Kevin Garvin | Neiman Marcus Cookbook | Clarkson Potter, 2003 | Makes 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
Want it? Click it.
Directions
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. Photo © 2003 Ellen Silverman. All rights reserved.
LC
on 
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.
I love this recipe! I soften the butter on the counter before beginning to get the perfect consistency. Usually I hand mix to get better results. My Kitchen Aid usually turns out cookies that run. I also bake round balls at 350 for 10 minutes, and get perfect (albeit not particularly browned on top) cookies. They get rave reviews.
Courtney, if you have a convection oven, blast the cookies for the last several minutes with convection heat. It browns them beautifully.
[Elsa M Jacobson] Where has this recipe been hiding? A definite Testers Choice, this is just what you’d expect from a cookie Neiman Marcus would put its name on— rich, sophisticated, well-crafted, and superbly delicious. I used Ghirardelli 60 percent bittersweet chocolate chips, which paired especially well with the instant espresso coffee powder, both adding depth and richness to these upscale cookies. I don’t know if it was just my thinking about the grandeur, luxury, and larger-than-life scale of Neiman Marcus, but the chocolate chips seemed not only just the right intensity and bitterness, but also just a bit larger than the usual semi-sweet chips from the grocery store. First, I baked a batch for 20 minutes, and then baked another batch for a few minutes longer. The latter batch produced cookies that were crisper—more to my liking. For those who prefer a not-so-crisp cookie, remove them promptly from the oven at the 20-minute mark. Either texture, you’ll have a cookie you can proudly pull out for company, or serve at snack time at home with a tall glass of milk. Also, these cookies do keep well. I set aside a tin for an event I was hosting nearly a week later, and the cookies showed little apparent loss of freshness, flavor, and texture. On a table of offerings that also included homemade chocolate cake and peanut butter cookies, they were the first to go.