• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Barbara Bakes™
  • Home
  • About
  • Info
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Breads
  • Breakfast
  • Dessert
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Ice Cream
    • Pastry
    • All Desserts »
  • Main Dishes
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Pasta
    • Meatless
    • All Main Dishes »
  • Side Dishes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Baking Tips
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Baking Tips
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cookies

    Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

    Published by Melissa on August 17, 2022 | Updated August 17, 2022 | 136 Comments

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    Jump to Recipe
    The famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe! Blended oatmeal and a grated chocolate bar make this cookie extra special! via @barbarabakesThe famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe! Blended oatmeal and a grated chocolate bar make this cookie extra special! via @barbarabakesThe famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe! Blended oatmeal and a grated chocolate bar make this cookie extra special! via @barbarabakesThe famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe! Blended oatmeal and a grated chocolate bar make this cookie extra special! via @barbarabakes

    The famous Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe!

    Blended oatmeal in the cookie dough is the secret ingredient that gives these cookies just a little more texture and body. A batch of homemade Neiman Marcus cookies, full of chocolate chips and nuts, is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser any time of day.

    cracked top baked and neat rows of neiman marcus cookies stacked on a white plate

    Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

    Ingredients:

    • Oatmeal: 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 course flour out of it. Amazing texture and flavor!
    • Flour: gluten in the traditional all-purpose flour adds a softness to the texture of the cookie to go with the whole grain oats
    • Baking powder and baking soda: these help the cookies to rise and have a nice texture
    • Butter: beloved butter makes for a cookie that has great color and lots of flavor
    • Brown and granulated sugar: when you combine the two sugar your cookies brown up nicely and have great flavor
    • Eggs: these help to bind all of the ingredients together
    • Chocolate chips: long live all the chocolate, you can use the type of chocolate chips that you like or have on hand
    • Hershey bar: this is the second secret ingredient to these famous cookies and it adds a subtle element to chocolate in every bite, I love this addition
    • Chopped nuts: you can use what you like or have on hand, I normally use walnuts or pecans in this recipe
    cracked top baked and neat rows of neiman marcus cookies on a cooling rack

    How To Make The Original Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe At Home

    Overall, this is a simple and straightforward cookie recipe. The only extra bit to perfecting Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies is blending up some oatmeal and adding some grated chocolate.

    1. This cookie recipe follows the creaming method, which means you’ll start by creaming butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment on medium-high speed.
    2. Creaming incorporates air into the butter, which helps your cookies stay light and fluffy. Serious Eats has a great article on the importance of creaming butter and sugar when making cookies.
    3. I like to mix together the dry ingredients (blended oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) before creaming, and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
    4. Mix until everything is just combined, being careful not to overmix, which can result in tough cookies. Finally, fold in your mix-ins: chocolate, more chocolate, and nuts. 
    5. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Chilling creates even thicker, chewier cookies, as the cold dough won’t spread as much in the oven. 
    6. When you’re ready to bake, form balls with your dough and arrange on cookie sheets. I use a #40 disher/scoop to get even cookies that bake into perfect circles. If you bake a lot of cookies like I do, this scoop is a time saver and makes evenly sized cookies every time.
    7. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. Don’t worry about taking them out a couple of minutes before the cookies look fully set. Resting on the hot baking sheets will continue to bake the cookies all the way through. Then, move the cookies to a wire rack to cool fully.
    8. At this point, if you don’t eat them all straight away, the chocolate chip cookies can be frozen for several months or stored in an airtight container on the counter. 

    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.

    Butter cut into tablespoons in a glass mixing bowl.
    Cookie dough balls arranged on a cookie sheet and a #40 disher

    Video on how to make Neiman Marcus Cookies:

    Update: I’ve updated this post with a video and helpful tips and tricks to make these legendary cookies live up to the hype. 

    cracked top baked and neat rows of neiman marcus cookies some stacked on a white plate others on a cooling rack

    The story behind the famous cookie recipe:

    The classic Neiman Marcus cookie 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 she ate 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, 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.

    cracked top baked and neat rows of neiman marcus cookies on a silicone lined baking sheet

    Why Use Blended Oatmeal in Chocolate Chip Cookies?

    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 just a couple of minutes 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.

    POV hand holding a neiman marcus cookie dipped into a glass of milk

    More great cookie recipes:

    • Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies

    If you’ve tried this Neiman Marcus cookie recipe or any other recipe on Barbara Bakes, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.

    cracked top baked and neat rows of neiman marcus cookies stacked on a white plate
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    4.47 from 277 votes

    Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

    Rich, chewy and soft Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies are studded with extra chocolate and chopped nuts to make the perfect sweet treat.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Additional Time5 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Cookies
    Keyword: baking, cookie, Dessert, food, recipe
    Servings: 36
    Calories: 236kcal
    Author: Melissa Griffiths
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    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 oz. chocolate chips 2 cups
    • 1 4 oz. Hershey bar, grated
    • 1 ½ cups chopped nuts

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
    • Add the oatmeal to a blender and blend into a course flour or powder.
    • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and 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. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well blended, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.
    • 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.)
    • 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.

