Neiman Marcus Cookies

This evening I finished my tradition of baking the famous Neiman Marcus Cookies. For those of you who don't know the story, the urban legend goes like this:

A woman finished her salad at a Neiman Marcus in Dallas and decided to have a small dessert. Because she was such a cookie lover, she decided to try the "Neiman Marcus cookie". It was so wonderful that she asked the waitress if they would give her the recipe. The waitress frowned and replied "I'm afraid not". So the woman asked if she could buy the recipe. The waitress said yes and that it would be "two fifty". "Ok" replied the woman. "Put it on my tab." A month later when she received her statement she noticed that the cookie recipe was in fact $250, not $2.50. After arguing with Neiman Marcus' accounting department, she said she would see to it that they never make another penny off of the recipe and that every newspaper and anyone with an e-mail address would had a copy of the recipe.

My mom found this recipe in the newspaper years and years ago (long before e-mail), and we've made them just about every Christmas. Nathan asks for them every year (and so does Santa). For those of you who haven't tried it, here's the recipe. They are to die for!

Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal**
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)**

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Enjoy!