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This is the famous Neiman Marcus cookie recipe that's been delighting families for generations. This recipe makes a huge batch of epic chocolate chip cookies, so you can bake some now and freeze some dough balls for later, or to share with friends. Find all our favorite cookies and bars here.
Why we love this recipe
As you'll see in the story below, we love the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe for multiple reasons. The first is the most important: they're just really good cookies.
The second reason we love these cookies is that you can freeze the dough balls and either save some of them to bake later or — as our friend Jordan showed us — bring some in a little cooler as a host or thank-you gift and have the recipient put them straight into the freezer. It's the best.
Psst...This method of freezing raw cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and then saving to bake later works for a wide variety of cookies and will make you lots of friends and fans.
Neiman Marcus cookie ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this classic cookie recipe:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Old-fashioned oats
- Bittersweet chocolate chips
- Hershey's bars
- Walnuts or pecans
How to make Neiman Marcus cookies
These cookies are fun to make with kids. In fact, my slightly older kids (one of whose hands are featured alongside mine in the how-to photos and video) tend to make them on their own. I'm here to say they're also fun to just eat.
Here's what you'll do. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until they're lightened in color and texture.
- Lightly beat the eggs and mix them in, along with the vanilla.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ones. At this point, switch to a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to mix. (This helps to incorporate the dry ingredients without risking overmixing and overdeveloping the gluten in the flour, which could lead to tough cookies.)
- Stir in the oats. This batter gets pretty thick at this point, but it's all good.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, Hershey bar pieces, and nuts.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center.
- Use your hands or a couple of spoons to drop golf ball-sized cookie dough balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. These cookies don't spread out a ton, but it's still good to leave about two inches between them.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes (or more, depending on your oven), until they're just starting to brown around the edges and on top, and they're still nice and soft.
- Leave them on the baking pan for a few minutes to firm up slightly, and then transfer to a cooling rack.
How to freeze cookie dough
To freeze the cookie dough for later, roll the dough into balls and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until solid, and then bag them by the dozen to gift, save for up to six months, or...ahem...eat. (This latter one happens a lot in our household.) Add one to two minutes to the cooking time when baking from frozen.
Fifth taste, sixth sense: How these cookies came into our lives
When our friends Jordan and Pierre showed up for a weekend visit, Jordan had a tiny, unfancy insulated cooler hung over her wrist. It didn’t have rhinestones or peacock feathers or other such come-hither accoutrements. It wasn’t pink. It wasn’t even purple. But I set my sights on it right away. And the minute I spied that baby, I knew I had to have whatever was inside. Maybe it’s not surprising that a girl who’s all about the fifth taste would also have a sixth sense. Sure enough, I do.
The high-stakes world of edible hostess gifts
I dispensed with the usual pleasantries faster than usual. “Hi-how-are-you-guys-SO-great-to-see-you!” issued forth at once, the tongue moving with manic agility. And then, a little too loudly, “What’s in THE COOLER?!” With an adorable one-year-old in the mix, I knew I was hedging my bets against an answer like, “Oh, just some breast milk I pumped in the car.” But as they say in the high-stakes world of edible hostess gifts, no risk, no reward.
My risk was rewarded handsomely.
The $250 Neiman Marcus cookie recipe
The $250 Neiman Marcus/Mrs. Fields cookie recipe has confounded a lot of people over the years, but I think it’s safe to say that no one has fallen farther into its clutches than Jordan herself.
Many of us have heard the rumor that Neiman Marcus (probably Mrs. Fields –> Marshall Fields –> Neiman Marcus, in a years-long game of telephone) sold their “famous” cookie recipe to a customer for $250, who had only agreed to buy it because she thought she’d be paying $2.50. Oh, too-fiddy, you wily bastard.
