The $250 Neiman Marcus Cookie
This recipe for Neiman Marcus cookies hails from the popular email chain that flooded the Internet for years. The cookies are made with ground oats, chocolate chips, grated chocolate and chopped walnuts.
In the event that you have never seen the email chain regarding Neiman Marcus cookies, here’s a recap:
Supposedly, a woman ordered a cookie at the Neiman Marcus cafe and loved it so much that she asked the waitress if she could have the recipe; waitress said it would cost “two fifty”. The woman assumed it was $2.50, said okay, and the waitress gave her the recipe. When she saw her credit card bill, however, the charge was $250. She was so irate that she decided to distribute the recipe so that no one would ever pay $250 for the recipe again. The company has since debunked the rumor (and even published its own chocolate chip cookie recipe), but the recipe that accompanied that email became insanely popular.
I suspect that many of you are very familiar with this email and may have even made these cookies before. I received the email dozens of times before I actually gave the recipe a whirl. I’ve never eaten a Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookie, but I sure do love this version!
The “secret ingredient” in these cookies is the oats. Not just regular ol’ oats mixed into the batter, though; what makes these Neiman Marcus cookies so special is that the oats are blended into a coarse powder and whisked together with the flour and other dry ingredients. This is absolutely brilliant – you get all of the wonderful, nutty flavor of the oats while maintaining the texture of a traditional chocolate chip cookie.
The original Neiman Marcus cookie recipe that was circulated calls for grating a Hershey’s chocolate bar; the first time that I made these, I simply replaced that line item with milk chocolate chips. Oh, I was totally missing out! I’ve since made them the correct way and those little bits and swirls of milk chocolate make these extra-special. Definitely do not swap that out! (You can, however, use finely chopped milk chocolate in place of the Hershey’s bar, if you’d like.)
The resulting cookies are chunky, hearty and feel quite substantial when picked up. The combination of semisweet and milk chocolate along with walnuts puts these over the top. The Neiman Marcus story may have turned out to be a myth, but out there somewhere is someone who needs to be thanked for this recipe!
This recipe was originally published on September 21, 2009.
One year ago: Apple, Gruyere & Sage Scones
Two years ago: Muddy Buddies (a.k.a. Puppy Chow)
Four years ago: Pumpkin Bread
Five years ago: Pancake Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Frosting
Six years ago: Chewy, Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Brownies
The $250 Neiman Marcus Cookie
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (202.5 g) rolled oats
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) milk chocolate, grated or finely chopped
- 1½ cups (175.5 g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Blend the oats in a food processor or blender to a fine powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the blended oats with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate and walnuts.
- Roll the dough into 2-ounce balls (or about 2 heaping tablespoonfuls worth) and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the edges are set but the center still looks undone, about 10 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (they can also be frozen for up to 2 months).
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I’m highly amused by your statement that this is from a “popular email chain”! I believe I first received this recipe in the 1980s, well before anyone knew anything about email. Nonetheless, a good recipe and a good story.
Okay – important to weigh oats once pulverized in food processor so you’re getting 202 grams. Also, 2 cups of flour is 221 grams, not 250 (as stated on recipe).
And ensure the brown sugar is lightly packed when measured. Brown sugar is more wet – I reduced white sugar by 55 grams and increased weight on brown sugar by 55 grams.
This should yield less dry cookies.
Made this recipe for the first time (with a few adjustments) and the cookies turned out amazing!! After reading the comments, I decided to add an extra 1/2 cup of butter and an additional egg to make the batter less dense. I would also recommend having milk on hand in case you need it but I didn’t end up using any.
This is not your traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe in that it’s going to be ooey gooey in the middle. However, I personally like this better because of the texture. The blended oats really make a difference but it’s probably the reason why the mix tends to run dry. Next time, I will probably do 1.5-2 cups instead. I would also chop my walnuts less finely because I personally like having larger chunks for a better texture.
My biggest recommendation is if you can, try to make the recipe exactly as written the first time. Down to the way it’s meant to be cooked with the middle slightly undone and left to cool on a cookie sheet. I think if you do it that way, you’re less likely to get a dry cookie.
