Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: The Mrs. Fields Cookies Hoax

Updated on July 19, 2016
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever | Source

"Mrs. Fields" Cookies

I clearly remember the first Mrs. Fields cookie I ever ate. The year was 1986 and I was a recent college graduate on the hunt for a job. Not much was turning up, so while I job searched, I took a part-time temporary holiday position at Bloomingdale's in Dallas.

Admittedly, it was not my ideal job, being on my feet all day and dealing with some rather ill-mannered customers, but it had one really delicious perk - free Mrs. Fields cookies on the store's third floor at closing.

Wow. Those cookies melted in my mouth and without a doubt, were the best chocolate chip cookies I had eaten in a long time, if not ever. Interestingly, about a year later, a friend gave me a paper with a chocolate chip cookie recipe claiming to be for Mrs. Fields cookies.

The story told how the woman who originally purchased the Mrs. Fields cookie recipe thought she was paying $2.50 for it when she was told it would cost "two-fifty." It turned out to be $250, and according to the story, she copied the recipe and gave it to everyone she knew and asked them to pass it along, all pre-computer era of course. Later, it was said that this particular recipe for Mrs. Fields cookies was a hoax.

Intrigued, I baked a batch and clearly they were not from the same recipe as the shop in Bloomingdale's, but they were very delicious nonetheless.

Two special ingredients set these cookies apart from other recipes:

  1. Hershey chocolate candy bars
  2. Oats

While different in flavor and texture than Toll House cookies or cookies from a Mrs. Fields store, I rank them as one of the best chocolate chip cookies I have eaten.

The Recipe

3.1 stars from 58 ratings of "Mrs. Fields" Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups oats, powdered in blender
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Hershey candy bars (1.5 oz. each), chopped

Cook Time

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 min
Ready in: 38 min
Yields: approximately 5 dozen cookies

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cream butter in a large bowl.
  3. Add both sugars to butter; mix.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla extract; stir and set bowl aside.
  5. In a blender, powder the oats.
  6. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
  7. Add the powdered oat to the flour bowl; mix.
  8. Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the butter and sugar mixture.
  9. Chop the Hershey chocolate bars.
  10. Add the chopped candy bar and the chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
  11. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
  12. Bake approximately 8 minutes.

Step by Step Recipe with Pictures

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Oats are a key ingredient in this recipe.In a large bowl, cream butter.Add sugars to the bowl with butter.Cream the sugar and butter until combined.Add eggs and mix.Stir in vanilla extract.In a separate smaller bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.Ground oats into a powder in a blender and add the oats to the flour mixture.Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the butter/sugar mixture; stir.This is what the cookie dough will look like.Chop up Hershey bars and add Hershey and chocolate chips to dough.Mix together and drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Oats are a key ingredient in this recipe.
Oats are a key ingredient in this recipe. | Source
In a large bowl, cream butter.
In a large bowl, cream butter. | Source
Add sugars to the bowl with butter.
Add sugars to the bowl with butter. | Source
Cream the sugar and butter until combined.
Cream the sugar and butter until combined. | Source
Add eggs and mix.
Add eggs and mix. | Source
Stir in vanilla extract.
Stir in vanilla extract. | Source
In a separate smaller bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a separate smaller bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. | Source
Ground oats into a powder in a blender and add the oats to the flour mixture.
Ground oats into a powder in a blender and add the oats to the flour mixture. | Source
Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the butter/sugar mixture; stir.
Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the butter/sugar mixture; stir. | Source
This is what the cookie dough will look like.
This is what the cookie dough will look like. | Source
Chop up Hershey bars and add Hershey and chocolate chips to dough.
Chop up Hershey bars and add Hershey and chocolate chips to dough. | Source
Mix together and drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
Mix together and drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. | Source
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. | Source
Delicious! Even Ruby is dying to eat one of these cookies!
Delicious! Even Ruby is dying to eat one of these cookies! | Source
Wrap some homemade cookies up as a gift. Your friends won't be able to thank you enough!
Wrap some homemade cookies up as a gift. Your friends won't be able to thank you enough! | Source

About Mrs. Fields

In case you are unaware, there really is a Mrs. Fields behind the worldwide cookie empire. With a lot of drive and determination, Debbi Fields opened her first cookie shop, Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery, in 1977 in Palo Alto, California.

