Neiman Marcus Cookies! Sweet treats just got a whole lot drool-worthy with these wholesome must-have cookies.
This healthy vegan nod to the infamous internet wonder called Neiman Marcus Cookies are indeed crazy delicious! Perfectly soft, chewy, brimming with tender oats, melty chocolate chips, buttery pecans, and rich coconut, these ultra-decadent Vegan Neiman Marcus Cookies are guaranteed to be a real crowd pleaser. These irresistible cookies are perfect for pot-lucks, holidays, or any day of the week.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Vegan Neiman Marcus Cookies are ultra-thick, soft, chewy, and filled with wonderous oats, ooey, gooey, melty chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut flakes.
Why are they called an internet wonder, you may ask? It’s because of the story that is behind the original Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe. There is an urban legend where a Neiman Marcus customer loved these cookies so much that she requested the recipe. She was told it would cost her “two fifty” to obtain the recipe and she agreed to pay for the recipe.
Supposedly, the recipe cost $250.00 rather than the $2.50 that she assumed incorrectly. This customer was so irate that she sent the recipe as far and wide as she could to prevent anyone else from having to pay $250.00.
According to Neiman Marcus this never happened, but somehow this urban legend caught fire and spread everywhere. In response Neiman Marcus posted their recipe online for free to avoid any more negative publicity.
One thing we do know for sure, this WFPB nod to the infamous Neiman Marcus Cookies are crazy delicious!
Tips for Success:
- Almond Butter: Bring the almond butter to room temperature if it has been refrigerated. You want “semi-runny” almond butter. Thick, stiff, clumpy almond butter will not allow the almond butter to be evenly distributed.
- Medjool Dates: You can use regular dried dates if you wish. Medjool dates are typically easily pliable which is one reason why we like them so much. You typically don’t have to soak Medjool dates, but for this recipe, please still soak them. The little bit of extra plumpness helps with this recipe form a paste.
- Cookie Formation: Really pack the cookie dough together to form a solid cohesive ball, then flatten. Shore up any edges to avoid the edges from over-browning.
- Almond Butter Substitutions: This recipe was specifically created to use almond butter. You can substitute the almond butter for cashew butter or sun butter with the understanding that the flavor will change accordingly. We have not tested any substitutions.
- Almond Flour Substitutions: This recipe was specifically designed to use almond flour.
- Brown Rice Flour Substitutions: This recipe was specifically designed to use brown rice flour.
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes: Largely dependent upon whose Neiman Marcus recipe you review, it would appear that coconut flakes are not always present. We loved them in this cookie. We felt it added extra dimension.
- Chopped Pecans: Measure the pecans before they have been chopped.
- Almond Flour: Very slightly pack the almond flour to arrive at the 1 ¼ cups measurement.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips: If you use Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Megan Chunks, chop the larger chocolate chunks in half. If using regular-sized chocolate chips you may want to scale back to ¾ cup. Start low and add more as needed.
- Maple Sugar: We get tons of questions about sweetener substitutions. We totally get it. Some folks want to use all Medjool dates, while others want to use all maple syrup. We’ve tried these cookies using all Medjool dates, they turned out gummy. We also tried using all maple syrup, they just didn’t hold up. Honestly, the best sweetener for this cookie recipe is a combination of Medjool dates and maple sugar. Additionally, using date sugar is not recommended either as it just doesn’t have the same flavor and texture needed for this recipe. ***We also get lot questions about using coconut sugar, if your diet permits, you can substitute coconut sugar for the maple sugar. However, we have not tested with coconut sugar, many of our readers have let us know that coconut sugar works well as a substitute for maple sugar.
Leftovers and Freezing:
These cookies freeze well. Allow to come completely to room temperature, then wrap 1 to 3 cookies tightly in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped cookies into a freeze bag or container. Thaw to room temperature after freezing.
Pantry Products Used:
- Vegan Chocolate: We used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. You can use your favorite dark or semi-sweet vegan chocolate.
Kitchen Products Used:
- Food Processor. We like this 14-Cup Food Processor.
- Large Cookie Sheet. We like this Wilton 21in x 15in baking sheet
- Silicone Baking Pads or parchment paper.
We certainly hope you give this deliciousness a try.
If you try these sweet treats, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
PrintVegan Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 12-13 Minutes
- Total Time: 27 Minutes
- Yield: 24-26 Cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Perfectly soft, chewy, brimming with tender oats, melty chocolate, buttery pecans, and rich coconut, these ultra-decadent Vegan Neiman Marcus Cookies are guaranteed to be a real crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats, processed
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour *
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
- 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup maple sugar (or coconut sugar) *
- ½ teaspoon sea salt *
Wet Ingredients:
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/3 cup unsalted almond butter *
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
Other Ingredients:
- ¾ to 1 cup vegan chocolate chips *
- 1 cup pecan halves, chopped *
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Place the Medjool dates into a small bowl, cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then drain off the water. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the oven rack in the upper-center
- Line a baking sheet with silicone baking pads or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the rolled oats into the food processor, and pulse for 20 seconds to chop, then place into a large bowl.
- Then add all the remaining Dry Ingredients into the large bowl with the finely chopped oats, whisk until well combined.
- Then add the pecans and coconut flakes to the food processor, and pulse for several seconds to break up the pecans and coconut flakes. Do not over-process. Then add this mixture to the Dry Ingredients in the large bowl.
