Neiman Marcus Cookies have earned their fame with good reason. Each bite delivers the perfect balance of crisp edges, chewy centers, and rich chocolate flavor!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Indulge in the legendary Neiman Marcus cookies recipe that perfectly blends oatmeal, grated chocolate, and chopped nuts for a decadent treat that’s worth every calorie! These cookies have become famous for their irresistible texture and rich flavor that keeps everyone coming back for more.
The Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies is a soft, chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that is perfect with a glass of milk. This recipe is sure to be one that the whole family will enjoy and is a huge hit as a homemade edible gift or to take to parties!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love These Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Recipe Ingredients
- The Famous Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Video: How to Make Famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe
- How To Make Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Recipe FAQs
- Expert Tips
- The Story Behind Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Why I Recommend Using Blended Oatmeal in Neiman Marcus Cookies Recipe
- More Amazing Cookie Recipes With Chocolate
- More Delicious Cookie Recipes to Consider
Why You’ll Love These Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Foolproof Results: This recipe consistently delivers perfect cookies every time, even if you’re not an experienced baker.
- Impressive Flavor Profile: The combination of blended oatmeal, chocolate chips, grated Hershey bar, and nuts creates a depth of flavor that ordinary chocolate chip cookies simply can’t match.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage, making these perfect for busy moms who need to plan ahead.
- Crowd-Pleasing Appeal: These cookies have universal appeal — kids love them just as much as adults, making them perfect for any gathering or occasion.
- Bragging Rights: There’s something special about serving a “famous” recipe with a fun backstory that makes these cookies a conversation starter at any event!
🍪 When in doubt about what dish to take to an event, I honestly believe you can never go wrong with a cookie containing chocolate!
Recipe Ingredients
- Oatmeal
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Chocolate Chips — use the type of chocolate chips that you like or have on hand
- Hershey Candy Bar
- Nuts — I normally use walnuts or pecans, but you can use what you like or have on hand.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you will get great new recipes from us every week!
The Famous Neiman Marcus Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups oatmeal blended
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 ounces chocolate chips 2 cups
- 1 Hershey bar, grated 4 ounces
- 1 ½ cups chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Add the oatmeal to a blender and blend into a coarse flour or powder.2 ½ cups oatmeal
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.2 cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars, on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well blended, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add flour mixture; mix just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts. (Optional: cover dough and chill 30 minutes – add a minute or two to the cook time if using chilled dough.)12 ounces chocolate chips, 1 Hershey bar, grated, 1 ½ cups chopped nuts
- Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Video: How to Make Famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe
How To Make Neiman Marcus Cookies
Step 1: Add the oatmeal to a blender and blend into a coarse flour or powder. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 2: In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars, on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well blended, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 3: Add flour mixture; mix just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts. (Optional: cover dough and chill 30 minutes – add a minute or two to the cook time if using chilled dough.)
Step 4: Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated oven. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely.
Pro Baking Tip: To bring your butter to the perfect temperature for creaming, cut the butter into tablespoons and put it in your mixing bowl. By the time you’ve assembled all your other ingredients, your butter will be ready to cream.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! The original recipe specifically calls for a Hershey bar, but any good quality milk chocolate will work. The key is to grate it rather than chop it, as this distributes tiny flecks of chocolate throughout the dough for an amazing flavor experience.
Chilling is optional but recommended! Chilled dough will produce slightly thicker cookies with a more concentrated flavor. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip this step, but even a quick 30-minute chill will improve your results.
Look for golden brown edges with centers that look just slightly underdone. They’ll continue cooking a bit on the hot baking sheet after you remove them from the oven. This ensures perfectly chewy cookies that aren’t overbaked or dry.
Absolutely! You can freeze them in two ways. Either freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months, or roll the dough into balls, freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time—no need to thaw!
Expert Tips
- The Secret: The secret to this cookie is OATMEAL! And the secret to the oatmeal is popping it in the blender before adding it to the cookies to make a coarse flour out of it. Amazing texture and flavor!
- Measure Your Oatmeal Before Blending: Measure the 2½ cups of oatmeal before you blend it, not after. The volume changes when blended, and proper measurement ensures the right cookie texture.
- Room Temperature Ingredients Matter: Make sure your butter and eggs are truly at room temperature for the best incorporation. Cold ingredients don’t blend as smoothly and can affect the final texture of your cookies.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make your cookies tough instead of tender.