I’ve actually had someone make me this recipe several times before and it always turned out great. The only thing is that the cookie can get a little dry after a few days so it’s best eaten fresh or within 48 hours. More than that, it can be crumbly if you don’t make adjustments to the recipe.
Notes: These cookies do not spread out very much when you bake them. I refrigerated my batter over night and baked them the next day. Make sure to rotate the cookie sheets for even baking.
Excellent. My kids at them before I could snap a photo. Sorry!
I think I’ve found an issue with the recipe, and I’m hoping I can find some help. This might also relate to why some folks are reporting that this cookie dough is coming out so dry. The recipe says to grind 2.5 cups (measured by volume) of oats, and the weight is supposed to be 202.5 grams. I do all my measurements using weight (when I can). After I ground the 2.5 cups of Old Fashioned Oats, I checked the weight, and found that it yielded 310 grams of ground oats, which is certainly way more than the 202.5 listed in the recipe. Which is correct? The weight or the volume? If the target weight of ground oats is 202.5 grams, folks should be using around 2 cups of oats. As always, weight is the better way to measure (because density changes the volume so much), but since I haven’t make this yet, I don’t know one is the better choice for this recipe. Feedback?
My grandsons “don’t like nuts” so I put the walnuts in with the oatmeal to be finely ground. We got the nut flavor without any offendingly detectable nuts. The recipe is delicious!
Going to make them asap but wanted to ask. Has anyone browned the butter? If yes, was is awesome? I’ll make that change in the recipe when i make them.
Of all the versions of this recipe that I’ve found, This one is the closest to what I use. I’ve been tweaking mine for 20 years. I use Belgian chunks (Aldi has these in Dark and Semi-sweet…not expensive and big!) and add 1/4 cup milk after the flour and oatmeal mix, before folding in nuts and chocolate.
The cookies are good, too bad the story is full of raisins.
Neinam doesn’t sell cookies….
Neiman Marcus most certainly does sell cookies — When they have them in stock. Check out:
https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/Neiman-Marcus-NM-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-Gourmet-Food-prod190920275
My mom used to make these back when it was a email forward. It has been our favorite cookie recipe ever since, and now I make them for special occasions. The original story about Neiman Marcus is crap, so it’s surprising how great this recipe is!
I made these cookies for 4 disabled women and my family, I couldn’t believe how many you get. All of them loved them
I made these 1996 my craving while pregnant with my now 23 yr. old son. Easy to make and a absolutely #1 gift to make for any occasion. Thank you
These cookies are absolutely SINFUL!!! I’ve tried these cookies once back in 2009 at an office holiday party and I know I had to have eat at least 20 of them over the course of the day, ever since I’ve wanted to make them, but they also scare me because I have no will power with these cookies!!
Not only did my cookies turn out perfect I loved the process of making them. My family said they’re the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Thanks for the recipe!
This is my go to recipe for Neiman Marcus cookies!
I made the $250 Neiman Marcus Cookies, I followed the directions. Why are my cookies brown and picture shown is not? Looks like the grated chocolate is not added in the photo shown.
This mix was very dry. The first time I baked cookies with my 2 year old grandson – I should have stuck with the standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. Definitely needs more butter
Wow! Thanks for such a great recipe. I see the dissatisfaction within some of the reviews and I can’t help but come to the conclusion that it was truly at the hand of the baker and not the recipe! I do have some suggestions for you though, if your willing to accept them. I followed your recipe just not the recommended creaming time! I creamed for about 5-6 minutes and that truly made the mixture soft. Other than that, I really enjoyed this recipe!
Are there any changes in the ingredients for high altitude?
the neiman marcus cookies are great! This recipe is just not the recipe for neiman marcus cookies. I’ve made these cookies a dozen times, but I’ll use a different website next time to make sure I get the right proportions. This recipe came out much drier than normal. Needs more butter (or if you’re in a creative mood you can add honey). Drier here means that they also stay taller than cookies should be.
My get a little dry. Any suggestions? Thx
Hi Mary, You could increase the brown sugar and decrease the white sugar. Let me know how that works for you!
