The "Cookie Recipe" Urban Legend

There are times that urban legend emails are hilariously funny! Today I received the same email from two disparate sources, evidently this is doing the rounds at present. I read this email in particular - why you ask? well quite simply because it was about a cookie recipe - and since I test, try and concoct recipes for the Vintage Rose blog, this was appealing.

Okay, so for those who do not know, or have not seen the email (which unfortunately is just too long to put into a blog), effectively, the story goes that a lady having tea at Nieman Marcus (store in US), so enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies that she asked for the recipe, but was told she would have to buy it for "two fifty". Later on she realised she had been charged $250. As she had understood that the recipe would cost $2.50, she requested that the store refund her, which they refused, so as a revenge tactic, she threatened to pass on the (secret) recipe (free) to all and sundry.

In reading through this email I was immediately struck by inaccuracies and disparities, the most blatant being that this article is being punted as having occurred at a local (South Africa) chain store, Woolworths, whilst in the body of the email the name "Nieman Marcus" appears! So, in detective mode, I do a Snopes (best place to check if something is true or just an urban legend) search for "cookie recipe" and surprise, surprise, what comes up??? Yes, the same story which has been doing the rounds on the internet since 1996!! But wait there's more ... this (current, Nieman Marcus version) is based on a number of older (humorous) stories and goes back over 50 years! Click on the link (below) to go direct to the snopes article to read the whole thing.

So it appears that every so often this story rears it's head and some unsuspecting chain store becomes the perpetrator. In the current South African version, it's Woolworths, and I wonder if they even know about it!! Apparently when Nieman Marcus (US) was the "evil doer", they reacted to the rumour by creating their own Chocolate Chip Cookie!! A case of - if you can't beat them, join them???? Maybe Woolworths will join the party, who knows - watch this space??!... I guess.

At this stage you will need to click here to take you to Snopes for the full article, which is worth the read - particularly the older original stories - hilarious! And me? off to try the cookie recipe, and yes, watch this space for feedback!

Postscript (Aug 10, 2009); Recipe posted on Vintage Rose

Postscript (June 26, 2009) this recipe has now turned up (24 June 09!) published by "someone" on Recipezaar.com "as a recipe given to me by mom"