Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe and Photos Reprinted with Permission by Chef David Lawrence
Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 cups oatmeal, blended*
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Hershey bar, grated
- 3 cups walnuts, chopped
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and the vanilla, mix well to incorporate. Whisk the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl and combine with the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed to form the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate and walnuts by hand, so as not to break them up or melt the chocolate with the heat of the mixer. It takes a bit of elbow grease, but trust me, it is well worth the effort!
Roll the dough into “golf ball” sized rounds and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until the top of the cookie cracks and turns golden brown. The key is to slightly “under bake” them so the cookie stays soft and chewy. Cool completely, (if you have that kind of willpower) on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container.
Shipping Overseas: Cookies with chocolate chips are not recommended during the hottest months in Iraq as chocolate may melt.
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Don’t pack crisp and soft cookies together: the moisture from the soft cookies will seep into the crisp cookies, making them lose their delightful crunch.
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Don’t overstuff your container. Your cookies may be damaged. Likewise, don’t under-pack your container. The cookies should fit snugly. If you have too much space, crumple up a bit of tissue paper to fill the holes.
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Individually wrap your cookies with saran wrap to keep them moist.
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Pack your tin or container in a heavy-duty cardboard box that’s large enough to allow a two- to three-inch cushion between the tin and the wall of the outside box.
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Place a layer of shipping peanuts, air-popped popcorn, or crumpled paper on the bottom of your shipping box. Set your cookie tin on this bottom layer. Then fill in the sides and top with more shipping materials.
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Seal the shipping box with heavy-duty shipping tape. Place a mailing label on the box, and you’re ready to send those treats on their way.
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Readers have also recommended using coffee cans or empty Pringles containers for shipping cookies. Another reader suggested suggested packaging them in styrofoam and chill packs. Layer each cookie in plastic bags and then wrap in newspaper.
Please check with your local post office as they will also have excellent shipping suggestions.
Keep it up, bookmarked and referred a few mates.
When I read this story years ago, the recipe you have here was supposed to be a fake, with the real Neiman Marcus recipe having espresso powder among other things. I have played with this recipe (as I always do) and using semi-sweet mini M&M baking bits and reeses peanut butter baking bits instead of the chocolate chips, and special dark for the grated candy bar, the recipe is my familys favorite.
The worst thing that ever happened was when reeses quit selling the baking bits. I watch for their return so I can make these cookies again. It’s not the same without them, and it’s not the same with full size reeses pieces.
Wow Yummy Cookies