Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
March 1, 2003 posted by Linda Avery
by Kevin Garvin with John Harrisson
from Neiman Marcus Cookbook
(Clarkson Potter, 2003)
Yields about 2 dozen cookies
Our chocolate chip cookie is the subject of a classic “urban myth.” Honestly, no one at Neiman Marcus has ever, ever, charged for this recipe. My very first week on the job, I received a letter complaining about someone who knew someone who had been charged for the cookie recipe. I took the note to our Public Relations Department and asked about it. I was quickly brought up to speed about the infamous hoax regarding our chocolate chip cookie recipe. It had started years ago as a kind of chain letter sent through the mail that circulated around the world. I was assured that the rumor had been squelched, but back in the mid-1990s, the Internet was opening up in a big way. Everyone was getting online, it seemed, and we witnessed the urban myth traveling the world again through cyberspace! I suggested we come up with a real recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and after extensive testing and tasting, this is the result. Next, we published it on the Neiman Marcus Web site for all to have for free. So now, if the subject comes up, you’ll know the inside scoop — and own the authentic recipe. And, by the way, it is a chocolate chip cookie without rival.—Kevin Garvin
convert Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
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Method
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Prepare a cookie sheet with about 2 tablespoons of shortening (or use a non-stick 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.
Recipe © 2003 The Neiman Marcus Group. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
LC
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LC to your 
Tried this recipe twice. The taste is very good, but I made a few adjustments. The softened butter doesnt really work well for me. The cookies turned out a little flatter, and out of shape.
The second time I baked it, I cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour. Then, I mix the sugar and egg mixture into the flour & butter mixture. When it was time to bake, I rolled the dough into small balls. That way, when it baked, it formed perfect looking cookies.
Both times, the cookies seems to taste a little too dry after 2 days of storage in an airtight container. I think I’ll try baking it with some moisture (maybe a spoon of milk or something) next time, and see if it get better.