Discover the way the
cookie crumbles with Neiman Marcus’s signature sweet treat
When I think of Neiman Marcus, a few things come to mind:
classy clothing, chic shoes, and dazzling accessories that are icing on the
designer-clothing-clad cake. But something even sweeter is tied to the
Dallas-born department store – the signature Neiman Marcus chocolate-chip
cookie. Behind the famous cookie is an urban legend with variations
that have been circulating for at least half a century. The tall tale goes like
this: A woman was enjoying lunch with her daughter at Neiman
Marcus in Dallas. The pair ordered a cookie for dessert, and the mother enjoyed
the cookie so much that she asked the waiter for the recipe. The waiter
cheerfully quipped it would cost “two-fifty,” and the mother instructed the
waiter to add the fee to her store account. When the woman discovered a $250
recipe charge on her bill instead of the $2.50 fee she was expecting, she
called Neiman Marcus to contest the charge, but the company refused to reduce
the bill. The woman got her revenge by sending the exclusive recipe to everyone
she knew, encouraging them to pass it on. Amusing, yes. But this story of sticking it to the corporate
man is 100 percent false. In fact, the recipe is available online for free at
the Neiman Marcus Web site (www.neimanmarcus.com). Variations of the story have circulated for generations. The
1948 cookbook Massachusetts Cooking Rules, Old and New shares the secret recipe
behind “$25 Fudge Cake,” complete with a story reminiscent of the Neiman Marcus
tale. In the 1960s, the myth was reworked to fit New York’s Waldorf Astoria red
velvet cake. In the ’70s, Mrs.
Fields became the new overcharging cookie culprit. The story has even jumped across oceans. Another popular
twist on the tall tale replaces Neiman Marcus with South African retailer
Woolworths, switches dollars for rands, and calls the coveted cookie “Woolie’s
cookie.” No matter how downright untrue the urban legend is,
cookie-lovers from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Fredericksburg, Texas, can
agree that this recipe for imagined revenge tastes pretty sweet. —Sheri Alzeerah
The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the
sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30
seconds).
Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30
seconds.
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.
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.
Yield: 2 dozen cookies Neiman Marcus Cookbook, 2003
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