The Story Behind Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
The classic Neiman Marcus cookie recipe came as a result of a hoax someone pulled against the Neiman Marcus Cafe. It was said that a woman went to the cafe and loved the cookie so much that she asked for the recipe.
The person said that they’d give it to her for “two fifty”. But when her bank statement came she realized that the recipe wasn’t sold to her for $2.50 like she thought, but rather for $250. This story spread throughout the country and it became a big ordeal.
The funny thing is, the Neiman Marcus Cafe wasn’t even offering cookies on their menu at that time. So, in response to the hoax over a cookie that didn’t exist, the Neiman Marcus Group created the Neiman Marcus cookie.
The store actually released a version of their cookie recipe a few years ago. While similar to this one, it contains espresso powder and leaves out one very important ingredient — oatmeal.
Why I Recommend Using Blended Oatmeal in Neiman Marcus Cookies Recipe
Blended oatmeal is the key to the delightful texture of the original Neiman Marcus cookies. It’s the secret ingredient that the store left out of their published recipe.
It only takes an extra minute to make blended oatmeal in your kitchen. Simply add oats to a blender and pulse into a coarse powder.
While oat flour is also a form of oats ground into powder, it’s not a great substitute for the oats in this recipe. Oat flour is much more finely ground than you will achieve in your home blender. It also may change the texture of your cookies.
When choosing oats for these cookies, I always opt for old-fashioned oats, but you can substitute quick-cooking oats if needed. Do not use instant oats!
More Amazing Cookie Recipes With Chocolate
I’m not sure we can ever have too many recipes for cookies that have chocolate in them. Here are some awesome ones that always get gobbled up quickly at our house or wherever I take them!
- Monster Cookies: The best parts of your favorite cookies and make one giant conglomeration. So delicious and everyone loves them.
- Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies: Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the best part is that you don’t need to fire up your oven!
- Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: Brown sugar and higher oven temperature is the secret to thick, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies every time.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes to Consider
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
Dragon
Can't wait to try these cookies!
Kristen
Hi Barbara, you inspired me to my own Neiman Marcus cookie story tonight! http://whatcha-eatin.blogspot.com/2009/06/would-real-neiman-marcus-cookie-please.html
Yours look so yummy!
teresa
Mmm, I've made these before too and now I am craving them again. They turned out beautifully!
Katy ~
I've never made these, have only eaten them. Very good cookie!!
tiffany
If you brown your butter you get a nutty taste even if you don’t use nuts. I also toast pecans and chop them up. Makes them even better
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Tiffany – glad to hear the recipe works well with browned butter too.
Megan
My SIL made these for the kids that helped out at a catering job not long ago. They are delicious and I have meant to make them ever since. Thanks for the reminder!
The Blonde Duck
For the allergic to chocolate duckie, would PB or butterscotch chips work?
Delectable Dining
Great tips! These look wonderful!
alice
They look delicious! I have always wanted to give these a try. I'm going to have to put them on my list. I'm with you, I prefer my cookies on the under-baked side. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Reeni♥
I'm a tollhouse fan too, but I have been wanting to try this one. I like the oatmeal in here and I like mine a little undercooked in the middle too. It makes them so soft and extra yummy!
Debbie
I'm a Toll House cookie girl too!!! Those cookies do look very good though too…
Joyce
Thanks for visiting my blog and being the 100th follower. I see you have 100 too. I will now make it 101! Isn't this blog world so much fun? My house is now a wreck because I spend way to much time blogging lately but hey it makes me SMILE!
jOYCE
Vrinda
Who doesn't lov extra fiber ,lov oatmeal cookies..next time will try ur version by blending oats..yummy…
Gabe's Girl
I am just catching up on your site. You have come such a long way! Everything looks delicious and just lovely. I am so happy to be a fellow reader of your blog!
Cathy
I'm with you, I prefer soft cookies too. Love the combination of textures and flavors.
Mary
seem real nice , i love trying out new cookie recipes !
livestocreate
I was so excited to see another recipe with "blended oats"… That ONE ingredient makes such a difference in cookies – it's in the Doubletree Hotel cookie on my blog – but in much smaller proportions. Thanks for such a great recipe – can't wait to try it!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Hah this is why I love your blog! you do things like this! 😛
Donna-FFW
MMMMM, these sound lovely, I love that the chocolate is grated.
Lynda
I haven't heard of these, but I'm certainly going to try them as I love oatmeal and chocolate together! thanks for posting these yummy looking cookies!
Bunny
I've heard of the recipe but have never know anyone that made it, I'm glad you did, bookmarking this!