Wonderful cookie. One of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes I have come across.
I have been making these for years but misplaced my recipe I thought I would use this one because it’s half the recipe I used to make. I haven’t compared recipes but three people spit these cookies out because they were so bad.
I blame the baker not the recipe. Used this one for quite some time and get rave reviews every time.
I just tried these for the first time. I’m not going to lie, the Hershey’s bar was a nightmare to grate, but these cookies are AMAZING. I did not change one thing. I used old fashioned oats & measured 2.5 cups before putting them in the food processor, not after like some recipes require. I rolled 2 inch balls and baked at 375 convection (auto adjusts to 350) for exactly 10 minutes. AMAZING!!!
I always weigh my measurements to make the next attempt easier (I really wish the U.S. would get with the metric system! :) This is what I used:
284 g all-purpose flour
209g sugar
164g light brown sugar
The rest I measured by cups. Thanks again for this recipe!!
I’ve made these cookies many times and they’re delicious. However, since I don’t love chocolate chips, I used only one cup chips and substituted the rest with chopped Hershey bars (I double the recipe) and the chocolate is creamy and delicious. My family loves them.
Can you add peanutbutter to this recipe
Hi Carol, I think you could! Might need to play around with the amounts (I haven’t tried it).
I have never added peanut butter to this recipe, as I find it often has a drying effect. But I love using half chocolate and half peanut butter chips in my cookies. They would be excellent with all peanut butter chips, or with Reece’s Pieces in them!
I think the woman who created this recipe’s name was Lan To. She was purportedly a grad student, and this was a research project. I took this recipe back in the 90’s and ran with it, ending up with my perfect chocolate chip everything cookie.
The first time I saw this recipe published was back in the early 70’s. It was published
in the Springdale Morning News. The story is the same except the lady that was charged
called the Neaman Marcus restaurant and tried to correct what she thought was a
mistake and Neaman Marcus refused to refund the money to her and that was when she
told them that she would make sure they would never charge anyone like that again and
the recipe and story was published in papers across America. I lived in Springdale, AR
at the time in the early 70’s.
I have made these cookies many times over the years and they have always been good
This is NOT the Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe and the lady that claimed she was charged and it wasn’t a myth is not accurate either. Been going to the Neiman’s bakery in North Park for almost 40 years (the bakery is no longer there now) as well as the Zodiac room restaurant at the flagship store in downtown Dallas, and never, ever did this recipe have nuts or oatmeal and no one was charged for the recipe, because THEY DIDN’T HAVE A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE til that email circulated and they decided to make a recipe!! lol
Neiman’s only bakes at the Zodiac room in downtown Dallas anymore, and all those cakes you can buy off their website are no longer made by Neiman’s themselves, but an independent bakery in Dallas.
You will find the correct recipe on the Neiman Marcus website.
Enjoy your cookie recipe, but it’s not the Neiman Marcus cookie.
The original recipe is on Neiman Marcus’s website and contains instant expresso coffee powder and no rolled oats or walnuts.
This is not a myth. My friend just went to that cafe and the very same thing just happened to her. When she contacted Neiman Marcus accounting department they told her to live with the mistake because they were NOT refunding her charge account no matter what because she done saw their recipe.
This recipe is far older than the email chain. My grandmother first recorded it into our family cookbooks back in the 50s (I’m not saying she created them; she called them the same name), so it is likely older than even that. Shoot, I’d doubt they were even called Nieman Marcus Cookies to begin with. One of the more enduring baking mysteries of our time.
And it still holds up very nicely after all these years. :-)
It surprises people when my kids say my Dad’s cookies are the best. Instead of nuts I sub 3/4 cup of oat and honey granola and process that also increase oatmeal to 2-3/4 instead of 2-1/2 cup.
I keep the chips to 12oz but change them all the time. White chocolat/Carmel white chocolate/ butterscotch. Toffee/milk chocolate I never use semi sweet as kids prefer other flavors. Thank you for such a great changeable recipe!
