Neiman Marcus Cookies

Urban legend tells that a woman and her friend had lunch at a Neiman Marcus department store. Along with lunch they had chocolate chip cookies that they loved. When they asked the waiter for the recipe, he replied that they could buy it. There was some misunderstanding when he stated the price, and what they thought was a reasonable price turned out to be very unreasonable. So, legend states that the angry women whom Neiman Marcus refused to refund since they already possessed the recipe determined to spread the recipe to as many people as possible. Here's the supposed recipe:

"Neiman Marcus Cookies"

2 c butter

2 c sugar

2 c brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 c blended oatmeal (pre-measured then processed in blender)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

4 c flour

24 oz chocolate chips

1 8-oz Hershey bar, grated

3 c chopped nuts

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. In separate bowl, mix oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, and Hershey bar. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 375. Makes a LARGE batch of cookies--over 100, but can be halved.

***So, I never knew if this myth was true until recently. I was perusing the cookbook section of the library and saw "The Neiman Marcus Cookbook". Suddenly curious, I looked up chocolate chip cookies. The book briefly retold the legend, then said it was absolutely not true and they weren't sure who started it! However, in response to the myth, their chef developed a chocolate chip cookie recipe, which we tried last night (pictured above). Here it is:

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c butter

1 c brown sugar

3 T granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 tsp espresso powder (I left this out)

Cream butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and espresso powder if desired. Roll into balls, place on greased cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

***Well, interestingly enough, of the two recipes we much prefer the "fake" Neiman Marcus cookies. Who developed it and why the legend to go along with it? Who knows!