August 02, 2024

The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Legend:
The legend is this: a woman lunching at the Neiman Marcus Cafe in Dallas Texas enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies so much that she asked for the recipe. For "only two-fifty," the waitress said, it was hers. The woman eagerly agreed. But when the credit card bill arrived, the woman found the total charged was near $300. Turns out the recipe cost $250, the story goes. The woman tried to get a refund but was denied; in retaliation she shared the recipe with as many people as she could to prevent others from being tricked.
 
The Reality:
In 1997, after years of trying to debunk the legend, Neiman Marcus developed a real chocolate chip cookie recipe – and gave it out for free. Here it is, direct from the Neiman Marcus website:

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
  • 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate drops

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds).
  2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
  3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.
  4. Using a 1-ounce scoop or a 2-tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Recipe courtesy of Neiman Marcus 
https://www.neimanmarcus.com/en-ca/c/nm-nm-cookie-recipe-cat62250745

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Written by Lynne Rennie