Naysayers, including her husband Randy, thought there was no way her cookie-only business model would ever succeed, but Debbi Fields proved them wrong one cookie at a time.

Diversifying beyond solely selling chocolate chip cookies, the business name was changed to simply, Mrs. Fields. In her cookbook, I Love Chocolate, Fields defines the secret to her business success:

I knew I loved making cookies and every time I did, I made people happy. That was my business plan.

Listed by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the "16 Legendary Women Entrepreneurs," Debbi Fields created a $450-million company that she sold to private investors in 1993. According to mrsfields.com, today there are over 390 locations in the U.S. and more than 80 internationally.

While most people have their own best chocolate chip cookie recipe, one thing is for sure - Debbie Fields is one smart cookie.

Questions & Answers

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      • Fox Music profile image

        Fox Music 

        3 years ago

        Thanks for sharing this delicious hub "Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: The Mrs. Fields Cookies Hoax"

      • MarthaACheves profile image

        Martha A. Cheves 

        5 years ago

        These look so good! Bet they would be good with white chocolate chips and pecans.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Lilly - I use salted butter.

      • profile image

        Lilly 

        6 years ago

        What type of butter do you use ? Salted or unsalted ?

        Thank you.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Thanks Faith. Trust me, they are good - sort of wish I had a couple right now

      • Faith A Mullen profile image

        Faith A Mullen 

        6 years ago

        These look so good! I love your gift box idea. So pretty.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        RTalloni - It's a gift I would love to receive! I will have to check out your Hub. Thanks.

      • RTalloni profile image

        RTalloni 

        6 years ago from the short journey

        Hmmm…I may be needing a job, that was Bloomingdale's in Dallas you say?

        Seriously, this would make a seriously wonderful gift. Am linking it in my next hub.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        You're certainly not alone with that one weakness, Bill! There's nothing better than a good homemade chocolate chip cookie.

      • billybuc profile image

        Bill Holland 

        6 years ago from Olympia, WA

        My one great weakness...chocolate chip cookies. I'm drooling just looking at the pictures. :)

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Thanks vespawoolf. I may make them again soon, as well - probably around Christmas-time, perhaps with even some red and green m&m's added.

      • vespawoolf profile image

        vespawoolf 

        6 years ago from Peru, South America

        I also love Mrs. Fields' cookies and have tried this recipe before. I agree that it's one of the best...will have to make it again soon now that you've reminded me! Thank you for sharing with us.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        This recipe is definitely worth a try. I absolutely love these cookies. The semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped Hershey bar mixed in with the ground oats give these cookies a wonderful flavor.

      • lemonkerdz profile image

        lemonkerdz 

        6 years ago from LIMA, PERU

        Great fotos, and if their good enough for your pet dog then nothing more need to be said.. i have tried a hole bunch of cookie reipes and still not found the perfect one for me. Iwill give this one a try. Thanks

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Eliza - I would definitely suggest baking them. I would make them myself right now if I only I had a Hershey's chocolate bar on-hand.

      • ElizaDoole profile image

        Lisa McKnight 

        6 years ago from London

        These cookies look delicious. Almost like Neimann Marcus cookies. I'm going to cook these .... or just eat the pictures. Yum. x

      • carol7777 profile image

        carol stanley 

        6 years ago from Arizona

        I enjoyed reading this hub and finding out a few chocolate chip cookie secrets. Voted UP...

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Cogerson - I think your girls will have fun making these chocolate chip cookies with you, especially turning the oats into powder in the blender. Who knows, maybe one of them will become the next Mrs. Fields.

      • Cogerson profile image

        UltimateMovieRankings 

        6 years ago from Virginia

        Sounds like a winning recipe....something I think I will try out with my two little girls who love to make chocolate chip cookies....plus I enjoyed the background on Mrs. Fields....voted up and useful.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        ChristyWrites - Chopped up candy bar is really what makes this such an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe.

      • ChristyWrites profile image

        Christy Birmingham 

        6 years ago from British Columbia, Canada

        One word: 'awesome'! The fact that there are candy bars in here is great. Yummm

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        I wish there was a "delicious" button because I would have used it a ton during June's recipe contest. I'm glad you enjoyed the story and photos. I sort of wish I had one of these chocolate chip cookies right now. Thanks for your really nice comment.