I have been making these cookies for years. My family loves them & my nephew regularly requests “my” cookies. I will also add shredded coconut and/or Craisins or other kinds of nuts. I love the texture and hardiness of these. The original email that I saw was a double version. When I make the full batch, I freeze 1/2 ( they keep very well in the freezer)!
I work at a lovely appliance store. We have several live kitchens displaying each brand in a kitchen set up. I am very blessed to be able to cook and bake and demonstrate the appliances – not to mention get the juices flowing for prospective buyers in the showroom!. I just made these cookies for our showroom guests with amazing success! I did embellish a bit by adding a little cinnamon, used less white sugar and more brown sugar equaling 2 cups, added toasted coconut and heath toffee bits. Just a wee amount of those. I baked them for 10 mins at 350 CONVECTION. They turned out beautiful & WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS!!! Some of our guests were brave enough to ask for the recipe – which I shared, even with my embellishments. Definitely a keeper recipe.
these
i made these and followed step by step and they ended up flat and basically just chocolate chips with a VERY thin breading.
That happened to me when my butter was too warm and it was a hot day to boot. I did some “cookie science” research and when they say room temperature butter it should be around 59 degrees F. Also the friction created by creaming warms it up so you add 1 cold egg to bring the temperature back down and then add the room temperature egg.
Best cookies ever
I am from Costa Rica and receive the mail with the story and the recipe, I have had it for quite some time and today I did it for the first time and they were delicious, thank you very much to whoever distributed it.
I add toffee chips to my recipe. Has people asking what’s that they’re tasting
I LOVE this recipe! This batch, I am going with the choc. chips, shaved choc., pecans and caramel chips. They shall be called “Turtle Cookies”!!!! LOL
Hi time!
I had made this cookies and they are incredible awesome 👏🏼 I
I think you’re a little bit close on the story of the Neiman Marcus cookies. I cut the recipe out of the newspaper about thirty years ago. The woman was a journalist who had taken her daughter to lunch at Neiman Marcus her daughter like the cookies and asked what was in them. There was a disclaimer on the menu which said you would have to pay for the recipe so she said it was hers to share and she would.
So if I wanted to make the cookie dough into balls and freeze them..would the cooking time be the same? Same temperature? Do I let them thaw first? I always make this recipe and everybody loves them!! Thank you for sharing!:)
Hi Courtney, Same temperature, bake from frozen, and add a couple more minutes. Enjoy!
Why Unsalted butter? I always have Salted butter on hand.
Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Using unsalted butter and adding your own salt gives you total control on the amount of salt in the recipe, as salted butters have varying amounts of salt. You can use your salted butter, but I would omit or significantly decrease the salt called for in the recipe.
This recipe was on the oats box 40 years ago..Not sure how it is Neiman Marcus has rights to it.
Right! This is NOT the recipe. The correct recipe is on the Neiman Marcus website. This is an old, old, old chocolate chip cookie recipe everyone’s grandmother & great grandmother used to make all the time.
I grew up eating this cookie. The Neiman’s recipe is totally different and makes small batches.
I have the Neiman Marcus cookbooks and I combined the elements from the two recipes to get the perfect cookie. I cannot tell you how much difference the Espresso powder makes!
I made this recipe and it was very good. I would cut back on the sugar though and the amount of chocolate chips. It is a very sweet rich cookie. It bakes perfectly in 10 minutes ( ball size was about 1.5 inches per cookie. I made the original recipe posted. It is this recipe basically doubled and it gave me 114 nice sized cookies.
I made these cookie last Christmas for presents to family and friends, and they really loved them!!!! I got the receipt out of a cookbook my mom had!!! But they are a great tasting cookie!!!!! Love them and can’t wait to make them again!!!!!
Thanks Joni E. Ellis
I have made these cookies for the past 30 years and they are great! I double the vanilla and chocolate chips. All the kids during the holidays ask to make sure I’m going to make them. They are good! I am the Original Cookie Monster!
These cookies are great! One of my very favorite! I suggest when you make them just double (or triple) them right from the start! Thanks!
This recipe is old news. I don’t understand the sudden fuss about it. Internet folklore. It’s not new. It’s been floating around for years. I could send you a picture of this recipe from my grandma’s recipe book that her and her friends put together probably in the 50s. The version you have here has been halved compared to my grandmas version. All the same otherwise though.
I have made 2 batches and both turned hard. What did I do wrong?
Hi Janis, I would make sure your oven temperature is correct (I swear by an oven thermometer!). If it’s right on, then try baking for a few minutes less and see if it helps.
I made these for a potluck at work. They were the best cookie ever. I used slivered almonds since that was what I had on hand.
These were delicious. I followed the recipe very carefully and they turned out perfectly. They’re crisp on the outside and slightly gooey on the inside. They remind me of Chikfila cookies. The only thing I would change is to use 1 tsp of salt instead of 1/2 tsp; they could use just a bit more salt to balance the sweetness. Thanks for the recipe!!
Good recipe, hefty weight to cookie. Followed recipe to a “tee”. Bake time was substantially longer than the instructions called for so either there is something wrong with my oven or the temp time is way off.
Do I store them in the freezer after baking or before?
You could freeze the unbaked balls of dough, or you can bake the cookies, then wrap and freeze as well. Either would work!
I’ve made these several times. I make the Original Large Recipe batter without choco chips and nuts, and then I do a couple of different variations using the batter. One with Cran Raisins and Pecans, one with White Choco Chips and Walnuts…. what ever I have on hand for a variety of different cookies. Love these cookies, always get a great response from them.
I have used this recipe for years. It’s a family favorite!
This recipe is NOT the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe – as there are no oats or walnuts. If you look on the official Neiman Marcus website, the “secret” ingredient they use is espresso powder. I think you just made up a regular batch of chocolate chip and walnut cookies and slapped the Neiman Marcus name on them.
Shame on you.
I made them, and although they taste great, they didn’t spread well and got a lot harder after they cooled,
I made these last Christmas and everyone loved them. However, my mixer burnt out and I had to get a new one. Now I am making them again and the mixer gets so hot I wonder if it will survive!! Also, they are thicker and hard to eat.
You mentioned you could “freeze” the cookies, freeze after shaped dough in balls or after they are baked?
Hi Renee, You could freeze it either way – shaped balls, or after baking.
Neiman Marcus cookies is too testy !!
First of all, this is not a true story. This story was ripped from a story told many years ago from a store in south Africa. Second of all, it isn’t baking soda, its bicarbonate of soda.
It’s the story that accompanies the recipe, so I pass it along. Second of all, baking soda and bicarbonate of soda are the exact same thing – merely a regional difference in nomenclature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate
I have made these twice in the last 2 weeks! I finally found a treat that both my sons love – although I had to leave out the walnuts to accomplish this. These cookies are wonderful! I did over bake my first sheet because I expected them to be darker in color but figured out quickly they only needed the 10 minutes. Thanks for sharing!!
the recipe is wrong, its bicarbonate of soda, not baking soda
Justin, Bicarbonate of soda and baking soda are the same thing… the names are merely a regional difference. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate
according to snopes its a false story but I’m certainly going to try out this recipe without the nuts.
Just made these for the first time! I used pecans because I had them and they work beautifully too! I found grating a candy bar a bit messy due to melting and there not being much substance from the candy bar, but persevered, and the results are 100% wonderful!!!
Had forgotten all about these! I used to make them all the time – they are wonderful. I need to make them again. They also come out great with white chocolate & macadamia nuts.
Made these yesterday…. Very dangerous!! Have nearly eaten the entire batch with a bit of help from my family. Definitely will make again. Thank you.
This is the best of the best for this cookie. It must have the oats. Try this recipe you will never go back.
These taste nothing like the NM cookie these are better truth is the NM cookie is exactly like the chewy chip ahoy no joke my son had some from a school field trip they provided lunch which he brought home I tried the cookie out of curiosity and well a chocolate chip cookie looked good at that moment lol …
Well to my surprise it was like the cookie I’ve had so many times before!
Love your recipes! Sometimes when I print them it does not print with a photo. Is that something new? I like having the picture on the recipe.
Thanks for all the great recipes! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Karla, Hmm they should be printing with the picture, I’ll look into it! Thanks for letting me know!
