This recipe is based on an urban legend, which is why in my mind I call them Urban Legend Cookies. They're also referred to in some circles as Neiman Marcus Cookies, because in the urban legend, the recipe is from the famous store.
The urban legend something like this: A woman (her name was said to be Donna Edley) enjoys a cookie at a restaurant and asks the server for the recipe. The server says the recipe will cost two fifty, so the woman says "Great! put it on my tab." A few months later she receives her credit card statement and sees that the two fifty was actually $250. She then calls the store (which is supposed to be Neiman Marcus) and asks them to remove the charge. They won't, so in retribution the lady shares the recipe with everyone she knows and tells others to do the same. This story is a well known urban legend and Neiman Marcus has since released their own recipe. But all that aside, it's still a good cookie recipe.
Unusual elements in the Neiman Marcus Cookies include ground oats and grated Hershey's milk chocolate. Below is a photo I took a while back when I made the cookies using ground up butterscotch chips instead of milk chocolate. The picture at the top is what the cookies usually look like when made according to the recipe. Another fun thing you can do with these cookies is make them as minis. Check out the updates in the recipe if you're interested in seeing how to make the cookies as minis, normal size cookies or large.
Neiman Marcus Cookie Minis
UPDATE: I have recently updated this recipe to include directions for large size cookies, regular size cookies and "minis". My personal favorites right now are the minis. If making the mini version, you may want to halve or even quarter this recipe. Another thing about these cookies is that they are pretty sweet and really need those nuts. The nuts balance out the sweetness from the sugar.
Recipe
Not the Neiman Marcus Cookies aka Urban Legend Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups oats, quick or old fashioned (200 grams)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (260 to 280 grams) -- 280 for thicker cookies
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (increase to 1 ¼ if using unsalted)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1 cup salted butter (230 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 12 oz chocolate chips
- 3-4 oz finely grated milk chocolate
- 1 ½ cups walnuts coarsely chopped
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Put the 2 ½ cups oats in the food processor and grind until you have a fine powder. Mix them with the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside. Note: If using the cinnamon, ahead and add it too.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended, scraping side of the bowl often.
- Stir in the flour mixture, chocolate and nuts.
- Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 60 small cookies, about 36 medium size cookies and 18 very large cookies. These seem to taste better when made as smaller cookies.
Notes
If you use 2 tablespoons (or generously heaping) size mounds, you'll get about 48 cookies. For mini size cookies, make 24 large balls using the ¼ cup measure, then divide each of those balls into about 8 very small marble size balls. Bake the marble size balls at 300 degrees (low heat -- not the 375) for 18 to 22 minutes or until they are set. Let cool at room temperature. Store in the freezer.
Kathy C says
oh goodness these sound so gooooodddddd
Katrina says
Love the tall tale! Brilliant! And what a fun, smart, change-it-up idea to use chopped up butterscotch chips. Man, I think with ideas like these you could win a million bucks or something. Wait.......
😉
Sue says
You tell a good tall tale. 😉
The cookies look really good.
Chewthefat says
Oddly enough, there are two Neiman Marcus CCC recipes in circulation--one with ground oats and a grated chocolate bar, the other without oats and espresso powder or coffee. It's funny how the urban legend became such a game of telephone it spawned not one but two recipes.
The cookies look wonderful--I loved the cracked colored chips! They look ready to be bitten into!