- Place the soaked Medjool Dates into the food processor, process until they are chopped up and form a paste.Then add all the remaining Wet Ingredients to the food processor. Pulse for several seconds to mix well.
- Make sure you get everything out of the food processor and place into the bowl. Stir well until everything is well combined. You may not think it will come together, but keep stirring.
- Then stir in the chocolate chips; mix well to evenly distribute.
- Scoop up the cookie dough into a golf ball sized amount (or 2 cookies scoops), then roll into a ball and flatten into a flat disk, then set onto the cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough has been rolled and flattened.You may need to wash your hands in between every 3 or 4 cookies.
- Place in a preheated oven and bake at 350 F for 12 to 13 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: Makes 24 to 26 cookies
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What a delicious cookie! They turned out perfectly and taste amazing. Thanks for the tip about washing your hands often for easy cookie forming. We’ll definitely be making these often.
Hi there Karen 🙂
Woo hoo! We are SUPER excited you enjoyed this recipe. We appreciate you sharing your wonderful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I’ve made a LOT of cookies over the years — both plant-based and “regular,” and my husband said these are the best ones yet! I have to agree, they’re really, really good. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Hi there 🙂
WOOT!!! We are THRILLED that you enjoyed this recipe. We appreciate you sharing your wonderful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Yum-o! I am sure I’ve made these back in the day (butter memories lol). I love coconut and chocolate together and these still taste and seem so decadent (without the butter and sugar). Amazing! Baked a couple off yesterday and the rest of the dough gets rolled into balls and frozen until needed.
Hi there Sandra 🙂
YAYYYYY!!! We are SUPER excited you enjoyed this recipe. We appreciate you sharing your wonderful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I’ve been a WFPB vegan for almost 10 years and enjoy making healthy cookies. BUT……..I’ve never had such delicious ones as your Neiman Marcus Vegan Cookies. I will happily make them for my skeptical non – vegan friends!! Many thanks for this fabulous recipe.
Hi there Judy 🙂
SOOO AWESOME! We are SUPER HAPPY that you enjoyed this recipe. We appreciate you sharing your wonderful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
These are delicious. Froze half the batch and enjoyed eating them just out of the freezer.
Hi there Patricia 🙂
Yaaaayyy! We are so thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review with us. We appreciate you taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Thes cookies are insanely delicious.
Hi there Susan,
Thank you so much for the awesome review of this recipe! We love them too. So happy that you enjoyed them!
-Ameera and Robin
I just took these out of the oven, they are perfection! I’m bringing them to Christmas dinner and nobody will know they are plant based! I love every single recipe so far!!!!!
Hi there Annette,
Woo hoo! We are so thrilled you gave this recipe a try and plan to share it with others. Thank you so much for your kind words and support! We truly appreciate your wonderful review.
-Ameera and Robin
Is there a substitue for brown rice flour? or can I just use all almond flour? thanks
Hi there Alexis
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We apologize for the late response. When it comes to Whole Food Plant Based Gluten Free baking, we don’t recommend “flour” substitutes as each type of flour can drastically alter the recipe. You can always give it a try, but we cannot guarantee the results.
-Ameera and Robin
These cookies are addictive, try them at your own risk.
Hi there Susan,
We totally agree with you!!! Thank you so much for the awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
We used to go to NM back in the 80s and always had these cookies. We loved them! But fast forward early 90s went vegan WFPB. These I will be baking today and from the reviews sounds like these are a winner. Will let you know how they come out!
Hi there shingo,
We hope you gave these cookies a try and enjoyed them.
Thank you.
-Ameera and Robin
Oh my! These were the best cookies! They are definitely going into my desert rotation. I used coconut sugar and all seemed fine, but since I’m going to be making more of these I will order some maple sugar to see if there is a difference. I’m also not a big fan of coconut so will leave the flakes out next time.
Hi there Lyn,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for the awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
“Stir well until everything is well combined. You may not think it will come together, but keep stirring.” Technically true, but this was the never-ending arm workout that no one asked for. By the time all the dry ingredients were finally absorbed into the dough, it had the density of a neutron star, and it was all but impossible to fold in the chocolate chips. I had to stick them in one by one to the already formed cookies on the baking sheet, and even then, it was a struggle. Are the cookies good? They are DELICIOUS. And I am… Read more »
Hi there May, We are so sorry that your experience in making these cookies was less than expected. As you can see by the other reviews both here, on Facebook, Instagram, etc, they are well received. Not sure what happened to your dough that made it so difficult. Rice flour is very thirsty and it does take a small amount of effort to work in, but the end product should not be the density of a neutron star (totally LOL’ed at that comment). Again, not sure what happened. Glad you enjoyed them even though you don’t plan to make them… Read more »
I already have oat flour that I powdered recently. How much oat flour do I need to equal the amount made from 1/2 cup rolled oats? Thank you.
Hi there Donna,
See the answer below to your question that was previously submitted.
Thank you.
-Ameera and Robin
I just submitted a comment here via my iPad, but I don’t see it here. I really need this info, so will repeat in question here (on my desktop). I already have oat flour made. How much do I need to equal the amount of 1/2 cup of rolled oats? Thank you.
Hi there Donna,
Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, we do not know the answer to your question as we did not use oat flour. We chopped oats, but did not make oat flour. We like chopped oats to limit the absorbency. Again, so sorry. We wish we could help.
-Ameera and Robin