Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie
To dispel the urban legend of the $250 recipe, as told in the
text of the infamous chain letter recipe, Neiman Marcus created
an actual recipe for chocolate chip cookies and displayed it on
the Neiman Marcus Web site...for a limited time only. I recently
went to take another look at the recipe, and it was gone. Georgia
Christiansen, Neiman Marcus Creative Director, told me that the
recipe will no longer be featured on the site. But she did send
me a copy. Since I get so many request for the recipe, and because
I get even more e-mail copies of the bogus chain letter, I will
post the recipe here. Maybe this will help put an end to the myth.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee, slightly crushed
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation Method
1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract
3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes for a
crispier
cookie. Makes 15 large cookies.
Nabisco SnackWellís Banana Snack Bars
In 1996, Nabisco built up its growing line of SnackWellís
baked products with the introduction of low-fat snack bars
in several varieties, including fudge brownie, golden cake,
apple raisin, and the chewy banana variety cloned here. The
secret ingredients that help us keep the fat grams under 2
grams per serving is banana puree to help keep the cake moist
while adding real banana flavor, egg whites rather than whole
eggs, some molasses and just a little bit of shortening. Whip
it all up, pour it into a pan and bake. Soon you'll have 21 tasty
little low-fat snack bars to get you through the week.
Ingredients
2 egg whites
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 cups banana puree*
3 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Preparation Method
1. Preheat oven to 350∞.
2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer
until they become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this.
3. Add the sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until
the mixture forms soft peaks.
4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree, shortening, milk
and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture, beating after
each addition.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly add the bowl of dry
ingredients.
7. Lightly grease a 9x14-inch pan with a light coating of non-stick
cooking spray. Be sure to coat the sides as well as the bottom of
the pan. Dump about 3 tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt
and shake the pan so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire
bottom of the pan, and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the
excess sugar.
8. Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the
inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar -- about two
tablespoons -- over the entire top surface of the batter. Gently
shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the sugar over
the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake begins to pull
away from the sides of the pan.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack.
When cake has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting
board and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices.
Next cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total
of 21 snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them
in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.
*Puree whole bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender
until smooth and creamy.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size ñ 1 bar
Servings ñ 21
Total fat (per serving) ñ 1.8g
Calories (per serving) ñ 118
Nabisco Oreo (Wafers)
When I first designed the Oreo cookie clone recipe for the second
book, More Top Secret Recipes, I decided that a cake mix would
suit the recipe best. However, the variety and brand I chose --
Duncan Hines Dark Dutch Fudge -- became unavailable in many parts
of the country. Now, for all of my faithful readers, it is time
to fix that problem with a cake mix that should be available
everywhere. Many of the ingredients have changed to create an even
more tender, chocolatey cookie that can be the same color as the
real thing if you decide to add some brown paste food coloring.
You will also note that the method has been improved to create
cookies that are more uniform in size by using a spice bottle
lid on the thinly rolled out dough. This will allow you to make
your wafers faster, and they will all be the same size. The
filling recipe remains the same, and can be found on page 68 of
More Top Secret Recipes. For those of you who don't have the book
(and, of course, for those who do), tune in next week for a
brand-new recipe that requires these wafers. (Hint: T.M.)
Ingredients
1 18.25-ounce pkg. Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix
3 tablespoons shortening, melted
1/2 cup cake flour, measured then sifted
1 egg
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown paste food coloring (optional)*
Preparation Method
1. Combine the cookie ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water
a little bit at a time until the dough forms. Cover and chill
for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll out a portion of the dough
to just under one 16th of an inch thick. To cut, use a lid from
a spice container with a 1 1/2-inch diameter (Schilling brand is
good). Arrange the cut dough rounds on a cookie sheet that is
sprayed with a light coating of non-stick spray. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove wafers from the oven and cool completely.
4. As the cookies bake, make the filling (recipe in More Top Secret
Recipes on page 68).
5. When the cookies have cooled, roll a small portion (heaping 1/4
teaspoon) of the filling into a ball (just over 1/4-inch in diameter),
and press it between two of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining
cookies. Makes 108-116 wafers; for 54-58 sandwich cookies.
*This is an optional step to help recreate the color of the original
cookie. If you do not use the paste food coloring be sure to change
the amount of water added to the wafer cookies from 3 tablespoons to
1/4 cup. The food coloring gives the cookies the dark brown, almost
black color. The coloring can be found with cake decorating supplies
at art supply and craft stores.
Tidbits
If the dough seems too tacky, you can work in as much as 1/4 cup of
flour as you pat out and roll the dough. Use just enough flour to make
the dough workable, but not tough.
Nabisco Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps
Nabisco's version of this old favorite cookie may not be as big
a seller as its much-cloned Oreo. Heck, it's not even close. But
if you're a ginger snap fanatic, this recipe will give you a
killer clone of the cookie giant's store-bought version that you
can whip up in a...uh...snap. And if you're watching the fat,
four of these cookies check in with a total of around 2.5 grams
of fat.
