Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies Italian Style



Turn's out my old boss, Jim's secret chocolate chip cookie recipe was Nieman Marcus' chocolate chip cookie recipe. The recipe below has been adjusted to ingredients I am able to find in Italy and reduced from 112 cookie recipe to 20-24 cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 125g Butter: Softened at room temperature
  • 110g Brown Sugar: Packed
  • 110g Zucchero: White granulated sugar
  • 1 Egg: Large
  • 5g Vanille Bourbon: Approximately one teaspoon
  • 140g 00 Flour: Standard Italian white flour
  • 125g Farina Integrale di Avena: Your whole wheat oat flour
  • 10g Polvere Lievitante Vaniglinata: Roughly 2 and a quarter teaspoons
  • 1.5g Salt: Just a generous pinch
  • 250g Bittersweet Chocolate Bars (778%): Cut 2.5 of your 100g bars. Chop 200g into chunks, and finely grate the remaining 50 g
  • 95 g Walnuts Roughly chopped

Instructions:

  1. Chop and Grate: Prepare your 200g of chocolate chunks and 50g of finely grated chocolate.
  2. Whisk Dry: Combine 00 flour (140g), oat flour (125g), lievitante (10g), and salt (1.5g) in a bowl.
  3. Cream Sweet: Beat the butter (125g), brown sugar (110g), and white sugar (110g) together until smooth.
  4. Combine Wet: Mix in the 1 egg and vanilla (5ml) into your creamed butter mixture.
  5. Merge Dough: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture then gently stir in the chocolate (both chunks and grated) and walnuts (95g).
  6. Chill and Bake: Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Bake on carta da forno at 190℃ (375℉) for 10-12 minutes for normal cookies, or 12-15 minutes for massive ones.
  7. Preheat: Set your oven to 190℃ (375℉) on the static setting (top and bottom heating elements icon, with no fan).
  8. Rack Placement: Place your baking rack exactly in the middle slot of the oven. If it is too high, the chocolate chips on top will burn; if too low, the bottoms will scorch before the middle is fully baked.
  9. Baking One Sheet at a Time: Static ovens do not distribute heat evenly across multiple levels. For a uniform bake, slide in only one tray at a time.
  10. Bake Time: Keep them in for 11 to 13 minutes for medium cookies (45g). They will still look quite soft in the dead center when you pull them out, but they will firm up perfectly as they cool on the hot tray.

For a professional look:

Topping Breakdown Per Cookie

  • 3g chocolate chunks: roughly 2 to 3 distinct chunks (66 grams)
  • 2g walnuts: about 1 or 2 small, recognizable pieces (44 grams)

How to Apply the Topping

  1. Roll the Balls: Roll your 45 g dough ball smoothly between your hands
  2. Press the Toppings: Press the chocolate chunks and walnut pieces directly into the top half of the dough ball. Push them in just enough so they stick and do not roll off.
  3. Keep them Visible: Do not bury them under the dough. As the cookie bakes and flattens out in the oven, these pieces will sit beautifully on the surface, creating pools of melted glossing chocolate and toasted nuts.

Notes

June 2026 I made them in Italy to include when returning Caterina's plate. I checked them at 10 minutes and then baked them for another minute. Then I let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate.

I refrigerated the remaining batter.
How to Handle the Chilled Dough Block
  • Let it rest on the counter: Take the dough out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. You want it to soften just enough that it becomes pliable, but it should still feel cool to the touch. [1]
  • Do not let it get warm: If the dough becomes warm and greasy, the cookies will spread too much in the oven. It just needs to transition from "rock-hard" to "firm playdough" texture. [1, 2, 3]
  • Portion and roll: Once it has softened slightly, use a sturdy metal spoon or a knife to cut the dough into sections. Weigh out your 45-gram portions, roll them quickly into balls between your hands, and press your saved toppings onto the tops.
📑 Adjusting Your Bake Time
Because you let the dough sit out on the counter to roll it, the core temperature of the dough balls will be warmer than if they came straight from the fridge.
  • The Baking Time: Revert back to the original baking time of 11 to 13 minutes at 190°C (375°F) in your static oven.
  • If they feel too soft after rolling: If the dough got a bit too warm or sticky while you were shaping the balls, simply pop the formed tray of balls back into the fridge for 10 minutes to chill them down before putting them into the oven. [1]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gunn's Cheese-Onion Buns

Image
  Winnipeg is home to one of the best bakeries in Canada -- Gunn's, a three-generation, family-run business in the city's North End. Sheer deliciousness characterizes its breads and pastries, as these voluptuous cheese and poppy seed-swirled, onion-topped buns attest. Ingredients 2 tablespoons (25mL) granulated sugar 2 cups (500mL) warm milk 1 pkg or 1 tablespoon (15mL) active dry yeast 1/3 cup (75mL) granulated sugar 3 eggs 1/3 cup (75mL) vegetable oil 2 teaspoons (10mL) salt 6 1/2 cups (1.625L) all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons (25mL) butter, melted 3 cups (750 mL) shredded old Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup (50 mL) poppy seeds or onion seeds 2 onions, sliced 1/2 cup (125mL) (approx) mayonnaise Directions In a small bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons sugar in warm milk. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Meanwhile, in large bowl and using electric mixer, beat together 1/3 cup (75mL) sugar and 2 of the eggs for 7 minutes or until thick and pale yellow. Stir in yeast ...
Read more

The Kale Salad Recipe that Started It All

Image
"The Kale Salad Recipe that Started It All" is often associated with a famous kale salad created by Chef Deb Perelman of the food blog "Smitten Kitchen." This particular kale salad recipe gained widespread attention and popularity due to its delicious combination of flavors and textures. Please note that my information is based on knowledge available up until September 2021, and specific recipes might evolve or change over time. Here's a basic version of the recipe: Ingredients: For the Salad: 1 bunch of kale (curly or Lacinato/dinosaur kale), stems removed and leaves thinly sliced 1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese For the Dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons) 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste) For the Toppings (optional): Toasted breadcrumbs or croutons Toasted pine nuts or chopped nuts (such as almonds)...
Read more

Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

Image
  Our very dear friend Deborah gave me this recipe. She made it one year for Thanksgiving and even though we were so full from her delicious dinner, we made room for dessert, because it was fabulous! Turns out it's from America's Test Kitchen, so not surprising. Serves 16 It's worth using good quality caramel sauce such as Fat Toad Farm Goat's Milk Caramel. Deborah used Trader Joe's Caramel Sauce (buy 2 so you have the extra to serve with). If your blender doesn't hold 2 quarts, process the flan in two batches. The cake needs to chill for at least 8 hours before you can unmold it. Ingredients Cake 1/2 cup caramel sauce or topping 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour 1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Flan 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk) 2/12 c...
Read more