The Real NM Cookie

For my birthday lunch at Neiman's...we ordered the famous chocolate chip cookies. They came to the table deliciously and when we bit into them, they melted in our mouths. A recipe card came with this delight and last night, I made up a batch. I know the Nestle Tollhouse recipe by heart and have made them a million times, but this recipe intrigued me. Not only was there less butter, but there is also instant espresso powder to add. The mixture was very dry and practically fell apart when I put it in balls on the cookie sheet. The end result was fantastic. Not only did they look perfect, they were very good. A new favorite!

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
• 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds). Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips. Using a 1-ounce scoop or 2-tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2-inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie. Makes 2 dozen cookies.