Rumor has it that these I Want to Marry You Cookies are so delicious that they’ve been known to elicit marriage proposals
I’m not sure I believe that these I Want to Marry You Cookies will bring proposals but I know for certain that they’re some of the very best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made!
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Do you have any traditions in your family that are almost “institutional”? You know, certain established practices that you wouldn’t DREAM of missing? That, in a nutshell, is what our “Middle-of-the-Night” parties have become. If you’ve been a longstanding follower of The Café, you might remember these crazy events, if not, you can read all about them here or here.
With our daughter, her husband and four children living in London, we can hardly wait to make fun, special family memories whenever we have the privilege of visiting each other on either side of “the pond”. One of our traditions is these delightful wee hours of the morning rendezvous’ that have become almost legendary. We make sure to include one of these celebrations, at an unannounced time, during their visit (and believe me, we are repeatedly reminded about them!). Our girlies love them, but they are also quite magical times for Grammy and Papa Scott.
We ran into a bit of a snag this time, however. It was the last night before their return flight to London, so the girlies had rightly surmised this would indeed be, “the” night for the special celebration. Grammy had mixed up the dough for these yummy, I Want to Marry You Cookies, and had planned to serve them warm, with china plates, candlelight and fancy glasses of cold milk. Papa was all set to document the party with his camera.
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Mum (as British children call their mothers) and Daddy have been wonderful about going along with this silly tradition of ours and we’ve been careful to make the parties quite short (but sweet). As the girls were put to bed this time, they were admonished, in the usual tradition, “Go right to sleep without a lot of chatting.” in order to have the “privilege” of a Middle-of-the-Night-Party.
For some reason, sleep did not come easy, but shenanigans did! Mum warned them once and on the second visit, when she found the lights on and the girls playing merrily, she informed them that the “party” would “most likely” be cancelled. With Daddy being out of town, Mum discussed it with us and made the wise decision to cancel the party. It was important for the girls understand the importance of obedience. We were disappointed, but supported the decision wholeheartedly.
Disappointment was not even close to describing how the girls felt in the morning when they realized that the WHOLE night had passed without the special party. They came down to breakfast with very gloomy faces and said they both cried when they woke up. That made Grammy teary-eyed, and Mum too, but you know what?
This sad situation resulted in an extremely important life-lesson for our girls. One of the most difficult aspects of parenting (and grandparenting) is setting boundaries and then following through when those boundaries have been breeched. Universally, kids will test, test, test to see if “the rules” still apply in every situation.
Contradictory to common thought, when children have secure boundaries and know there will be consequences for disobedient behavior, they feel loved and safe. On the other hand, when the borders are inconsistent and consequences are wishy-washy, insecurity and unhappiness abound. For us “softies” (and that’s just about all of us parents and grands, at one time or another) the “easy” path is to capitulate, to give in, to not make waves, allowing children to succeed in getting their way. The result is what here at The Café we call a “child-ruled home” in which both the children and the parents are often quite miserable.
There’s a wonderful ending to this tale of woe. When we bid the girlies farewell at the airport today, you’ll NEVER believe what they whispered as we hugged them goodbye their last words were; “We’ll NEVER miss a Middle-of-the-Night-Party again, EVER! When mum says that it’s time to go to sleep, well that’s what we’ll do”.
Mission accomplished!
Parents and grandparents, take heart! Love your kids and your grandkids with every bit of energy you have, but don’t be afraid to set limits, to be kind yet firm and to let your word stand on it’s own. Your children (and grandchildren) will not only respect you, but will a turn out to be much happier, more secure and confident individuals.
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Oh yeah, and the cookies – the girls helped me bake them before they left. I was intrigued by the recipe as there were a few unusual steps. Instead of the traditional method of creaming the softened butter and sugar together, the butter is melted on the stovetop instead. I used my stand mixer to combine the melted butter with the remaining ingredients, but you could also opt to mix it all together right on the stovetop.
The other somewhat unconventional element in the directions is to chill the cookies for 30 minutes before baking. I was a bit dubious (and forever in a hurry) so I tried baking one pan without the stint in the fridge. There was clearly a difference, the unchilled batch having a flatter and less attractive appearance.
Do you like the name? I Want to Marry You Cookies – I thought it was fun, though a bit crazy. After taking the first bite though, I “got” it. The melted butter combined with a generous measure of brown sugar creates crisp, caramelized outer edges while the centers remain soft and chewy. Toasted pecans add a lovely crunch and a pinch of cinnamon gives the cookies unique, mysterious flavor. You’ll “get” it too – make a batch, they’re phenomenally delicious and you might just find your neighbors, friends, family, co-workers, actually everyone who tries them, offering to marry you!
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Super delicious cookies, so good, it's reported that they've been known to elicit marriage proposals...
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup uncooked rolled or old fashioned oats - not quick oats.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup white chocolate chips extra for garnishing, if desired*
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips extra for garnishing, if desired*
- 1 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans, extra for garnishing, if desired*
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until melted. Remove from the heat.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir until sugars are incorporated and smooth. Chill the mixture for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator and stir in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, oats, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon and mix together.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips, chocolate chips and pecans.
