The $250 Cookie Recipe.....

Are you willing to pay US$250 for a chocolate cookie recipe because you like the cookie so much? Of course I won't! That amount of money can buy me  a few good baking books with tens or hundreds of good recipes. An urban legend has it that when a woman from Dallas was  made to pay that amount for a recipe she requested from a Neiman Marcus cafe, she felt so horrified that she started a chain email, sharing her story & the recipe so that no one had to pay $250 for the recipe. I happen to receive the email more than a decade ago from my husband's colleague, back when he was working in Washington but didn't try baking the cookies. Apparently, this story has been going around for 50 years! I suppose, back then, the woman would just make lots of phone calls & mailed lots of letters. Hahaha....

Anyway, in an attempt to put to an end to the  myth, Neiman Marcus decided to  share its recipe.... I came across it recently & decided to give it a try. I must say this is a very good recipe. Try using it when you feel like having good chocolate chip cookies!

The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie

Recipe by: Neiman Marcus.

Ingredients:

½ cup (one stick) butter, softened (I used unsalted.)

1 cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar (I used 2 tbsp.)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mocha chips.)

1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (I used Nescafe.)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla for 30 seconds longer, until well combined.
3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer, while beating on slow speed., Beat for about 15 seconds, stir in the chocolate chips and espresso powder, and mix for 15 seconds longer.
4. Prepare a cookie sheet with about 2 tablespoons of shortening (or use a non-stick spray). Using a 1-ounce scoop, or using a 2 tablespoon measure, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet in dollops about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into 2-inch circles; there should be room on the sheet of six or eight cookies at a time. Transfer to the oven in batches and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cookies are nicely browned around the edges. Bake for a little longer for crispier cookies.

What I did:

• I lined my baking pan with baking paper. I didn't grease it.
• The dough was very soft & sticky. I was tempted to add more flour but I didn't. Instead, I left the dough to rest for about 1 hour & it became more manageable. I weighed 10g of the dough for each cookie. I didn't press down the dough.