THE NEIMAN MARCUS
CHOCOLATE
CHIP COOKIE
The Story Behind the Recipe
There’s the story you’ve probably heard about our chocolate chip cookie recipe, and then there’s the real story. This is the real one. But first things first: We have never, ever charged for our recipe. In fact, when that urban myth got started, we didn’t have a recipe for our cookies that we could have sold, even if we had wanted to.
The infamous hoax began years ago as a chain letter (remember those?). This letter circulated around the world claiming that someone who knew someone had heard we charged someone an exorbitant fee for the recipe. We eventually squelched that rumor, but in the mid-1990s, as the internet gained momentum, the hoax was resurrected and began spinning through cyberspace. Our executive chef at the time decided we needed to take action by developing—and sharing—a real recipe.
After extensive testing and tasting, our executive chef created the recipe below, and it’s the one we’ve used for our cookies ever since. Now you can use it, too, and discover for yourself that while the urban myth about the recipe is just a myth, the cookie’s legendary taste is entirely real.
THE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (1 stick) 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 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 300° F.
Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla for 30 seconds longer, until well combined.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer, while beating on slow speed. Beat for about 15 seconds, stir in the chocolate chips and espresso powder, and mix for 15 seconds longer.
Prepare a cookie sheet with about 2 tablespoons of shortening (or use a nonstick spray). Using a 1-ounce scoop, or using a 2 tablespoon measure, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet in dollops about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into 2-inch circles; there should be room on the sheet for six or eight cookies at a time. Transfer to the oven in batches and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cookies are nicely browned around the edges. Bake for a little longer for crisper cookies.
Yields about 2 dozen cookies
SHOP FOR THE COOKIES
If you’d rather we do the baking, we’re happy to.
The cookies are available for sale at all our restaurants and here online.
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