Neiman-Marcus Urban Legend Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 4 ounces milk chocolate grated (Hershey Bar)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Tools

• Mixer
• Food processor
• Box grater
• Medium mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Rubber scraper shaped like a spoon
• Spatula
• Cookie sheets
• Cooling racks

Method

1. Measure the oatmeal into the food processor and blend with the chopping blade until the oatmeal is reduced to a fine oat flour (powder).  Add to mixing bowl.
2. Grate the milk chocolate into the oat flour.  Mix well.
3. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients except the sugars into the flour mixture and mix well.  Set aside.
4. In the mixer, cream the butter and both sugars.  Add eggs, water and vanilla.
5. Stir in the combined dry ingredients.
6. Add the chocolate chips and chopped nuts.  Make sure there are no dry ingredients sitting at the bottom of the bowl.
7. Set oven rack in the center position and preheat to 375 degrees F.
8. Form dough into one-inch-diameter balls.
9. Place 2 to 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Mash down into a disk shape otherwise you will have chocolate chip bombs.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
11. Remove carefully with spatula onto cooling racks.
12. When completely cool, store in a sealed container.

Notes

• These cookies are generally good for up to a week in storage, but they probably won’t last long in storage, because people seem to really like them and they disappear rapidly.
• Approximate yield: 7 dozen cookies
• I use a #50 portioning scoop to get a consistent size when making these cookies.  I usually fit between 12 (3 columns of 4 rows) cookies per sheet depending on the size I am making.
• The recipe can be doubled, but this is a stiff dough and hard to work, and a single recipe just fits in a Kitchen-Aid Stand mixer.