This isn't just another chocolate chip cookie. Rather, it is a piece of culinary folklore. Known famously as the "$250 Cookie," the Neiman Marcus cookie is defined by two secret weapons: ground oats, which create a chewy, thick texture, and grated milk chocolate, which permeates the dough with sweetness.
Whether you believe the urban legend or not, one truth remains: the customer charged $240 for the recipe. This might be the best chocolate chip cookie you've ever baked!
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What Makes This Recipe Different?
Most chocolate chip cookies rely solely on wheat flour. This recipe uses blended oatmeal or oat flour to absorb moisture differently. The result is a cookie that is substantial and chewy, rather than flat and chewy. In addition, the recipe doesn't just use chocolate chips. Rather, it includes a 4-ounce milk chocolate bar that is grated into the flour mixture. The result? Every bite had a delicious chocolate foundation.
The Legend of the $250 Cookie
Legend has it that a woman eating at the Neiman Marcus cafe in Dallas enjoyed the cookies so much that she asked for the recipe. The waitress responded that the woman could purchase the recipe for "two-fifty." When the woman received her credit card bill, she discovered that "two-fifty" meant $250.00, not $2.50! In revenge, she released the recipe to the public.
Neiman Marcus has debunked this as a myth and eventually released its actual recipe for free. However, the resulting "revenge recipe" became a staple in American kitchens because it is undeniably delicious.
Ingredients for Neiman Marcus Cookies
I used the following ingredients for the Neiman Marcus Cookies: Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, toasted old-fashioned oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, toasted pecans, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and milk chocolate chips.
Steps to Make the Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Toast the Oats: Spread the oats on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Process the Oats and Milk Chocolate: Add the oats and milk chocolate chips to a food processor with a steel blade. Process until finely ground, about 20 seconds.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. This takes about 3 minutes.
- Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground oats/milk chocolate, and flour. Beat on high until all ingredients are combined, about a minute.
- Chocolate Chips and Pecans: Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and pecans.
- Form the Dough: Using a 1 ¾-inch ice cream scoop, portion the dough. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place the balls on a silicone-lined half sheet pan. Then flatten each ball to about ⅜-inch thick.
- Bake and Cool: Bake the cookies in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for around 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I ended up with 4 dozen amazing Neiman Marcus cookies, about 3 inches in diameter, and incredibly tasty. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
This usually happens when you overmeasure the flour or the blended oats. Weigh your ingredients to ensure perfect results every time.
Yes. Scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. They can be baked directly from the freezer, adding about 2 minutes to the baking time.
No. Neiman Marcus has officially stated that the story is not true.
Other Oatmeal-Based Cookies
I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do! If you like cookies made with oatmeal, you should check out some of my other oatmeal-based cookies:
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Recipe
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Neiman Marcus Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (7 ½ ounces) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups (8 ¾ ounces) finely ground old-fashioned oats, measured before grinding (See Tip 1)
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces milk chocolate grated (See Tip 2)
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans, toasted (See Tip 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Cream butter and sugars with electric mixer on high for about 3 minutes. Add eggs, and vanilla; beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add ground oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add chocolate chips, grated milk chocolate and pecans. Stir until all ingredients are mixed.
- Roll into balls the size of a golf ball. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet; flatten with palm of hand. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack. Yield: 48 cookies. (See Tip 4)
Tips/Notes
- If desired, spread the oats on a baking sheet, and toast at 350°F for 15 minutes. Process the oats in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
- Rather than grating the milk chocolate, place milk chocolate chips in food processor with oats
- To toast pecans, place in preheated 350° F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure that the pecans do not over-toast.
- If you don't want to bake all of the cookies at one time, roll into balls and freeze. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before baking; bake as directed.
Nutrition
