The Neiman Marcus cookie recipe became famous from a myth started in the mid 90’s. The story goes that a woman and her daughter really enjoyed some chocolate chip cookies they had at a Neiman Marcus Department store cafe. So much so, they asked the server how much it would cost to get the recipe. The server said two fifty. The woman assumed she meant $2.50, later on she received her credit card statement and found that Neiman Marcus had charged her $250.00! Well, naturally she was so angry that she decided to share her $250.00 recipe with the world so that no one would ever have to pay for the recipe again. So countless email forwards and postings later the recipe has become famous. I am so glad it became famous because it is a great recipe! It is our go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Neiman Marcus now has the recipe on their website for free).
I just finished making 8 dozen of these for a Christmas Tea at my church and they were a hit! The espresso in the cookie really adds a great richness to the chocolate and makes for a great chocolate chip cookie. You will have tons of opportunities to make this cookie over the holidays, or you could just make it because they are yummy and no one should ever be deprived of a good cookie.

Enjoy!

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

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 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
•1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
I also added 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts, you could use any nut you prefer.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)

2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips and nuts if you add any.

4. Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.
**Note, I pull my cookies out at 16 minutes every time. I like a chewy cookie and this time works perfect for my oven.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies