Cookie of the (Last) Week: An attempt at the "Neiman Marcus" Cookie

There is this urban legend out there about a woman being charged $250 for a cookie recipe from Neiman Marcus. Of course, this is not true, but I have heard that the cookies were amazing nevertheless, most recently from Katie. I decided to take a stab at this recipe, but the directions were a little spotty, so I had to improvise a bit. I am not wildly impressed with the final results especially because I am pretty satisfied with my current chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they were decent, and you might be able to do something better with them. Also, here is the actual Neiman Marcus cookie recipe (just in case you were wondering) from the store itself.

Neiman Marcus Cookies
adapted from various websites

1 14/ c. oatmeal
1/2 c. butter (1 stick) softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 c. flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 Hershey bar, grated (I used the Special Dark one)
1 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (my oven runs hot, so you may want a higher temp.). Measure oatmeal into a food processor and blend until fine. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients (including oatmeal) and mix until just combined. Mix in Hershey bar, nuts, and chocolate chips. Put scoops of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Move off of cookie sheet onto a cooling rack about two minutes after they are out of the oven. Makes a little over 2 dozen cookies, depending on how big your scoops are.

Update: I took these cookies camping this past weekend with Jess and Andrew, and they loved them. I liked them better on the second try, and because they are pretty sturdy and packed with all kinds of stuff (oatmeal, chocolate, nuts), they were great for a camping trip.

DARK Chocolate Sorbet

(By the way, I am sorry that I take the worst pictures of food ever! You'll just have to trust me that it tastes good . . .)

Well, it is pretty obvious at this point that I love chocolate. In fact, I don't just love chocolate . . . I LOVE chocolate. Actually, I think it is safe to say that I am addicted to chocolate. I have to eat it every day. One summer I tried to go without chocolate for a while and the results were disastrous, as can be attested to by my sister Tiffany. And my preference in chocolate is the real deal: dark chocolate. I will eat milk chocolate in a pinch, but let's not even pretend that white chocolate is in any way a legitimate fix.

There is this cool recipe/food blog that I have been following for over a year now called Chocolate and Zucchini (Ironic? I think not.), and a little while ago the author, Clotilde, posted a recipe for Sorbet Chocolat Noir (No, I'm not snobby, she's French, ok?). It sounded interesting, and with the weather in Portland hovering in the high 80's and low 90's, I thought this would be the perfect time to try her recipe.

The moral of the story is, I just about licked up the drops I spilled off the counter. It was so dang good. Sam says it tastes like a dark chocolate fudgsicle, which is true, but consider yourselves warned: it is one of the most intensely chocolate creations I have ever eaten. It is not for the fair-weather chocolate lover. Even I couldn't eat very much of it without feeling overwhelmed (and that is saying a lot for a girl who downed pints of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk nightly in college).

Dark Chocolate Sorbet adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

2 1/4 c. water
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 t. vanilla
a generous pinch of salt

In a small sauce pan bring water, cocoa, and sugar to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, letting it rest for 30 seconds (or so) while the chocolate melts. Add vanilla and salt and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool in refrigerator, then freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 4 servings.

Spicy Chicken Alfredo

Okay, remember how I started this food blog, then completely abandoned it? I am going to try to be better from now on . . . promise.
Now, back to the food. If you have been to the restaurant on top of the WILK at BYU (the Skyroom) maybe you tried the Four Corners Alfredo. Well, this is a much easier version of the same recipe. Sam and I eat it at least once a week (Sam would probably eat it even more often if I was willing to make it --it is always the first thing he suggests when I ask what we should eat for dinner). It seems sort of exotic but is deceptively easy to make.

Spicy Chicken Alfredo

1 T oil
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 of a medium onion, diced
1 chicken breast, diced
1 cup prepared alfredo sauce (you could make your own)
1 cup milk
1 chipotle pepper, diced, with 1 T adobo sauce (you can buy these in a can at most grocery stores)
1 T maple syrup

2 1/2 cups cooked penne (you can use whatever pasta you want)
cilantro for a garnish

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, adding garlic and onions. Saute until translucent, then add chicken and brown. Reduce heat and add alfredo sauce and milk. Add chipotle, adobo, and maple syrup. Reduce sauce until it is the consistency that you prefer. Serve over pasta and garnish with cilantro.