These are wonderful! When I used to make these, I just had the recipe without the grated chocolate, but it was very easy to grate the chocolate, and you are right- it makes the cookie. They are disappearing quickly around here!
These are cool! I hadn’t seen the email, but this is the recipe my grandmother used to make years ago. It makes delicious cookies :).
The dough is really dense, and I had to add 2T milk. Wonder if using 3 eggs might be a solution. Anyways, they were delish!
I made these today with my 2.5 year old. LOVED them!!! Such a great recipe!
I’ve always wanted this recipe! Thanks!
Hands down the best cookies I have ever made. So glad I finally tried them! Thank you for posting!
I’m making these to take to my grand kids. I was wondering, do you use quick oats or regular? Thank you.
Hi Susan, Aw how fun! I used regular oats.
Hi Michelle, thank you! When it came to making these cookies, my regular oats were expired so I had to use quick oats that I put in my processor. I decided to use a combo of 1/2 bag of special dark, 1/2 bag semi-sweet choc. chips and a 4.4 oz bar of Hershey’s milk chocolate. THEY ARE DELISH!!! Of course I had to sample them before packing them for my grand kids. I love your recipes and look forward to receiving them. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR GREAT WEBSITE!!!!
Can’t believe that this story is still making the rounds! About 35 years ago this went around (not via email then, LOL) only the store was Marshall Field’s in Chicago. Oh my, some things never change. Great cookies though. I used to make them for my father-in-law who simply adored them.
I don’t care for nuts in my cookies. Substitute more chocolate or raisins or omit. If omit, adjust baking how?
Hi Joe, You could either add more chocolate chips or omit the walnuts. No need to adjust the baking at all either way.
I have made these many times for my family. I was a Kindergarten teacher for 23 years, I cooked through the alphabet with my classes and they always loved these cookies too.
These look amazing! I like the idea of having the oat flavor without seeing them in the cookie!
These look incredibly delish!
I love these cookies! I’ve made them several times over the past 15 years or so, but not for awhile. Thanks for reminding me to resurrect them!
Hi Michelle, these look lovely and I would dearly love to try them. Could you (or anyone out there!) give me recipe by weight rather than by cup? I’m from the UK and I find using cups a bit hit and miss! I’d really appreciate it :)
I like baking by weight too and usually convert using any one of the numerous sites on the internet that have equivalent weights. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/master-weight-chart.html has a comprehensive one that includes everything you need (plus it has both ounces and grams). I love that company!
Excellent recipe. Never thought about processing the oats but it does make a significant difference. Two of my kids wanted chocolate chips and the other two wanted raisins so I opted to use the raisinets chocolate raisins – yummy! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
These cookies are amazing! I’ve always had a problem with cookies getting hard after only an hour of sitting on the counter. But these were so chewy and soft even after leaving them out on the counter 5 hours later! I believe i have found my new favorite recipe. Thank you!! :)
Just made these- SO GOOD. If you take them out of the oven when they look just a little underdone, they’ll stay moist and chewy! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for finally writing about >The Famed Neiman Marcus Cookie | Brown Eyed Baker <Liked it!
loved this cookie recipe! I didn’t have that much chocolate on hand so I just used 8 oz of mini bittersweet chips and they still tasted delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’ve been using the dough of this recipes for years as a base for “add-in” flavour combinations.
White chocolate chip, dried berry (blueberry, cranberry or raspberry) and macadamia
Candied ginger and orange zest
Heath Toffee chip and pecan
Butterscotch chip and toffee peanut
Peanut butter chip and raisins
Sky’s the limit with this one, folks! :)
My husband’s grandma gave me this recipe so I could attempt to replicate the cookies that she made for him since he was little. There are only a few differences between the recipe she gave me and the one you have posted here.
Instead of two kinds of chocolate chips, the recipe I have says to use 12 oz. of chocolate chips and 4 oz. of a grated Hershey bar.
I either use a vegetable peeler or a cheese grater and I grate the 4 oz. of Hershey bar and fold it in to the dough after I have folded the chips and nuts in.
Also, they bake for 6 minutes, not 10.
