I Tried the $250 Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies to Find Out If They're Worth a Week of Groceries

In a world filled with chocolate chip cookie recipes, it can be hard to choose which one to make. Do you go for something chewy? Something swirled with tahini? A giant skillet cookie that's bigger than your face? Or what about a cookie recipe—yes, just the recipe itself—that is supposedly worth more than the weekly cost of groceries for a family of four on a budget?

If money is the missing ingredient in your cookies, you've come to the right place. In case you're not already familiar, allow me to introduce you to the $250 Neiman Marcus cookie—a baked good so legendary in the 1990s that the urban legend persists to this day. What's the actual story, and is it actually worth making at home? I decided to find out.

The Internet Lore Behind the Neiman Marcus Cookie

The urban myth goes that a customer was dining at the Neiman Marcus Café and became enamored with the cookie that accompanied her meal. She asked the server if she could buy the recipe, and the server said no problem, it would only be "two fifty." While the customer assumed that the server meant $2.50, when the credit card bill came she was shocked to find the recipe cost her $250. Just the recipe! In a rage, she emailed the cookie recipe to everyone she knew and asked them to pass it along.

The official stance from Neiman Marcus is that this never happened and they have never sold their recipe. The recipe didn't even exist at that point when the chain letter was circulating the internet. "We eventually squelched that rumor, but in the mid-1990s, as the internet gained momentum, the hoax was resurrected and began spinning through cyberspace," they explain on their site.

To combat the myth, the executive chef at Neiman Marcus released their own official recipe for everyone to enjoy.

The Neiman Marcus Cookie Taste Test

There are two famous Neiman Marcus cookie recipes—one is the official one from Neiman Marcus, and the other is the $250 version that swirled around the internet and appears on the New York Times. They are completely different from one another. I of course had to try both—here are my official reviews.

The $250 Cookie Recipe

This chocolate chip cookie recipe is akin to one of the little old ladies who goes out to fancy lunches with her friends and shows off her vintage Chanel handbags. It just tastes rich—and it's also just a little bit annoying.

The recipe makes 55 cookies (!) and includes oatmeal, chopped walnuts, and 4 ounces of grated chocolate in the batter. Grating a chocolate bar is a messy business, and I wasn't entirely convinced it was worth the effort upon first bite. Right out of the oven, the cookies tasted fine, if a little under-salted, and I didn't really notice the difference the grated chocolate made besides making them a little too sweet.

Luckily, the beauty of this cookie comes in the days after it's baked. If anything the flavors had time to meld, and the cookie remained incredibly soft with a nice chew. Would make again.

Get the Recipe: The $250 Cookie Recipe from the New York Times

The Official Neiman Marcus Cookie

The "secret ingredient" to this cookie recipe is the espresso powder, which I've seen used in more overtly chocolate recipes, but never in a chocolate chip cookie. The only other unusual thing about this recipe is that it's baked at 300°F for 20 minutes. Most cookie recipes I've made are 375°F for 10 to 12ish minutes. Would the low-and-slow method do something to the cookie?

Right out of the oven, I found the espresso powder to be a little too overwhelming. Instead of enhancing the chocolate flavor, I just tasted coffee. Other testers did not have such a strong reaction, but didn't find it added to the overall experience. The low-and-slow method of the cookies also didn't seem to make too big of a difference, but I will note that the cookies tasted more crispy than chewy and soft.

If that's your thing, this is the recipe for you. But me? I probably wouldn't make these again.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie from Neiman Marcus

Essential Tips for Making the Neiman Marcus Cookie

If you're planning on making either of these two cookies, there's a few essential things to know.

The $250 Cookie Recipe:

• Use Rolled Oats: The recipe does not specify what kind of "oatmeal" you should use—which could be disastrous for a beginner baker. The most-liked comment on the recipe says you shouldn't use steel-cut or instant oats, just rolled oats.
  
  
• Add Salt: Like the oatmeal, the recipe does not specify what kind of butter to use. I used unsalted butter, and I wish I had used salted butter. Or, at the very least, I wish I had doubled the salt so it was 1 teaspoon instead of half.
  
  
• Swap Milk Chocolate for Dark Chocolate: The recipe says you should grate a milk chocolate bar into the cookie batter, but if I make these again I'd use a darker chocolate—something in the 70% range. As is, the milk chocolate is just a little too sweet for my taste.

The Official Neiman Marcus Cookie:

• Switch Up the Bake Times: As is, this recipe says you should bake your cookies at 300°F for 20 minutes. Next time I make these, I'd up the temperature to 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes. There's no reason you should be baking these cookies low and slow.
  
  
• Don't Buy Instant Espresso Coffee: This is more of an FYI, but don't be fooled into thinking that instant espresso coffee is the same thing as instant espresso powder. There is a difference, and according to Frank Tegethoff, Research & Development Specialist at King Arthur Baking Company, they shouldn't be swapped.
  
  
• Finish With Salt: These cookies needed a little more salt to balance out the espresso powder. Before serving, I would recommend topping them with some flakey salt, like Maldon.