Sharon's Nieman Marcus Cookies

The first time I had these cookies was when I was in fourth grade. I had a friend that was on the swim team with me and these were her family's famous cookies. I was fascinated that they grated a Hershey's bar into it. And the blended oatmeal created such a deliciously chewy texture. I was instantly in love.

After I got married I found out that Mike's mom makes these cookies as well! So I got to have them regularly at family get-togethers.

These cookies were also involved in the infamous air freshener debacle of the 2019 family reunion campout. Mike's mom made a big array of her amazing baked goods. Texas sheet cake, these cookies and so much more. At the campout, everyone noticed that the treats had a strong floral taste. No one was brave enough to tell her. And she couldn't understand why her treats that normally fly off the table weren't being eaten. End up that Sharon recently had added bath and body work air fresheners to her home and had one right about where the treats were cooling so they absorbed the scent. A year (maybe two) later, Mike's little brother Rob was brave enough to mention to her what had happened. Sharon was SO embarrassed and wished someone had told her sooner. She removed all the air fresheners from the kitchen and hasn't had an issue since. Poor lady.

Even after the campout mishap, these are one of my favorite cookies of all time! I like to undercook mine, just slightly - seems to make them the perfect balance of crispy on the edges and chewy, gooey in the middle. Yummy, yummy.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups oatmeal blended (works in a normal blender, or in a food processor)

• 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

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

2. Add the oatmeal to a blender and blend into a course flour or powder.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

4. 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.

5. 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.)

6. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

7. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely.