Marry Me Cookies Recipe (a.k.a. I Want To Marry You Cookies)
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Is there a romantic cookie for Valentine’s Day—beyond those heart-shaped sugar cookies (photo #1)? Yes: It’s called the Marry Me cookie (a.k.a. I Want To Marry You Cookies). Well…if marketing means something, then it might be the rich chocolate chip cookies with caramel notes that are supposedly so good they inspire marriage proposals—the so-called Marry Me cookies (also called I Want To Marry You cookies). Marry Me Cookies are made with browned butter, semisweet and white chocolate chips, plus oats for texture and added flavor notes. And for that hint of something special, a bit of cinnamon. While Marry Me cookies contain no aphrodisiacs (unless chocolate counts), they are so good, the story goes, that you just might get a proposal. Or in these times, instead of a pre-selected† ring, you might hand a tin of them them to your beloved along with your proposal. This works whether you are proposing to a man or a woman. And even if it’s a gift for a family member or friend, you’ll win hearts. > The different types of cookies: a photo glossary. > Check out all the cookie holidays (there are 44!). > The history of Marry Me Cookies is below. In this variation of the recipe the cookies are jumbo—more than four inches in diameter (photo #1). They have a welcome blend of textures: crispy at the edges but chewy to bite through, with a rich and fudgy flavor. Thanks to Taste Of Home for the recipe. For best results, use a better brand of chips like Guittard. You can also add your own touches. The first time we made them, we added pistachio nuts, a refreshing change from pecans or walnuts. Macadamias also work well here (as anyone who ever had the original Mrs. Fields’ Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies will attest). On our second pass, we used toffee bits instead of nuts. We would gladly marry either version. Other options: ________________ Preparation 1. BEAT together the granulated and brown sugars with the melted butter, using a stand or hand mixer on medium speed until the ingredients are blended. Pop the mixture into the fridge for 10 minutes to cool. Then… 2. BEAT the eggs one at a time into the butter-sugar mixture, blending them in very well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. 3. MIX together in a separate bowl the dry ingredients: flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients gradually, with the mixer running at medium-low speed. Finally… 4. STIR the white chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips into the batter. Scrape the bowl well to catch any unmixed pockets at the bottom of the bowl. 5. LINE two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a quarter-cup-sized cookie scoop or measuring cup to scoop the dough. (If you have a kitchen scale, the portions should weigh about 2.5 ounces.) Place the scoops on the baking sheet spaced two inches apart. 6. PLACE the baking sheets in the fridge to chill the dough for 30 minutes. While it chills, preheat the oven to 325°F. Note: Don’t skip this important chilling step. It firms up the melted butter in the batter and prevents the cookies from spreading too thin during baking. 7. PLACE the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes. If you have two baking sheets in the oven at once, swap them around halfway through baking so that the cookies bake evenly. When the cookies are done they’ll be set and lightly browned around the edges, and the centers will look soft and almost underbaked. 8. REMOVE from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for two minutes to make them easier to move. Then, use a spatula to carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. Let the cookies completely. 9. STACK them in an airtight container—sheets of wax paper between the layers will keep them from sticking. They’ll taste their best when eaten within a few days of baking, however, you can store them at room temperature for up to two weeks. They can be frozen, stacked, inside freezer-proof, resealable bags for up to three months. Allow them to defrost in the fridge with the bag slightly vented to prevent condensation that will make the cookies soggy. TIP: Most of the chocolate chips end up hiding inside the cookies. To make the cookies prettier, add more chips to the outside. Once the dough is scooped, push several white and semisweet chocolate chips into the tops; once baked, they’ll become beautiful, eye-catching pockets of chocolate (photos #3 and #4). TIP: Don’t make the dough the day before. The oats will absorb the moisture, making it dough dry and crumbly. Instead, you can partially mix the ingredients the day before, withholding the oats, chocolate chips, and nuts. Then, prior to baking, allow the dough to sit out for 30 minutes before adding those ingredients and baking as directed. |
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THE HISTORY OF MARRY ME COOKIES The origin of the story appears to be a winning recipe entered in a Food Channel contest in 2012. The “I Want To Marry You” cookies created by Melissa Stadler of Modern Honey were their most popular recipe that year. > Here’s Melissa’s recipe and the full story of how it came to be. Briefly, Melissa was a big fan of The Food Network. In the spring of 2011 the network announced a contest on behalf of their new sister channel, The Cooking Channel. The grand prize winner would win a trip to NYC to film a segment for the show. She submitted a browned butter cookie that she had been working on perfecting for years, gave them the name “I Want To Marry You,” and sent off the recipe. The recipe became popular through food blogs and social media, with different bakers adding their own touches, and shortening the name to Marry Me.
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