Jordan, though, didn’t fall for any run-of-the-mill con game like the rest of us. Nope, she was the victim of an elaborate, personally targeted ruse hatched by her own mother. When Jordan’s mom came home with the recipe courtesy of a neighbor we’ll call Mrs. Garibaldi, she told Jordan that it was called Mrs. Fields’ Cookies because, while ensconced in a former, ultimately unsuccessful marriage with a gentleman by the name of Mr. Fields, Mrs. Garibaldi had started a small cookie company which subsequently grew into a multinational conglomerate. Jordan was overjoyed to know that she moved about in the same circles as a world-renowned cookie maven. What could she say? The 1980s were a beautiful time to be a kid in America.
a.k.a. Gigi's Super Cookies
Mrs. Garibaldi, though, did not approve. An upstanding Southerner, and a Catholic, to boot, she was horrified that the young, impressionable Jordan thought she was a divorcee. A divorcee! A scandal of that magnitude wasn’t nearly as shelf-stable as Mrs. Fields’ cookies, and Mrs. Garibaldi (N/F/K/A Mrs. Fields) soon laid that rumor to rest. The recipe lived on in Jordan’s family, but in a rebranding effort aimed at wholesomeness and grandmotherly love, it’s now called Gigi’s Super Cookies.
The most fabulous hostess gift
Back in the modern era, having arrived for the weekend, Jordan quickly redeemed herself by replacing any hint of gullibility with pure genius. The cooler contained one of the most fabulous hostess gifts ever known to womankind. Jordan had scooped raw Gigi’s Super Cookie batter into perfect little chocolate- and nut-studded golf balls and frozen them so we could bake them at our leisure.
It may have been the buzz of frozen cookie ball potential energy coursing through the cooler walls that tipped me off in the first place. It could have been kinetic energy, even, frozen cookie balls dancing like frenzied atoms until we unzipped the lid and they stopped on a dime, playing dead for the gullible people-folk.
When cookies have a storied history like these do, you can never be sure what you’re in for. Luckily for guests and hosts alike, a gift of frozen cookie balls (especially ones that come with a bonus tale of fame, fortune, and deception) immediately rights all wrongs. It sets you up for a memorable weekend visit and even has a 99.9% success rate of getting you invited back.
And if you believe that one, have I got a cookie recipe for you.
More of our favorite classic cookies and bars
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Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe
This is the famous Neiman Marcus cookies recipe. It makes a huge batch, so you can bake some now and freeze some dough balls for later. To freeze dough balls, place in the freezer on parchment-lined baking sheets until solid, then bag by the dozen to gift, save for up to six months, or...ahem...eat. Add one to two minutes to the cooking time when baking from frozen.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 24 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli 60% cacao)
- 8 ounces Hershey's chocolate bars, broken into chunks
- 3 cups very roughly chopped walnuts, pecans, or a combination
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until lightened in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Add the oats and stir to combine. Then stir in the chocolate chips, Hershey's bars, and nuts.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Using your hands or a couple of spoons, form the batter into loose, golf-ball-sized mounds. Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for eight to nine minutes, until tops are just golden and cookies are still soft. On the off chance there are any cookies left once they're cool enough to handle, cool them completely on racks before storing in an airtight container for up to a couple of days.
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Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Total Fat: 15.9gCarbohydrates: 26.9gFiber: 2.5gProtein: 4.1g
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I would love to use this recipe for a wedding reception. The bride has requested no nuts at all in any of the cookies. What substitute would you suggest in its place so the cookies won't fall flat? thank you!
Hi, Tawni! Oh, I LOVE the idea of having these at a wedding reception. I haven't tried either of these substitutions in this particular recipe, but typically rice krispies or, for a slight savory edge, chopped up pretzels can be a great sub for nuts in cookies. I think either one would work really well here in terms of structure, texture, and flavor. You might use slightly less since they're a little drier than nuts — maybe 2 cups instead of 3. Hope that helps!
This recipe is so amazing! I made them for a group and have had people running me down for more. The response was addictive. My friends have been freezing them and hiding them away from their kids. You may have started something here. Flaky, fat delicious cookies! I can say enough about them.
Edit * cant say enough
So happy to hear that, Donna. Thank you for the comment!