    Video

    Notes

    • Walnuts or pecans are a nice option for this recipe, if you are going to omit them add an additional 3 tablespoons of flour to the recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
    pin that reads "neiman marcus cookies" with the image of the cookies on a white plate and milk in the background

    The Neiman Marcus Cookie 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.

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    « No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
    Lemon Blueberry Scones »
    about us

    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
      • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Helen Greig

      March 05, 2023 at 5:38 pm

      1 star
      my cookies are rock hard. does the recipe call for 2.5 cups ground oats or 2.5 cups oatmeal, ground?

      Reply
      • Melissa Griffiths

        March 06, 2023 at 10:48 am

        it’s 2.5 cups oatmeal, ground, not 2.5 cups ground oatmeal, that would indeed make them too stiff

        Reply
    2. Michelle

      January 31, 2023 at 7:08 am

      5 stars
      I like this recipe for the ground oats, the baking powder and soda combo, two sugars. But I can’t leave out the espresso powder. It adds something special to the flavor.

      Reply
      • Carrie Schulte

        March 07, 2023 at 4:43 am

        Please send me the recipe using the expresso powder.

        Reply
    3. Stefanie H

      December 14, 2022 at 2:57 pm

      has anyone tried to freeze and bake later? if so…how?

      Reply
    4. Samantha

      November 28, 2022 at 7:41 am

      I wonder if you could blend the flours and the grated chocolate together first the proceed?

      Reply
    5. Patty

      October 01, 2022 at 11:20 pm

      5 stars
      I made this cookies and maybe needed to use a different oats. I used rolled oats and may have not blended them enough. My cookie was good but a little on the dry side. Maybe try to add an extra egg yoke next time. I will try again. I also added some shredded coconut, loved it.

      Reply
    6. Maria

      August 30, 2022 at 12:42 pm

      Have made these for over 20 years for my kids and now my grandkids. Always a huge hit!!! I reduced the oatmeal to 2 cups and measured before blending. Just always worked best for us. Saw the comment about adding coconut – think I might try that!!! YUM!!! Got the Neiman Marcus thing back in the day, but found out recently that the story was a hoax and neiman marcus came up with their own version without oatmeal and using the coffee (yuck!!) as a counter action. They didn’t even sell cookies back then.

      Reply
    7. Joan Allison

      July 21, 2022 at 7:27 pm

      Mine have been dry. I think i put in 2 1/2 cups of oats after grinding not the before grinding amount.

      Reply
      • Melissa Griffiths

        July 22, 2022 at 8:19 am

        That would make a difference!

        Reply
    8. R

      July 03, 2022 at 1:33 pm

      you DO realize this is not the recipe, RIGHT?

      Reply
      • Melissa Griffiths

        July 05, 2022 at 11:16 am

        Do you have the original recipe? I’d love to see it!

        Reply
        • Lisa

          July 14, 2022 at 12:29 pm

          I was just thumbing through an old community cookbook published in 1993 – three island cookbook Glenn’s Ferry Idaho. This recipe was there exactly the same! It even had an introduction with how the contributer (she made it sound like it was herself) paid the 250 for the recipe when she went to the neiman Marcus cafe, thinking the waitress was saying 2.50. So she wanted to share the recipe with everyone when they refused to refund her.

          Reply
          • Melissa Griffiths

            July 15, 2022 at 8:45 pm

            That’s so fun, thank you for sharing your find!

            Reply
    9. Barbra

      April 27, 2022 at 10:53 am

      Hi, when I make chocolate chip cookies using a scoop, they never quite flatten out, they kinda remain in a semi-mound. I have watched many videos of people making them and using scoops and they flatten. Do you know what I could be doing wrong?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        April 27, 2022 at 2:17 pm

        Hi Barbra – a couple of things to check. Is your oven temperature accurate? Are you packing too much flour in the cup when you’re measuring your flour. https://www.barbarabakes.com/how-to-measure-flour/ I love using scoops and if I know a dough doesn’t spread much when baking, I’ll sometimes use the flat bottom of a cup to flatten the cookies slightly. I haven’t had to do that with this recipe though.

        Reply
        • Barbra

          August 16, 2022 at 7:09 pm

          Thanks. Can you clarify the amount of hersheys is it 14 ounces?

          Reply
      • Lyn

        September 12, 2022 at 2:20 pm

        When u scoop your cookies put them in the fridge just to firm up then preheat your oven to what ever temperature is required put cookies in to oven for 3 to 4 minutes then take them out of the oven put another tray on top of them and push down in the center of the tray and push down on the corners also this is a equal level to flatten for all the cookies on the tray return to oven and bake for required amount

        Reply
    10. Keith

      March 30, 2022 at 4:35 pm

      Can instant oats be used instead of old fashioned oats? Fixing to give these a try.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        March 30, 2022 at 7:06 pm

        Hi Keith – I haven’t tried it with quick-cooking oats but it should work as a substitute although you may need to use less since they’re already ground up a little bit. Instant oats are often pre-cooked in small packages and would not be a good substitute.

