Sunday, November 24, 2013

Neiman Marcus $250 Cookies


I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies. I knew exactly what kind I wanted: thick, chunky, cookies riddled with generous pieces of dark chocolate and a little sea salt on top to off set the sweetness. The kind that of cookies that makes you lick your lips right before biting into them, the kind that is so full of chocolate, it melts between your fingers. Finally, I made these and viola, my cravings were settled.

I picked up work at another nursing home a few months ago. The staff are great, I'm finally starting to learn people's names (though my eyes still linger over their name tags when in doubt) and the best part, the commute is the shortest compared to my other nursing homes. I brought a box of these cookies to work and everyone loved them. I offered them bright and early at 7am to my coworkers, word spread like wild fire and they came barging into the office for more. Are these the legendary cookies with the legendary hyperbolic title? My coworkers certain think so. 





These cookies are similar to the NY Times version I blogged about here and the whole wheat version here, the main difference is the use of oat flour in this recipe, which gives it an extra textural mouthfeel. There's also grated chocolate, for extra chocolatelyness, which is never a bad thing. I used the NY times tip in leaving the dough overnight in the fridge which improves the flavour and is highly recommended.


Neiman Marcus $250 Cookies
Adapted from The Secret Lives of Baked Goods by 
Jessie Oleson Moore via Leite's Culinaria

The only adjustment I made was chilling the dough overnight. The dough is quite cold when shaping and before it goes into the oven, so the baking time is longer than the original recipe. If you don't chill the dough right away, keep in mind the baking time is shorter, about 8-10 minutes.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups oat flour, or oats blitzed in a blender until powdery
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, or chopped bittersweet or milk chocolate
4 ounces milk chocolate, grated (about 1 cup)
Flaky sea salt

Preparation
In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low or with a handheld mixer on medium-high, beat the butter and both sugars until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, pausing after each addition to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture gradually, in 2 to 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stop using the mixer and gently stir in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, leave in the fridge at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using an ice cream scoop, form 1-inch round balls of dough and set them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. While they are still warm, sprinkle each cookie with flakes of sea salt. Let cool.



Recipe here!

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