$250 Cookies — Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Back in the day when letter writing was the norm, I exchanged letters with my Aunt Waunita on an almost weekly basis. We’d share the ins and outs of our typical week and often included new recipes we had tried.

One week she sent a recipe for $250 Cookies with a note about the story behind the cookie and her recommendation to give them a try.

The story was interesting and the cookies were even better. Since then I’ve discovered that the story is just that . . . a story. Seems it’s an urban myth . . . but the recipe is still one of our favorites.

Since it makes so many—112 to be exact, I often cut the recipe in half.

$250 Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies    Makes 112 cookies

2 cups (4 sticks) butter


2 cups granulated sugar


2 cups packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

5 cups blended oatmeal (measure 5 cups oatmeal  & blend in blender to a fine powder; both old-fashioned and quick-cooking work)


1 teaspoon salt


2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda


24 oz. chocolate chips


1 (8 oz.) Hershey® chocolate bar, grated (I used a dark chocolate bar and prefer to chop it versus grating)

3 cups chopped nuts (either walnuts or pecans are our favorites)


1. Cream the butter and both sugars.
   
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
   
3. Mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. (I like to chill the dough for about an hour at this point.)
   
6. Make golf-ball sized cookies (I used a 1 ½ tablespoon capacity dipper) ; place about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used silicon liners in the cookie sheets).
   
7. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes in preheated 375° oven.
8. Remove from oven and a rack.
   

My aunt’s letters were almost always typed and I still have the original copy of her recipe and story. Here’s the story Aunt Waunita shared . . .

“A woman who works with the American Bar Association called Mrs. Field’s Cookies and asked for the cookie recipe. She was told there was a two fifty charge for the recipe. She assumed it was $2.50 and she charged it to her VISA. It was not $2.50 but $250.00. In order to get her monies worth, she is passing the recipe out to everyone. Take a copy and give it to a friend with her blessing.”

Recipe without photos . . .

$250 Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies    Makes 112 cookies

2 cups (4 sticks) butter


2 cups granulated sugar


2 cups packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

5 cups blended oatmeal (measure 5 cups oatmeal  & blend in blender to a fine powder; both old-fashioned and quick-cooking work)


1 teaspoon salt


2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda


24 oz. (semi-sweet) chocolate chips


1 (8 oz.) Hershey® chocolate bar, grated (I used a dark chocolate bar and prefer to chop it versus grating)

3 cups chopped nuts (either walnuts or pecans are our favorites)


1. Cream the butter and both sugars.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
3. Mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. (I like to chill the dough for about an hour at this point.)
6. Make golf-ball sized cookies (I used a 1 ½ tablespoon capacity dipper) ; place about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used silicon liners in the cookie sheets).
7. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes in preheated 375° oven.
8. Remove from oven and a rack.