Have you ever tried the famous “$250 Neiman Marcus cookie” recipe? It’s full of chocolate and nuts and yields a ton of cookies, and while the back story is fun, it’s an urban legend.
Why this recipe works
I’ll tell you more about the story below, but what you really need to know is how amazing these special chocolate chip cookies are. Chocolate chips, chocolate candy bars, oats, nuts, and more make up these beauties.
They taste great on their own, but they are even more fun when you tell the story about why everyone calls them the $250 cookie.
Ingredients you will need
2020: 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES
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How to Make Neiman Marcus Cookies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line insulated baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Measure out old fashioned oats then run through a blender to fine powder.
- In a large bowl, combine ground oats with flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another bowl, cream together softened butter and both sugars until well combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Add remaining flour mixture until combined.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and nuts.
- Use a cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon to measure out the dough. Roll into balls and place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze Neiman Marcus cookie dough! Form dough into balls and place on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. The cookies can be close together to fit as many as possible, but be sure the cookies are not touching.
Freeze the pan of cookie dough balls for 2 hours. Remove from sheet and place frozen dough balls into a freezer bag.
To bake, remove the number of cookies you want from the bag and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to thaw (roughly 10 minutes) while the oven preheats. Bake per the recipe instructions.
Yes, you can use instant (quick cooking) oatmeal in this recipe. In baking, old fashioned and instant oats can be used interchangeably, especially since you will be blending them into an oat flour.
The story (an urban legend by the way) circulated in the late 1990s via email. I know, because that’s where I actually got the recipe back in 1997!
Anyway, the story goes that a woman was eating lunch at Neiman Marcus and liked the cookie she had for dessert so much she asked for the recipe. They said no, so she asked if she could buy it instead. They said sure, it’s “two-fifty” to which the woman assumed meant $2.50.
A month later upon receiving her credit card statement, she discovered they meant $250.00. After complaining to Neiman Marcus and trying to get her money back, to no avail by the way, she decided to get revenge. So she sent the recipe via email and asked people to forward it to all their friends.
There’s no truth to the story, it was a chain letter that circulated for years. But the cookie recipe is amazing, even if we don’t know where it really came from!
I received this recipe via an email chain back in 1997 (still have the hand written version in a binder) when I first ventured onto the Internet via a dial up modem. Oh how things have changed, but the Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe remains the same and as amazing as ever. Enjoy!
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Neiman Marcus Cookies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounce Hershey bar 1/2 regular sized bar, grated
- 1 ½ cups chopped nuts pecans or walnuts are great
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line insulated baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Measure out old fashioned oats then run through a blender to fine powder.
- In a large bowl, combine ground oats with flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another bowl, cream together softened butter and both sugars until well combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Add remaining flour mixture until combined.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and nuts.
- Use a cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon to measure out dough. Roll into balls and place on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
2020: 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES
12 Christmas cookies you will love, PLUS bonus baking tips and TWO extra recipes you will not find on this blog! See ALL my cookbooks here!
Get the Christmas cookies cookbook! ONLY $9.97!!
Amanda Davis
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Colleen says
Great cookie recipe
Karen Kreutzer says
Do you really have to grind the oatmeal as quick oatmeal is pretty small already
Amanda Formaro says
We do suggest grinding it yes, for the consistency. It makes an oat flour of sorts.
Stanley Pryluck says
Way too sweet. Too much chocolate and sugar . You could probably cut the sugar and chocolate in half and have an acceptable cookie.