I have been making these since the late 90s.sent them to my daughter in college and her friends went crazy for them. Had to send a new batch every time she came home. They are the best. My recipe call for grated Hershey bar.
Hello
We have the xerox copy of this from when it surfaced back in the 90’s. My adult kids found it and said let’s try. We followed the directions to the “T” but the cookies came out flat not thick. I started googling to find your recipe and blog and it is the same recipe. Why do you think they went flat? They are delicious but thin.
Hi, Grace! I'm surprised to hear that these cookies spread too much. Usually, if the recipe itself has the right ratios and you've measured the ingredients properly, flat cookies result either from butter that's been melted or way over-softened, or from placing the cookies onto hot or over-greased cookie sheets. If neither of those problems apply, you could try chilling the dough a little bit before baking.
Hi! Do you think it would be ok to substitute almonds for the walnuts/pecans? We have some nut allergies in the house but I'd really like to try this recipe!!
Hi, Summer! Yes, you could substitute almonds if you like. If you can find slivered almonds, they'd probably be your best bet for replicating the softer texture of a walnut or pecan. Hope you love them!
Thank you!! I'll let you know how it turns out?
Can the cookies also be frozen once they are baked? Trying to get my baking done this week for next week’s family Christmas. Or will they last 10 days after baking?
Thank you & Merry Christmas!
Sharon
Hi, Sharon! Yes, you can freeze the baked cookies if you'd like. I'd recommend arranging them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and placing in the freezer until solid so they won't stick together, then transferring to an airtight container with parchment between the layers of cookies.
My mother gave me a Xeroxed copy of this with the story of the ill-fated shopping trip and $250.00 cookie recipe when I moved out in the 90s. My teen son & I have been making it for YEARS, it’s his favorite. The only difference is our recipe calls for the Hershey’s chocolate to be grated into the mixture.
Cutting the recipe in half is a good idea since it makes such a large quantity.
Oh, that's lovely, Victoria. Thanks for sharing. xx
Lovely cookies. I halved the recipe and still made loads! Even enough to roll into a log and put in the freezer. Had to make them a little smaller, but taste divine. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Mary!
I made these cookies and they are delicious. The recipe makes a lot so I recommend halving it. The process of adding Oats, nuts and chocolate to the thick batter was difficult for me. The whole thing gets very thick. I started by using the recommended wooden spoon but finally had to use my hands. I froze a portion of the raw dough because it made so many. I will definitely make again. My cookies looked just like the picture..
Thank you, Mary Lou!
I made these today and followed the directions that were provided with the exception of cutting the recipe by 2/3's (I made 20 cookies). First batch an ungreased cookie sheet (mistake)! I used parchment paper for batch two and three and WAHALA! That is my only recommendation.
Thanks for the feedback, Tim! I'm surprised to hear that about ungreased cookie sheets being a problem, but if yours gave your trouble, parchment is a great fix.
WHEN WHEN WHEN is it ever going to be a good day to start my diet? no time soon with recipes like this. I have no willpower and need to buy more stretchy pants.
I love the name. That alone makes me want to try them.
The name is the least of it! Hope you'll try them.
Frozen cookies-who would have thought? Much better than, say, tate's as a cookie gift-should be called Dry Crumbs. nice post!
Thanks, you guys. These are one of those ideas I never would have come up with on my own. Just one more reason to love our friends!
Mmmm yum, these cookies look really good. i love a good chocolate chip cookie, they turn bad days into good ones
Thanks, Mel. I agree!
These looks wonderful! Bookmarked!
Great blog; happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
Thanks for visiting, Mary. I've been to your site before and enjoyed reading as well.
Supercookies! I don't know who came up with this cookie recipe, but I can confirm the cookies are delicious. Everybody make them immediately.
Okay, now I wish I had thought of Supercookies! Exclamation point and all. Definitely warranted.
Love this! Everything about it.
Thanks, Karla. Can't really think of anything to add to that assessment. 🙂