I love the way your recipe is worded though. It’s much easier to understand! I actually just made a batch of these (the last pan is still in the oven), and I looked back and forth from grandma’s to yours, and I like your wording much better.
Kudos! I think I’ll be checking out your site more often. :-]
What a delicious recipe, regardless of its source. Thanks for sharing!
thaks for the tip I MADE this cookies and I SALE IT in a great price
I made these cookies today and discovered on the 3rd batch that if I didn’t make them into a ball they browned better at 10 minutes and looked better. The ones I made into balls needed 12 minutes and they weren’t brown.
This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I make anymore. It’s always so good, but I do experiment with the “chips.” The last time I made them, I used those tiny peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s as the chips (along with a few milk chocolate chips). They were phenomenal. I’ve also used the regular sized plain M &M’s. The tiny M&M’s don’t taste as good since they’re dark chocolate inside. I’m making them for Thanksgiving and using milk chocolate chips and dried cranberries (I only use milk chocolate chips — they’re so much better and creamier). I’m thinking of trying chocolate covered raisins or chocolate covered peanuts. Those sound good, too.
Oooh love all of the combos you have tried!
Wow, this is the best chocolate chip cookie ever! Very soft and chewy, really nice. I’m not a big fan of mixing chocolate and cookies but this is a very nice one. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, just following up. I made these cookies for friends for Christmas using your recipe. Everyone loved them. The recipe was right on. I really appreciate when they are. Just wanted to let you know. Since I am here in Texas, I had to use pecans :)
I have been making these cookies a number of years. My daughter, son-in-law and three grands absolutely love them – even the neighborhood kids ring my doorbell to ask if I have or will be making some. I use a large size Hershey chocolate candy grated in my recipie.
I wish I could thank you for this cookie recipe but after having made them the first time, there have been so many demands for them that all I seem to be doing these days is grinding up quick oats!
I am making these for a bake sale on Saturday!! I am so excited I think they will sell really well. Like most they have seen the email but have not made the cookie, so this will be there chance to try them!
I haven’t made these yet but I’ve ground up the oats and it make 1 and a half cups for those asking the sub for oat flour. Anyone tried pecans instead of walnuts? I couldn’t remember which nut I needed at the store and ended up with pecans. I can’t wait until I get them baked!
Hi Jackie,
You will want to let them cool on the baking sheets for about 2-3 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. I will revise the written recipe so that it is more clear.
Hi Michelle
I have a question about cooling the cookies: When you say “Let Cool Completely” Do you mean cool completely on the baking sheet or cool on sheet for a few minutes then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Can you make it a little clearer. Thanks
We have been making these cookies for years!! They are wonderful.
Thanks everyone for the great responses and for getting to the bottom of the “myth” of the Neiman Marcus cookies!
As an aside, I did cut the recipe in half and used milk chocolate chips instead of grated chocolate. Otherwise it’s the same.
Hi Lass,
Your cookie recipe sounds great as well! Mine didn’t turn airy and not taste as good – I was actually eating them almost a week after making them! I stored them in a Tupperware container.
Hi Jackquie,
Do you have a blender? You could always use a blender to grind the oats. I’m sure you could sub oat flour, but I’m not sure what the final amount would be. The next time I make these I will measure it out!
I’ve made the Neiman Marcus cookies too and loved them but I guess there are different versions out there because mine (http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2007/11/cookie-love-ive-discovered-neiman.html) didn’t have oats! Now I want to try these ones out too. They look so good!
I have received the Neiman Marcus email many times, but have never taken the time to make the cookies. After your review, I will definitely be trying it. I’m so interested to see the effect the ground oats have on the texture.
There was never a Neiman-Marcus cookie: http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp
This story has been around in various forms for 50 years. Neiman Marcus never even had a cookie until they developed one in response to this rumour. Their policy is actually to give away recipes to anyone who asks, including the recipe to the cookie they eventually did create:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml
I love putting oat flour into cookies! It makes them taste so good!!
I just had breakfast and now I am hungry again. Those cookies look absolutely amazing!
