Free cookie alert: Mrs. Fields to give away hundreds of chocolate chip cookies

Mrs. Fields shops are giving away free chocolate chip cookies on Dec. 4, 2017. Mrs. Fields shops are giving away free chocolate chip cookies on Dec. 4, 2017. Photo: John Greim/LightRocket Via Getty Images Photo: John Greim/LightRocket Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Free cookie alert: Mrs. Fields to give away hundreds of chocolate chip cookies 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

The mall mainstay responsible for making your shopping experience smell like fresh baked goods is giving away a bunch of cookies the first week of December.

Mrs. Fields Cookies celebrates its 40th anniversary on Dec. 4 and will be handing out 400 free chocolate chip cookies at each participating location. The promotion is first come, first served and is limited to one per person.

The giveaway is arguably a brilliant ploy because, as we all know, it's difficult to have just one Mrs. Fields cookie. Mrs. Fields typically sells its wares by the dozen or in super-sized "cookie cake" form, and with good reason.

Related video: Inside look at another Bay Area classic, See's Candies. Story continues below.

In 1977, Mrs. Fields Cookies opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in Palo Alto. The franchise was started by Bay Area native Debbi Fields, who was one of the first ball girls for the Oakland A's. According to lore, Fields would bake cookies and give them to umpires during breaks.

Fields began franchising her cookie shop in 1990 and sold it to private investors three years later.

You can find your nearest Mrs. Fields by clicking here.

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.



