Sep 4, 2007

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Stop us if you've heard this one: A woman lunching at Neiman Marcus ordered a cookie for dessert, and liked it so much she asked for the recipe. She happily agreed to pay the "two fifty" charge the waiter quoted, only to find later that the restaurant had charged her $250, not $2.50. When the store refused to reduce the bill, she mailed the recipe to everyone she knew, asking them to pass it on. A stirring tale, but an untrue one. Variations of this story have been applied to many a dessert recipe since the 1940s (the Waldorf-Astoria's red velvet cake was infamously known as the $100 cake), and though the dollar amounts have changed to reflect inflation, the basic tale of just deserts remains a constant. To carry on the tradition of righting Neiman Marcus's imagined wrong, you may wish to copy this recipe and mail it to all your friends and family.

Credit: Maxime Iattoni

MAKES ABOUT 4 1⁄2 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

16 tbsp. (2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1⁄2 cups oatmeal, processed in blender to a fine powder
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. salt
2 cups (about 12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1⁄2 cups walnuts, chopped
4 oz. Hershey's chocolate, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, and chocolate.

2. Roll dough into 1 1⁄2" balls and place 2" apart on large baking sheets. Bake until light golden but still soft in the middle, 10�12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #97

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Ratings & Reviews (6)

by kirbychristian on 2008-01-18

i have been making these cookies for years and am always told they are the "best chocolate chip cookies ever". i use this recipe as is, except i use pecans instead of walnuts (personal preference) and nestle milk chocolate instead of the hershey's.

by hikerpat on 2008-09-21

this recipe made the rounds, many years ago, at work. my copy calls for 1 tbsp baking powder (instead of 1 tsp.). to make handling the chocolate bar easier, freeze it before attempting to grate it. this recipe is truly a keeper.

by carlaz on 2010-09-24

The Neiman Marcus cookie, do I measure 2 1/2 cups oatmeal before I grinde it to powder or after.
Tank You
Carla

my e-mail
Chopin1725@yahoo.com

by GWJR on 2012-09-11

I love your recipes.
But when i try to cook it's hard to use messuares you give.
I am used to grams!!
So: how can i get any messuares equivalence?
I have tried on net but so difficult to.
Would it be so difficult for you to offer both? I mean to write in recipe grams, mililitres... as you write cups, tablespoons...
I am sure i will jump for hours if you do so!
Thanks a lot!
Keep on cooking wit love!

by DANB on 2012-12-01

I have been making the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe for years--but according to the Neiman Marcus web site, this isn't the same recipe.

by LILMAGGEE on 2013-01-06

Great recipe! Used it many times. The family loves the cookies. The only ingredient omitted was the grated chocolate.
Preferred ghirardelli over nestle baking chocolate chips.

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