I love these cookies and researched this story when I was writing my cookie book (coming out next fall – Cookie: A Cultural HIstory). This isn’t NM’s recipe at all but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming hugely popular.
Hey! Just made these for the first time the other night and absolutely LOVED them. Could match up to my favorite CCC recipe too, and they are great the next day. good ideas adding oatmeal, and nuts. I’m a new blogger, would love for yo to check me out :) http://rollininthedough.wordpress.com/
I’ve made these before and they are really good!
The version that I have calls for an 8 oz. bar of Hershey’s milk chocolate to be grated and added to the batter. They really are fabulous (but it makes a huge amount!).
BEE YOO TI FUL cookies. I have the recipe somewhere but never gave it a try. You’ve convinced me to give these a shot. Your pictures are fab!
Oh yes, the neiman marcus cookie! I made this many years ago before I got my kitchen-aide and almost busted the motor on my little hand mixer!! The dough is very think with all those oats, but it does deliver! It’s actually a great cookie!
The same letter/email/story went around with supposedly Mrs. Field’s secret recipe for years. The oats, which were the secret ingredient in that recipe too, were never an ingredient in her recipe. It’s a great cookie and I’ll bet yours turn out better than most, it looks fabulous, but who knows the real origin of the recipe. I worked for Mrs. Fields in the 80’s. The secret to Mrs. Fields was high quality ingredients, bake at 300, not 375 and don’t overmix.
Here’s her recipe, love to see your take on these some day.
http://www.debbifields.com/recipe.html
This link doesn’t seem to work for the Mrs. Fields recipe.
the correct link is: http://www.debbifields.com/recipes/ (there’s an “S” missing at the end of the original URL
I have this recipe and they are delicious1
I’ve never had these, never frankly been either in an area with that store or had the money to go there when we did live in an area with the store. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
both the photos and the cookies look beautiful!
How funny…I’ve gottten that recipe at least a dozen times yet I never thought about actually trying it out.
Sounds like a recipe I have to try out!
I’m thinking one day I’ll make a batch and buy a batch to compare.
I have a recipe nearly identical to that chain mail cookie. Main differences: all brown sugar, coconut, and walnuts instead of pecans.
http://kitchentimes.blogspot.com/2006/09/chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookies.html
Funny that I’d never realized it until now. Did your cookie turn strangely airy and not taste as good after a day?
Wow. I am not a really a cookie person but after seeing this recipe and your photos I have to make these. These and the Doubletree cookies are the best.
do you have to grind the oats yourself? (i don’t have a food processor) couldn’t you just use oat flour? i wonder how much oat flour 2 1/2 cups of rolled oat makes??
oh and the cookies do look yummy.
You can blend the oatmeal.
These look awesome! I’ve been making a very similar recipe for 25 years. Mine has a big Hershey bar grated up in it instead of the milk chocolate chips. It adds a great flavor throughout the batter!
I was JUST telling my boyfriend about this email because my sister did something similar at a store. Got charged a crazy amount of money for a photo disc of her kids photos at a portrait studio. lol Anyway, I never felt compelled to try them either for some reason but it’s great to know that they are actually good! They sure do look lovely!
I absolutely adore these cookies… But according to Neiman Marcus, this is not their original recipe. Are they saying that just to deceive us? Or are they jealous that this recipe is actually better than the one they say is theirs???
What do you think?? Check them out!!
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml
Look’in Good!
grrr. i swore I would stay away from cookies this month.. now I have a dozen of these divine cookies on my counter waiting to cool. way to go. lol
These are my husband’s favorite cookies. They test great frozen too! Sometimes I think they taste better frozen but my husband would disagree. :)
SO good – i haven’t had these in awhile. pics are great too!
Love these – I thought everyone tried these already for some reason. But I’d forgotten about them, so thanks for making them again!
This is my go to chocolate chip recipe (sans nuts). I absolutely love it! Glad you tried it!
I’ve had these before! The recipe I got has some melted chocolate in the batter, even. What I like about the NM cookie is the texture you get from the ground oats, which I’ve found gives it a somewhat chewier feel.
Made these many times, and they are always good. No matter what.
I do love these!