Ingredients
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup shortening
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup water
Preparation Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together the sugars, molasses, shortening, butter, egg,
and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until
smooth.
3. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ginger,
salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat while adding
the water. Continue to mix until ingredients are incorporated.
5. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough at time. Roll the dough into
a sphere between the palms of your hands then press the dough onto
the cookie. Flatten to about 1/8-inch thick.
6. Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes or until edges begin to brown and
cookies are crispy when cool.
Makes 120 (10 dozen) cookies.
Nabisco Nilla Wafers
No one knows the exact origin of the vanilla wafer but it's
guessed that the recipe was developed in the south. The wafers
were being whipped up from scratch at home long before Nabisco
introduced the lightweight, poker chip-like packaged cookies in
1945. Back then they were called Vanilla Wafers. But in the 60s
Nabisco slapped the trade name Nilla Wafers on the box. Today the
real things come about 100 to a box and really fly when whipped
into the air with a little flick of the wrist. Here now, you can
relive the days of old with a homemade version fresh out of the oven.
This clone recipe makes about half a box's worth and they fly just
as far.
For just a slight variation on this recipe - with similar
aerodynamics - check out the clone for Sunshine Lemon Coolers.
Ingredients
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon water
Preparation Method
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cream together sugars, shortening, egg, vanilla, and salt in a
large bowl.
3. Add the flour and baking powder. Add 1 tablespoon of water and
continue mixing until dough forms a ball.
4. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls and flatten slightly onto a
lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until
cookies are light brown.
Makes 50 to 56 cookies.
Nabisco Cheese Nips
Here's a clone recipe that gets one very important
ingredient from another packaged product. The powdered
cheese included in the Kraft instant macaroni & cheese
kits flavors this homegrown version of the popular bright
orange crackers. You'll need a can of Kraft Macaroni &
Cheese Cheese Topping or two boxes of the most inexpensive
instant variety of macaroni & cheese; you know, the kind
with the cheese powder. Two boxes will give you enough
cheese to make 300 crackers. As for the macaroni left over
in the box, just use that for another recipe requiring elbow
macaroni.
Ingredients
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (plus 1/2 cup divided and reserved
for kneading and rolling)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Cheese Topping powder (or 2 packages
dry cheese powder from 2 boxes Kraft macaroni & cheese)
3 tablespoons shortening
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt (for tops, optional)
Preparation Method
1. Sift together 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, and
cheese powder in a large bowl.
2. Cut in the shortening with a fork and knife with a crosswise
motion until dough is broken down into rice-size pieces. Mixture
will still be very dry.
3. Stir in buttermilk with a fork until dough becomes very moist
and sticky.
4. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the reserved flour over the
dough and work it in until the dough can be handled without
sticking, then turn it out onto a floured board, being sure to keep
1/4 cup of the reserve flour for later. Knead the dough well for
60 to 90 seconds, until the flour is well incorporated. Wrap the
dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a light coating of cooking
spray on a baking sheet.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use the remaining
reserve flour to dust a rolling surface. Roll about one-third of
the dough to just under 1/16th of inch thick. Trim the edges square
(a pizza cutter or wheel works great for this), then transfer the
dough to a lightly greased baking sheet. Use the rolling pin to
transfer the dough. Simply pick up one end of the dough onto a
rolling pin, and roll the dough around the rolling pin. Reverse the
process onto the baking sheet to transfer the dough.
7. Use a pizza cutter to cut across and down the dough, creating
1-inch square pieces. Use the blunt end of a skewer or broken
toothpick to poke a hole in the center of each piece.
8. Sprinkle a very light coating of salt over the top of the crackers
(crackers will already be quite salty) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes
mix the crackers around (so those on the edge donít burn) and bake
for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until some are just barely turning
a light brown. Repeat the rolling and baking process with the
remaining dough.
Makes approximately 300 crackers.
Nabisco Snack Well's Banana Snack Bars
Servings: 21 Snack Bars
Nutrition Facts Serving size ñ 1 bar Servings ñ 21 Total fat
(per serving) ñ 1.8g Calories (per serving) ñ 118
Ingredients
2 egg whites, 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar,
2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons molasses,
1 1/2 cups banana puree* , 3 tablespoons shortening,
1/4 cup whole milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract,
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Preparation Method
1. Preheat oven to 350∞.
2. In a large
bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they
become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this.
3. Add the sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until the mixture
forms soft peaks.
4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree,
shortening, milk and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture,
beating after each addition.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the
remaining ingredients.
6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly
add the bowl of dry ingredients.
7. Lightly grease a 9x14-inch
pan with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to
coat the sides as well as the bottom of the pan. Dump about 3
tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt and shake the pan
so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire bottom of the pan,
and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the excess sugar.
8. Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the
inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar -- about
two tablespoons -- over the entire top surface of the batter.
Gently shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the
sugar over the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake
begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack.
When cake has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting
board and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices. Next
cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total of 21
snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them in a
resealable plastic bag or an airtight container. *Puree whole
bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender until
smooth and creamy.
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