Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookie recipes are a dime a dozen when it comes to food blogs, and everyone thinks their recipe is the best chocolate chip cookie ever made. I will promise none of that, for there is no need. The recipe speaks for itself- The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie. This is not the urban myth recipe allegedly costing one customer hundreds of dollars; instead the recipe comes from the hallowed Neiman Marcus Cookbook.

What makes this recipe delicious? Perfect proportions of sugar and flour with an underlying note of coffee flavor. Somehow the cookie manages to be both crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Dare I say perfect?

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Neiman Marcus Cookbook

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
3 TBL granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso coffee powder*

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla and continue mixing for 30 seconds, until well combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and coffee powder.

Scoop dough with a small cookie scoop onto a greased cookie sheet. Gently press the dough down with the back of a spoon to slightly spread out the dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

*Since instant espresso powder can be difficult to find, I substitute instant coffee, finely ground with a mortar and pestle, and then measured into dough.