- Roll by hand into medium-size balls or use a scoop, and place on sheet pans. If desired, tuck extra chips and pecans over tops of dough mounds for a lovely appearance.
- Chill, on sheet pan for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for several minutes on pan, then transfer to cooling rack.
- Watch the proposals coming pouring in!!! 🙂
I can't verify this but they say that these cookies are known to inspire marriage proposals. I can verify that they're crazy-good!
Roda says
Hi. Can the dough be frozen for baking later?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, it definitely can!
Maura kennedy says
I LOVE THESE. Do you have nutrition facts on them?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Maura, I just added them! It will depend, of course, on how big you make the cookies. I added the nutrition facts for a batch of 36 cookies.
Patti says
These cookies are a family favorite and frankly I’m not a cook! They are so easy to make and turn out perfect every time. They MUST be in the freezer when my adult children drop by! Thx!
Patti says
These cookies are a family favorite and frankly I’m not a cook! I have to keep making them, so easy! They must be in the freezer when my adult children drop by! Thx!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Patti, for sharing your results! So happy you’ve enjoyed them!
Kennedy Geary says
The first time i tried this recipe the cookies turned out perfect, they smelled great and tasted great, but they didnt flatten much while baking and were thick and dry, and after being out of the oven for an hour they were hard. i was disappointed but changed the recipe just a little, and now i have flatter, soft and chewy cookies. i love the recipe, thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kennedy.
Lorinda Krhut says
How did you make them soft and chewy? These cookies are a family favorite but they do harden after cooking. I’d like to soften them up.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lorinda, try baking them a few minutes less. That should help.
Jaci says
Amazing cookies. No problem with them staying together at all.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks Jaci!
Christine Elliott says
Just made these and they turned out delicious! Soft and beautiful, and did I mention delicious! Lol Great recipe and easy to do! Thanks for sharing, I will definitely be keeping this one in the book 📖 for future occasions.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Christine for sharing your results. So happy you enjoyed them!
Marie says
I am a pretty seasoned baker, having worked in the industry and was really looking forward to baking these cookies based on the photos alone, never mind the other reviews. I wish I could show you a photograph. I will give one star because they did taste quite nice. But I did not end up with cookies. I got flat greasy pancakes that were not crisp in the least and despite my spraying the lined tins with cooking spray, they were very difficult to pry off the cookie sheets. I didn’t get one whole cookie off from the whole batch, but only bits. Worst cookies ever. After having two trays turn out exactly the same, (I thought perhaps if I did the second tray smaller and baked at a higher temp for shorter time it might make a difference) I ended up having to throw out the cookies I had baked along with any leftover dough, which is a real shame as they were not cheap to bake. Sorry but these were not winners in my books.
Chris Scheuer says
This is so interesting Marie. I’ve gotten wonderful reviews on this recipe and then reviews like yours. I am heading out of town today but will re-visit the recipe when I return home. I’m not sure why some people have fantastic results (if you scroll back, there are more good than bad) and some have difficulty with the recipe.
Tiffany says
Oh my goodness these are amazing. I added probably 1/2 cup oats instead of a full cup & only a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
I also used a mix of white, milk, and dark chocolate chips!
They are sooooo good.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Tiffany! We really appreciate you taking the time to share your results. So happy you enjoyed them!
Marsha says
Same thing happened to me. Taste pretty good to me. A little too sweet and my husband said they taste funny. Now this man will eat anything sweet. I had no trouble getting off the baking sheet. I use parchment paper…never fails. I bake cookies all the time and usually get rave reviews. These I will not be passing around. The first batch is hard. Baked less time, next batch, plus raised the temp. My oven is a little off. Wasted a lot of ingredients. Same..looks dry and hard. You would think with all that butter, they wouldn’t be. I’m thinking maybe no fridge time. The key to getting chewy cookies is a hot oven. Temps of 325 and cold cookie dough, would really affect that. I just took out a batch of white Chaco chip macadamia and cranberry cookies. So as not to waste the day, and they turned out perfect. 375 oven and room temp dough. Can’t go wrong. Well I tried. Lol
Chris Scheuer says
These cookies do get rave reviews from my taste-testers (following the directions exactly as written). It’s hard to say what could have gone wrong without being right there in the kitchen with you. Sorry you wasted good ingredients, Marsha!
Lynette Carter` says
I just made these following your recipe exactly, except I did not know until I read above that you use salted butter. They were delicious with unsalted, but next time I’ll try salted. I also froze some to have when we get the munchies. My husband of over 50 years loved them, so I will make them for my garden club when I am a hostess later this month.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Lynette. I’m happy you enjoyed them!
Kim Coleman says
I didn’t have oats and used 1/2 cup more all purpose flour in recipe. I also added 1/2 cup dried cranberries to mixture. I used half recipe and made a log of dough to freeze for later!!!! These turned out great… The perfect name for cookies!!