        Reply
        • Sana

          August 29, 2022 at 6:04 pm

          Hi! I used instant oats 1:1 and they came out perfect!

          Reply
          • Sana

            August 29, 2022 at 6:06 pm

            I should also mention I have used the original recipe as well with old fashioned. I actually liked the instant version better.

            Reply
    11. Allison

      March 06, 2022 at 11:55 am

      Made these yesterday for a group of men and omg did they loved them. Every single cookie was demolished. I grew up on these cookies…I remember my mom making them for me and my brother when we were young and it was a real treat! Even my picky teen who hates oatmeal snuck a few. I used an ice cream scoop so the cookies were rather large. Wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. 

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        March 06, 2022 at 12:05 pm

        So fun to hear the cookies were a big hit. Thanks Allison!

        Reply
    12. Sandra

      February 27, 2022 at 9:33 pm

      I used to make these without blending the oats, since I didn’t have a blender or food processor, and I always added coconut. They were pretty amazing that way. This was about 20 years ago. Now, I have a food processor, so I plan to try doing it the right way!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        February 28, 2022 at 12:42 pm

        Hi Sandra – congratulations on the new food processor! Coconut sounds like an awesome addition too.

        Reply
    13. R Boyd

      December 23, 2021 at 4:26 pm

      We add toffee brickle to ours and they are delicious.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 23, 2021 at 4:44 pm

        Sounds like a delicious addition – thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    14. Jennifer Smith

      December 05, 2021 at 9:47 am

      Should I sift the dry ingredients?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 05, 2021 at 7:36 pm

        Hi Jennifer – you can whisk the dry ingredients together, but rarely is it necessary to sift the dry ingredients together anymore. Today’s flours are so well refined that sifting isn’t really necessary.

        Reply
        • Jennifer Smith

          December 06, 2021 at 11:03 am

          Great. Thank you. Beat cookies ever!

          Reply
          • Barbara Schieving

            December 06, 2021 at 1:18 pm

            Thanks!

            Reply
    15. Jennifer Smith

      December 04, 2021 at 9:27 am

      These cookies were great!!! Why no espresso powder?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 04, 2021 at 1:45 pm

        I’m not a coffee drinker and don’t like coffee-flavored desserts, but you could certainly add it if you prefer, 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder.

        Reply
      • Jennifer Smith

        December 04, 2021 at 10:49 pm

        So I made the original Neumann Marcus recipe that you reference but I like your recipe with the oatmeal better. This is now my official cookie recipe. Thank you!!!!!

        Reply
        • Barbara Schieving

          December 05, 2021 at 5:25 am

          That’s so fun – thanks!

          Reply
    16. Jennifer Smith

      November 26, 2021 at 1:59 pm

      Can I just use oat flour instead of blending oats?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        November 26, 2021 at 2:01 pm

        Hi Jennifer – I haven’t tried it. My concern is it might be too finely ground and make the cookies heavy, but you could certainly try it. Let me know if you do.

        Reply
    17. Mary

      July 09, 2021 at 2:00 pm

      Thank you for this recipe. I really liked this recipe and followed it exactly with chilling the dough. I used my nutribullet to grind up oats. Butter I left out to room temp, it did not turn light and fluffy but I made sure to blend well.  Very easy, parchment paper a must.  I used ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips 60% cacao, they are bigger chips. I will do this recipe again. 

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        July 12, 2021 at 5:32 am

        Thanks Mary – those Ghiradelli chips sound like a great addition!

        Reply
    18. Lisa Napier

      June 06, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      I put in crunchy peanut butter because I didn’t have any nuts.  I put half peanut butter and half butter.  I also ground up a couple of white chocolate Easter bunnies that were left over from Easter.  It all worked really well and the cookies were great!!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 06, 2021 at 9:14 pm

        What fun additions – thanks for sharing Lisa!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Melissa and Barbara smiling

    Baking made easy! Sharing fabulous recipes for cookies, cakes, pies, breads and more. Barbara Bakes (and Melissa too!) Recipes from both of our kitchens to yours.

    Learn More »

    Popular Posts

    Featured Image Collage for post Baking Tips for Layer Cakes

    Baking Tips for Layer Cakes

    Lemon blueberry coffee cake with streusel topping over white icing, one slice on a white plate

    Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

    Featured Image for Best Blueberry Streusel Muffins

    Best Blueberry Streusel Muffins

    A sweet, moist, dense key lime pound cake drizzled with a tart key lime glaze. A delicious Southern twist to a traditional pound cake.

    Key Lime Pound Cake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    SEEN ON

    as seen on promo graphic

    SEEN ON

    as seen on promo graphic

    About

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Press

    Browse

    • Recipe Index
    • Popular
    • Baking Tips
    • Travel

    Subscribe

    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon affiliate, and affiliate with other businesses, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 barbarabakes.com. All rights reserved. DISCLOSURE - PRIVACY POLICY.