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!
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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.
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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.
Debbie J Watkins
What is blended oats?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Debbie – to make blended oats simply add oats to a blender and pulse into a coarse powder.
Kristie
Is it 2 1/2 cups measured prior to blending the oats?
Barbara Schieving
Yes, before blending.
Leigh ann Bauer
I have made these for many years and my mom before me. Hands down the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. One problem I have is my dough always seems to be dry and crumbly. They come out pretty well but I find I have to press the cookies down in the last couple of minutes. Any tips?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Leigh Ann – it could be the way you’re measuring your flour or oatmeal? Here’s a good video https://www.barbarabakes.com/how-to-measure-flour/
Jerry Blodgett
Leigh Ann, your cookies may become dry from pushing them down. when you push them down you are removing all of the air inside which traps the steam that keeps them moist and prevents burning the bottoms of the cookies. I hope this helps.
Jane Doe
This is a great recipe and I have been making NM cookies for over 20 years now. I have the original recipe, which is a little different from the one here on this site. One part of the NM recipe that I have doesn’t call for blending the oatmeal, just measure and add. I think I will blend the oatmeal this year to see the difference. I also add M&Ms to part of the cookie dough, kids of all ages love them.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks for sharing Jane. Let us know what you think. M&Ms sound like a delicious addition.
JH
I like to replace some of the chocolate with herb-infused chocolate (it is legal in my state). The key is to decide how many grams of herb is right for you (if you’ve bought from a dispensary it should be carefully marked). I use 5g per cookie, which is about one square of the chocolate bar. I chop it coarsely and work it into the dough after the cookie amount is measured out. Since you probably won’t do this with *all* the cookies in your batch, I do this with the first however-many of the herb-infused chocolate cookies I plan to make. Then I use a canister with a metal bail lid. You can use a small 3-number lock to lock this type of canister to lock it up from anyone who might happen upon them so they don’t unwittingly eat a cookie without their consent (I prefer non-clear canisters–there are metal ones where you can’t see what’s inside). Store it in the very back of the refrigerator. Then wash your hands thoroughly and make the rest of the cookies. Enjoy!
Kim
I saw a Q/A that said you use light brown sugar, but is it loosely or tightly packed?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Kim – yes, light brown sugar firmly packed.
Marsha
Can you use half blended oatmeal and oatmeal?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Marsha – the blended oatmeal takes the place of some of the flour, so I wouldn’t use half and half but you could try not blending 1/2 cup to add some texture to the cookie.
Lyla
Can’t wait to try this recipe! How many cookies does this recipe make? If I want to make double the recipe, can I bake using 2 racks in the oven, and what’s the best way to do that (rotate racks after 5 minutes)? Thank you!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Lyla! It makes about 3 dozen cookies. I prefer not to bake 2 sheets at a time because your results won’t be as good as if you bake 1 sheet at a time. If you prefer to bake two sheets, move the racks so the oven is divided into thirds and swap the cookie sheets top to bottom and back to front after 5 minutes. Also, you’ll probably need to bake the cookies a couple of minutes longer if you bake two trays at a time, so overall you’re not saving very much time by doing two sheets at a time. Enjoy!
Kathy Thomas
I usually add about 1 cup of golden raisins. Soak them in water first so they plump up. Add them last so they don’t tear up.
Barbara Schieving
Sounds like a great addition – thanks for sharing Kathy!
marilyn melnick
I have made these so many times I could do it with my eyes closed! everyone just loves them, hmm maybe it is time for me to do them again!!! it is always time for a homemade cookie as opposed to store-bought you just do not get the love from store-bought that you get from homemade!!
Barbara Schieving
How fun – thanks for sharing Marilyn! You’re right a homemade cookie is great way to share love 🙂
Marsha Manning
Have you tried Neiman-Marcus cake? It’s always a hit when I make it – no matter where I take or who I share it with. The same story is attached to the cake recipe as is to the cookie recipe.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Marsha – no, I didn’t know there was a Neiman Marcus cake. I’d love to give it a try if you’re willing to share the recipe. barbarabakes@gmail.com
Marsha Manning
I just emailed it to you. Enjoy!
Rebecca
I like to have the recipe of the
NEIMAN-MARCUS CAKE.
Please share the recipe for the cake.
THE COOKIES ARE VERY GOOD!
dan cramer
can i add raisins to this to put them over the top/
Barbara Schieving
Hi Dan – I think raisins would be an awesome addition. I’d try 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
Sally
Very familiar with this great recipe and I’m not much of a baker. My son wants peanut better chocolate chip cookies. How would I change the recipe to add peanut butter?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Sally – adding peanut butter will require adjustments to the butter and sugar to get the consistency right. Here’s a peanut butter chocolate chip recipe that you could try instead https://www.handletheheat.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Maryan
Hi! Does it mater if its light or dark brown sugar? Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Maryan – I used light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar if you prefer.
Julia McFerrin
The recipe calls for 3 cups of chopped nuts which seems excessive. I think 1 1/2 cups of chopped nuts be a reasonable amount for this recipe.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Julia – 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts is correct. Enjoy!
Andrew Faber
What is the effective difference in using ground rolled oats versus oat flour?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Andrew – oat flour is generally more finely ground and won’t add as much texture to the cookie, it could also change the ratio of butter to flour and sugar. But you could certainly give it a try.
Deborah Millinkov
Salter or unsalted butter?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Deborah – unsalted butter – enjoy!
Tori
Is your butter melted or hard when you add it? Is that the measurement of the oatmeal after blended or before?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Tori – I’ve updated the recipe so it’s more clear. The butter is room temperature, not melted and the oatmeal is blended after measuring. Enjoy!
Melissa K Slusher
Can they be frozen?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Melissa – yes, they will freeze and thaw very well.
Danielle Anderson
If I freeze some dough in balls do I need to thaw them completely before baking?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Danielle – no, just cook them 2-3 minutes longer
Kathy
I have made these several times . I wanted to add M&Ms I need to make 30 Extra large cookies for High School grad. Will I need to double the quantities.?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Kathy – yes, adding M&Ms and doubling the recipe should give you 30 extra large cookies. You’ll need to add extra baking time, probably 15 minutes and only bake 6 on a tray.
Patti
What kind of oatmeal do you use?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Patti – I use Old Fashioned Oats. Enjoy!