off (cheap) store brand or the other, it was such an affront to my taste buds. Last year I made the mistake of buying another brand to use and it was so disappointing. Segue to this Christmas just past, and the Nestles went into the Toll House. They were an imposter as well.

So have my taste buds changed or has Nestle changed the recipe? There always was a special fragrance and taste to the Nestles chips. For me, at least, that is gone.

These cookies were so disappointing that I am going to start buying good chocolate and chopping it into chunks myself.

 
Please call Nestle and tell them. I always call the company when that happens. Sometimes there is

a reason and they will tell you about it. Then send you a bunch of coupons that you cannot possible use up before the expiration date.

 
Meryl got me started on Ghirardelli chips and now I can't go back...

I got 2 big bags of Nestle's from Costco (before Meryl had me try the other) and I felt the same when I used them. Not long ago my SIL made Toll House cookies using Nestle's and they tasted awful to me...I thought it was just me.

 
I wonder if they've subbed other fat for cocoa butter like Hershey did with

so many of their bars.

I'm weird, but I dislike the way Ghirardelli chps smell. They taste okay baked, but turn me off when I open a bag.

 
I use

Sorry.

I use the Pound Plus bars for melting and chopping. I especially love the milk chocolate and use it to coat the Butter Crunch I make around the holidays.

It is Belgian too, I think, and quite delicious.

Michael

 
I started chopping up chocolate chunks a couple years ago, Richard

My Toll House Cookies made with hunks of Cadbury Royal Dark Chocolate are wonderful. I too noticed Nestle changed their chips and I feel the same way as you do. But I moved on to try using the chunked chocolate and found it to be terrific. Expensive but terrific.

I tried Ghirardelli- nice but I love the texture, flavor and depth of the Cadbury.

 
Once I got used to shredding my big blocks of Callebaut, I haven't turned back. You really can't

compare one to the other.

Now, they don't hold the shape like "chips" do, since chips aren't couverture. But oh, the taste.

I especially like to use a blend of chocolate percentages, from 53% to 75%. I've tried adding shards of milk chocolate, but it just doesn't ring my bell.

 
Thanks all...

Karen, I will contact them, just to see what they say, but I suspect the answer is as Melissa suggested, they're subbing other fats for the cocoa butter. That was the smell that always came out of the Nestlé's bag, that rich wonderful scent of cocoa butter (I use cocoa butter in my soap making, so I KNOW that scent).

And sadly, only a few of us will notice and they'll laugh all the way to the bank from cheapening their product and charging more.

 
I just chatted with a Nestle USA rep and got the ingredients for Toll House semi-sweet chips: (more)

SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, COCOA BUTTER, MILKFAT, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVORS). CONTAINS SOY AND MILK INGREDIENTS.

I seem to remember them listing "Butter Oil" in the past (way in the past?), rather than the "Milkfat" above. Maybe there is a difference in flavor you are detecting.

Or maybe they reduced the amount of coco butter or milkfat in their recipe?

 
I had a wonderful discussion about soy with a fellow shopper

when I complained to her about the continued failure of a previously T&T recipe. What she said was recent government requirements have caused food manufacturers to include more protein which they've accomplished by adding soy. The additional soy affects the product formulations and, consequently, the recipes they're used in. The discussion got me thinking and checking ingredients. So I now cut fat by 1-2 TBs, depending on individual recipes, when I cook/bake. Newly formulated Oreo's definitely smell and taste differently from 5 years ago. Maybe chocolate chips have been changed as well. Colleen

 
All the more reason to let them know.....WE KNOW! It is too funny when I call a company

and express a concern about their product. The pat answer is always, "this is the first time we have heard this." I reply, "really? I am the only person in the entire world where your product reaches who is having this issue?" There is always dead silence, then they proceed with the coupon offering and where can we mail them to you. Too funny.

 
Soy added because the government thinks it will make us all healthier? There is a lot of

discussion as to the truth behind that.

 
Oreos have removed the trans fats. They did that YEARS ago in Europe, but taste tests in US said we

didn't like the "new improved healthier" version. So they kept the transfats in until required to make the mandated adjustments.

 
I might have that wrong about the buds being smaller. maybe it's the cookie drops. been awhile

since I ordered, and I think I ordered when there was free shipping and Marilyn kindly shipped them to me in flat rate. AK shipping is still outrageous.

 
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