These Neiman Marcus Cookies aren’t your ordinary chocolate chip recipe! Buttery, loaded with pecans and two types of chocolate, and baked with ground oats for a unique texture, they’re famous for good reason.
My Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are another delicious variation on traditional chocolate chip cookies. You’ll also love my perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Neiman Marcus Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Neiman Marcus $250 cookie recipe is more than just a cookie—it is also an urban myth!
The story goes that a customer asked for the cookie recipe from the Neiman Marcus cafe. When her credit card bill arrived, the company charged her $250 for it. Irritated at being over-charged, she started a chain letter to share the recipe with the world to get her revenge.
Although people have debunked this story, the legendary cookie lives on.
A few things separate them from the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. The primary difference is the addition of oats. This gives them a toasty flavor and a unique texture—chewy and heartier than your average cookie.
Here’s why these Neiman Marcus cookies are so well-loved:
- The famous Neiman Marcus cookie recipe has a fantastic flavor. With richness from the butter, semisweet chocolate AND milk chocolate, nutty pecans, and oats.
- Great texture, with crispy, golden brown edges that give way to a soft, chewy center. And then there’s the melty chocolate contrasting with the crunchy pecans!
- Guaranteed to be a hit at gatherings, potlucks, bake sales or any event. Maybe you could even make some money selling the original recipe? Just kidding!
Important Ingredient Notes
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list so you can make Neiman and Marcus cookies at home.
- Salted butter – I’m throwing you a curveball here! Most of my baking recipes call for unsalted butter, but Neiman Marcus cookies call for salted butter. This secret ingredient adds some interest to this recipe, with a salty contrast to the chocolate.
- Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar has more moisture and a stronger molasses flavor than light brown. It adds more depth to these cookies and contributes to that chewy texture.
- Granulated white sugar- Add more sweetness and texture for chewy chocolate chip cookies.
- Old-fashioned oatmeal – Also known as rolled oats. Don’t use quick cook oats or steel cut oats here.
- Milk chocolate bar – I use half of a Hershey bar.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Or use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
- Pecans – You could use walnuts if you’d like, but I think pecans are perfection in these Neiman Marcus cookies.
*Adding espresso powder (I like the King Arthur Flour brand) to the cookie dough makes these cookies even better.
How to Make Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
Process the oats and chocolate.
Pulse the oatmeal with the chocolate bar (or chocolate chunks) in your food processor—just enough to chop them a little.
The best way to make sure you don’t over process the oats it to use the pulse feature on your food processor.
Make the Cookie Dough:
- Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl for about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix the ground oatmeal mixture with the wet ingredients. Then, add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Stir to combine, then fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and pecans.
Bake the Cookies:
- Drop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or greased cookie sheet) in 1 Tablespoon portions.
- Bake in a 375ºF oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you start mixing.
- Lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it with a knife. Avoid scooping directly from the bag, as this can compact the flour and lead to dense cookies. Use my guide on how to measure flour for best results.
- The step of pulsing the oatmeal with the chocolate bar is essential. It creates a unique texture that makes these cookies chewy without large chunks of oats. Be careful not to over-process, or you won’t achieve the right cookie texture.
- Store chocolate chip pecan cookies at room temperature for up to one week in an airtight container.
- Freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on counter. Want to freeze the dough for my neiman marcus chocolate chip cookie recipe? Read this: How to Freeze Cookie Dough.
Best Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Maple Bacon Cookies
- Cinnamon Cookies
- Checkerboard Cookies
- Potato Chip Cookies
- Butterfinger Cookies
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Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned oatmeal
- 4 ounces milk chocolate bar, 1/2 Hershey bar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and both sugars together until well blended, about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- In a blender or food processor, pulse the oatmeal with the chocolate bar several times to make smaller crumbs. You do not want "FINE" crumbs here, just several pulses, making sure both the oatmeal and the chocolate are broken down slightly.
- Add the oatmeal with chocolate, flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the butter mixture. Mix by hand just until combined. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
- Drop cookies using a heaping 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Pulsing the oatmeal is a key to making these cookies have a delicious chewy texture without overwhelming them with oatmeal flavor.
- Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Freeze cookies in freezer safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on counter.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
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