      • Tracy Lynn Conway profile image

        Tracy Lynn Conway 

        6 years ago from Virginia, USA

        Great story here and the angle on that first photo really stands out. Great hub all around. I am your loyal fan. Voted up...is there a delicious vote too?

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Thanks Simone. I've actually hardly ever met a recipe with chocolate in it that I didn't like! And I really like these cookies, so much so that I had to bring some into work one day last week just to get them out of house so they would quit tempting me.

      • Simone Smith profile image

        Simone Haruko Smith 

        6 years ago from San Francisco

        Ah, yes! I've heard of this hoax, but in slightly different formats. Hey, I'm happy with the recipe as long as it's good, though, and these cookies look beautiful! Thanks for the fun Hub, beautiful photos, and cool backstory.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Thanks Vellur. "Yummy" is a good word to describe these cookies.

      • Vellur profile image

        Nithya Venkat 

        6 years ago from Dubai

        Tasty, yummy recipe. I love cookies.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        That's funny kashmir56. We really don't give her a lot of food that she shouldn't eat, but that never stops her from longing for food like cookies.

      • kashmir56 profile image

        Thomas Silvia 

        6 years ago from Massachusetts

        Oh now i understand why she is so happy ! I would be happy with eating steak and cookies to !

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        kashmir56 - Well, my dog would like nothing more than if I would let her have every cookie I baked, but for her sake she only got a few nibbles of cookie without any chocolate. But on a happy note (for her) she did get some steak for dinner.

      • kashmir56 profile image

        Thomas Silvia 

        6 years ago from Massachusetts

        Thanks for this great cookie recipe,the dog in the photo likes them so they must be good !

        Vote up and more !!!

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Made - They really are delicious. I just had one and the flavors of the two chocolates and the oats really stand out to me. I'm glad you liked the photos and the recipe hub. Thanks so much.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        LetitiaFT - Funny comment - glad you enjoyed it all.

      • Made profile image

        Madeleine Salin 

        6 years ago from Finland

        I have said it before and I'll say it again: All hubs with the word "chocolate" in the title get my attention. These cookies look delicious and the pictures are amazing. Awesome hub!

      • LetitiaFT profile image

        LetitiaFT 

        6 years ago from Paris via California

        Holy Cow! Great pics, great story, thoroughly enjoyed it all. Must try those cookies now!

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Angela - Amazing is a good way to describe them. This recipe is actually half of the original recipe, but is roughly equivalent to other full cookie recipes.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Rebecca - I wish I could taste just by looking at photos; at least it would be calorie-free. When I got that pic of Ruby salivating over my "photo shoot" I thought "there's my money shot." She's made an "appearance" in a few of my hubs now :) Anyway, thanks for the really nice comment!

      • Angela Brummer profile image

        Angela Brummer 

        6 years ago from Lincoln, Nebraska

        I have had these and they are amazing. The recipe I have makes hundreds of cookies thought so I am so happy to have found this!

      • rebeccamealey profile image

        Rebecca Mealey 

        6 years ago from Northeastern Georgia, USA

        This is very cool. Not only does the recipe sound delicious, I can almost taste these CC cookies just by looking at the photos. And that pic with Ruby? Award winning quality.Great job!

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        CCahill - Just looking at dessert recipes always makes me hungry too.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Thanks Kelley. I'm just hoping my neighbors aren't noticing me taking all these food photos outside lately, but the outdoor light is so good this week; I cannot help myself. I hope you enjoy the cookies if you get the chance to make them.

      • ktrapp profile imageAUTHOR

        Kristin Trapp 

        6 years ago from Illinois

        Thanks Victoria Lynn. I love to make the classic Toll House cookies, but these are just as good, but in a whole different way.

      • CCahill profile image

        CCahill 

        6 years ago from England

        Your hub is making me hungry

      • profile image

        kelleyward 

        6 years ago

        Wow the opening picture is Amazing!!! Yum!!! Can't wait to try this soon! Kelley

      • Victoria Lynn profile image

        Victoria Lynn 

        6 years ago from Arkansas, USA

        Yummy. I love chocolate chip cookies. Will bookmark this recipe. Nice, attractive layout and background information! Love the pic of Ruby! :-)

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