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like you made a good adaption Kim! Thanks for sharing your results!
Amber Jones says
The dough was very dry…. Is that common?!? They are in the oven now and smell awesome.. Just nervous because of how dry and crumbly the dough was.
Chris Scheuer says
Hmmm, the dough shouldn’t be dry. It should be like a regular cookie dough and scoop up easily. Not sure why yours was dry Amber.
Roxanne says
My dough was dry and crumbly as well. I used medium sized eggs otherwise just as recipe called for. They didn’t flatten out when baked. Not sure what went wrong. The TASTE is good just a bit dry.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Roxanne, I wonder if the size of the eggs was the problem. With smaller eggs, there might not be enough moisture in the dough.
Merrisa says
These were very good and delicious the day I made them but even after being in an air tight Tupperware they cereal hard and crumbly the next day, a little disappointing but a good cookie, thank you for the recipe
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Merrisa, so sorry they got hard, I haven’t had that issue so I’m not sure what to tell you.
Charlene says
I made these, put the in fridge before baking and they still turned out flat . I put them in tins and they came out hard. When we had one right out of the oven it was delicious. Going to try again but just making dough and keeping in fridge.
Elisa Francois says
I made part batch yummmmmm!! So, I kept the rest chilled. Wondering if I can chill overnight and just preheat oven and then take out if fridge and bake? That’s my plan!
Thank you!!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Elisa, yes that should work fine. You may have to add a minute or two onto the baking time. Just watch them towards the end.
Kathy says
Do you use a mixer at anytime or just hand mix ingredients?
Chris Scheuer says
Nope, you don’t need a mixer for this recipe!
Carol B says
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but it sounds absolutely delicious. However, I want to commend you on your parenting/grand parenting methods. As a former kindergarten teacher, I cannot tell you how many times I told parents that they needed to follow through on consequences for not following the rules. This consistency definitely makes children appreciate the love behind those restrictions and helps them learn that life and bad choices do have consequences. Thanks for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Carol! I appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙂
Karie says
I’m a pretty avid baker and tend to like to experiment. However, I keep coming back to these cookies. Every time I make them they get cleaned out. Friends/Family all love them. Even my sister-in-law who hates nuts in cookes lives them. Thank-you for sharing this recipe, I personally have given it to at least 10 people and everyone has had the same success I have!
Chris Scheuer says
I love this Karie! They are some of our favorite cookies too!
Robin says
you said smooth the two sugars will they still be gritty
Chris Scheuer says
A little.
Lilly says
O! I cant wait to try these !!they look amazing! I will make these cookies tomarrow then let everyone know how they turn out ! Xo
Laura says
Can you use a GF flour and would it be the same amount of flour?! Any suggestions for GF flour??
n'tChris Scheuer says
Hi Laura, I haven’t tried these with GF flour. If you do, please share your results!
Suzanne says
I used cup 4 cup gluten free flour and they turned out amazing. This was my first time making the cookies, so I have nothing to compare them to, but they were still amazing.
Chris Scheuer says
That’s so good to know Suzanne! Thanks for sharing your results. Do you mind letting us know which brand of GF flour you use? That would be helpful to other readers.
Laurel says
Great tasting cookie! I creamed the butter though. I experimented
and placed the cookie dough without refrigerating the dough
and the end result was a flatter cookie. When the uncooked dough was formed and refrigerated, the cookie was crispy on the edges
And puffed up and soft in the middle . I will make again!!
Robyn says
Thanks so much for sharing, these are delicious! Have you tried freezing the dough?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, the dough freezes nicely. Just freeze the scoops of dough on a sheet pan for an hour or so. Once frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag or airtight container.
Julie Newman says
Hi! This looks like a great recipe and I can’t wait to try. Can you please specify if you grease your baking sheet? Thanks! I’ll let you know how they turn out 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Julie, no need to grease the baking sheet. Enjoy!
Julie Newman says
Thank you!! I made them last night and they were spectacular! My boyfriend loves them — haven’t received any proposal yet unfortunately hahaha
Chris Scheuer says
Just wait!! 🙂
Staci says
If I couldn’t use oats, would I need to change the measurement of any other ingredients or just omit the oats?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Staci, I think you’d probably have to substitute some flour for the oats but I can’t say exactly since I haven’t tried the recipe without oats.
Bree says
I made a few batches of these and made a minor adjustments. I followed he recipe but used half dark chocolate chunks and half milk chocolate chips. One batch I added peanut butter chips, caramel bits and walnuts. Another caramel bits and toffee bits. Another caramel bits, toffee bits, walnuts. Another everything above. Haha! It was a hit at our Christmas party and for my nephews school bake sale. I have tons of people asking for the recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Wow, Bree, I love all your renditions! Did you get any proposals? 🙂
Bree says
Well I’m already engaged to my fiancé but his reaction was “Im so glad I’m marrying you!” Hahaha!
Chris Scheuer says
I love it, Bree!