Neiman Marcus Cookies Twist
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Butter creamed with sugars until light. Eggs and vanilla folded in. Flour mixes combined with oat flour, salt, leaveners added to wet. Chocolate chips with grated dark chocolate for texture. Rolls into tablespoons, spaced or they merge. Baked until edges just gold. Cooling crucial; sets texture. Uses less white sugar for less cloying sweetness. Oat flour swapped with almond meal for nuttier bite. Timing flexible; watch color not clock. Textural contrast key. Classic but altered with tactile cues and substitutions.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
30 min
Servings:
70 servings
#cookies
#baking
#almond meal
#chocolate chips
#American dessert
Crunchy edges with chewy centers. Every batch slightly different depending on butter temp and oven quirks. Watch the dough; too dry, add a splash of milk or egg to loosen. Too wet, add small flour pinch, not too much or dry disaster. Chocolate combos? Use bittersweet chunks for bitter contrast, or milk chocolate for nostalgic sweetness. Oatmeal replaced because I found almond meal adds surprising moist crumb and nuttiness. Timing varies with altitude and oven. Tactile cues beat timer every time. Scooping dough is tiring; use medium ice cream scoop and dip in flour to avoid sticking. Bakers know the art is in watching, adjusting, smelling. Sweet but not syrupy, chocolate pockets still slightly melty.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar reduced to ¾ cup
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond meal (replace ground oatmeal)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup grated dark chocolate or bittersweet
- optional sea salt flakes for topping
About the ingredients
Butter quality makes a difference; unsalted preferred to control saltiness. I swapped ground oatmeal with almond meal for richer flavor and slightly denser chew. Brown sugar adds moisture and flavor depth; light brown best for subtle molasses taste but dark brown intensifies flavor if you want bolder. Vanilla must be pure; synthetic extracts dull taste. Baking soda and powder used together because powder reacts immediately, soda with acid later; helps gentle rise and texture balance. Chocolate: use mix of chips and grated chocolate. Chips stay solid, grated melts differently. Salt flakes optional but highly recommended; balances sweetness and sparks spark on palate. If no almond meal, finely pulse rolled oats to replicate ground oatmeal texture—watch not to over-process into flour consistency.
Method
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 380°F. Hotter by a few degrees to compensate for different flour absorption. Lines: parchment paper or silicone mats, saves scrubbing burnt mess.
Mixing
- Butter at room temp, not melted. Cream butter with sugars until pale and light, 2–3 minutes. Watch texture not clock. Using electric mixer helps but don’t overbeat or cookies turn cakey.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each to emulsify properly. Splash vanilla, mix in.
- In separate bowl, whisk flour, almond meal, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Almond meal adds moisture, slightly denser than oats.
- Fold dry mix into wet. Folding, not pounding. Lose fluff, chew lost too.
- Throw in chocolate chips and grated dark chocolate. The grated bits, melt slower; chunks for pockets of texture.
Forming
- Tablespoon-sized balls. Press slightly flat if you want crisper edges. Space no less than 2 inches. Crowding leads to merging and uneven baking.
- Optional: sprinkle sea salt flakes on top before baking; cuts sweetness and adds pop.
Baking
- 8–12 minutes usually. Edges light golden, centers still soft but set. Lift one carefully; bottom shows toasted tan. Too pale means undercooked gooey center - fine if you like that. Too brown, burnt butter taste creeps in.
- Listen for faint crackling, smells rich chocolate butter mix, scents fill kitchen.
Finishing
- Cool on racks at least 10 minutes. Hot cookies are fragile, cool creates structure. Bake in batches to avoid warm air pooling.
Storage
- Store airtight. Softer if sealed slightly before cool; harder, dry if left longer uncovered.
Cooking tips
Creme butter and sugars until light—sugar dissolves and aerates mixture, vital for good structure. Eggs help emulsify; adding gradually avoids curdling. Dry ingredients sift or whisk for uniform distribution—especially important with leaveners. Mixing wet and dry: fold delicately to keep air in. Overmixing kills air bubbles, cookies tough. Dough should be thick but malleable; adjust if needed. Cookie shaping: keep sizes uniform for even cooking; avoid over-packing—dough will spread. Baking temp slightly raised from original, helps edges crisp before center overbakes. Peek through oven window; golden edges signal almost there. Smell a toasting butter note; your sign to check. Cooling on wire rack stabilizes cookie texture, prevents steaming bottom. Store airtight; keeps softness. For crunch, let cookies breathe a bit but watch for dryness. Batch baking with pauses cools oven, adjust time slightly for next trays. Use parchment or silicone to avoid sticky backsides, hassles cleaning burnt sugar later.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Butter needs room temp, not melted. Cream sugars with butter 2 to 3 minutes till pale—not too long; overbeating makes cakey. Electric mixer helps but don’t rely. Texture key, not clock.
- 💡 Eggs add moisture, add one at a time; beat after each to emulsify. Vanilla must be pure; synthetic dulls flavor. Fold dry mix gently; no pounding or you lose fluff, chew. Almond meal denser than oat flour; adjust moisture balance.
- 💡 Chocolate mix important: chips hold shape, grated adds pockets that melt slower. Texture contrast is why. Grind rolled oats if no almond meal but watch not to overprocess into fine flour—loses texture.
- 💡 Shape uniform tablespoon balls. Press slightly flat if crispy edges wanted; space min 2 inches or they merge. Oven hot slightly over 375°F; helps edges crisp before center dries. Peek, smell cues help timing better than timer.
- 💡 Cooling on wire rack essential. Hot cookies fragile, cooling sets structure. Bake batches not to pool warm air. Store airtight for soft; slight breath for crunch—dry if left uncovered. Salt flakes optional; balances sweetness, adds pop.
Common questions
Can I replace almond meal?
Yes. Use finely ground oats but avoid powder-like. Almond meal adds moistness, bite. Oats drier, won’t hold moisture same but better than plain flour. Test dough feel.
Oven temperature tips?
Oven varies with altitude, brand. I raise temp by few degrees. Too hot burns edges, too low means flat, pale cookies. Watch edges for golden hue. Smell melted butter then chocolate aromas; sign to check.
What if dough too wet or dry?
Too wet? Add flour pinch or egg white. Too dry? Splash milk or egg yolk. Fold gently to keep air. Avoid adding all at once; small increments, test texture before more. Dough thick but malleable.
Best storage method?
Airtight containers keep soft, hold moisture. Let cookies cool fully first to avoid condensation. For crunch, store with paper towel or leave lid loose a bit. Avoid humid spots. Batches benefit from pause before next bake.
