This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Who wouldn't love a cookie that's chocked full of two kinds of chocolate chips, pecans and oats? 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!
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.
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 canceled. 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 to 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 breached. 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 turn out to be much happier, more secure and confident individuals.
Oh yeah, and the I Want to Marry You 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 a 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!
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, ½ 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!
Emily says
I followed the recipe, but mine did not "spread" They were still kind of mounded up when I pulled them out. Any idea why?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Emily, not sure why this would happen - the only thing I can think of is too much flour. Not that you put in too much but some flour is just denser that others.
Kim Eakins says
These are absolutely wonderful! Made them this afternoon to deliver as Christmas goodies but my husband has discovered them so already adding ingredients to my grocery list for another batch! The toasted pecans add a great flavor and the edges are just the wee bit crunchy. Will definitely be my go-to chocolate chip-type cookie recipe from now on. They are a bit time consuming as far as chilling the cookies prior to cooking but more than well worth it!
Chris Scheuer says
thanks Kim, I appreciate your sweet, funny comment. So happy you enjoyed these cookies as much as we do!
Kimberly says
I was so excited to make these! Unfortunately, they didn't turn out like I had hoped. The dough was not cohesive (and kind of crumbly), and during baking stayed more like balls rather than flattening out. I followed the recipe exactly, but I do live in Denver. Maybe it's the high elevation? Any tips?
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
So sorry you didn't have good results. It makes me mad when I waste good ingredients. I'm not sure about baking in high altitudes as I've never lived much above sea level but I had have great results with these cookies and have also heard from others who have.
Laurie W says
Love the night-time surprise party idea, as a long distant Oma I look for ideas to make special memories. Also know the importance of respecting our children's parenting decisions. The cookies look amazing. Do you use old fashioned oats or quick oats? Thanks for the recipe and story!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Laurie, hope you'll have some special memories coming up with those little ones. For the cookies I use old fashioned oats and I will add that to the recipe, thanks!
Heather says
Do they turn out soft or crunchy?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Heather,
Crispy on the outside and a soft in the center 🙂
Heather says
Thanks. We're a soft cookie family.
L.T. Westgate says
These cookies turned out great! Followed the recipe as written and had perfect results. I took these to work as a Friday treat and they were a hit. My work is predominately male with me as one of the minority female, so I must confess when asked what they are called I couldn't tell!!! Didn't want to start rumors, haha!
Chris Scheuer says
haha! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Gia says
Can the oats be omitted? These look so good but that's the one ingredient I don't have.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Gla, I'm not sure they'd turn out the same as I've never tried them without the oats.
Rose says
I'm actually allergic to oats. Otherwise I was really excited about this recipe. If you think of anything to substitute oats with, will you mention it? Thanks!!!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm sorry Rose, I know that must be hard. I wish I had an answer for you but honestly I'm not sure. I do know that these cookies are wonderful and they don't have any oats. You could even add the other ingredients and call them "I Want to Marry You Cookies" 🙂
http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2016/08/one-bowl-toffee-bar-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Jeanette says
Can the dough be made & then frozen for future use?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jeanette, yes this dough can be made and frozen. The cookies also freeze well after baking.
Sabrina says
Greetings from Ireland.
The piece you wrote about boundaries is excellent.
I like the gentleness of your writing, you manage to express strong points in such a beautifully written way.
I came across your blog while surfing for cooking tips and I was gutted when I realised there actually is no cafe' run by you 🙁
I was so impressed by the blog that I was definitely going to visit this amazing cafe' sometime...
Well, happy blogging and cooking and thanks for posting this beautiful recipie and story.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Sabrina, you're very kind!
Katherine says
These cookies are honestly the most delicious cookies I have ever made! They go over extremely well. Definitely will be making a lot more of these in the future.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Katherine, they are quite yummy, so glad you like them! Thanks for letting us know!
Brenda says
Did you use dark brown or light brown sugar?
Thank you, can't wait to make them for company for my daughters wedding!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Brenda, I use light brown sugar for these cookies.
Linda Fisher says
Delicious and perfect! Made these this afternoon. They are truly incredible cookies. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
So glad they turned out so well. We love them!
tahnycooks says
MUST.MAKE.ASAP!
dorothy says
Hi Chris., I saw the recipe for "I want to marry you cookie". forwarded to the recipe and found a wonderful story about your "middle of the night party". I think the point of the story is so important in todays life. I am going to send it for my Daughter and Son to read. Without the guidelines children flounder and don't know what is the right path to take.
I can tell that in your heart it hurt you just as much as it did the "grands". Also I know there will be plenty of middle of the night parties in the future. From one Grandma to lanother, well done.
Now I need to make the cookies.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, hope you enjoy the cookies 🙂
Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen says
These just stopped me dead in my tracks on Pinterest and I had to pop over and tell you how GORGEOUS they are! Pinned and on my "to try" list!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Valerie, I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a kind comment!
Faye says
Finally made these cookies. Turned out perfect. Made for Mardi gras party. Loved by all. No proposals 🙁
Chris Scheuer says
Shoot!
Serena Burns says
These look amazing Chris! I can't believe I missed them when you first posted them! What a wonderful memories to make with your Grandchildren, I would love to have a middle of the night party!
Anonymous says
Hi Chris!! I just wanted to give you and your husband props for backing up your daughter-in-law. My mother-in-law used to live only 20 minutes from us and we were at her house all the time. She's Italian and a great cook but whenever I felt the need to discipline my daughter at her house, she would always interfere and my husband would back HER up!! As you can imagine, this created a lot of frustration for me. Fortunately, I was blessed with a daughter who is very kind, generous, thoughtful, and loving (and almost 20!!). My mother-in-law lives in Italy now and when she comes to visit, I can see how my daughter manipulates her (but not me). Your daughter-in-law will remember your support and will love and respect you even more for it. My mother-in-law has my love; my respect, however, not so much. I made a vow to myself that if and when my daughter ever has children, I will do my best to help her discipline them however she may deem necessary. After all, it takes a village to raise a child. :))
As far as these cookies go, I can't wait to make them!! Who knows, my husband may end up asking me to marry him again. I might have to give it some thought this time, though....LOL!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for taking the time to leave this comment. You sound like a very good mum yourself :)I And it's so true, we have to show respect and it will come back!! Have a great day!!
Giulia says
Oh my goodness!!! I've been waiting to make these cookies for months!!! These were amazing! the texture is simply fantastic. They spread out nicely and were crispy on the edges. I made these for my family and they loved them 🙂 thanks
Jenn says
These are delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. I would prefer them a little sweeter, so I welcome any thoughts on how to adapt to maintain the texture but add more sugar...
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jenn, thanks for leaving a comment. I think you could add 1/4 cup more sugar and you'd be fine or you could add toffee bits (like Heath Brickle Bits) which really make these cookies crazy good!
Lola velasco says
Hola! He visto tus galletas deliciosas en Google+ y he querido venir a ver cómo se hacen y dejarte un comentario. Se ven muy ricas y bonitas. Intentaré hacerlas,
Saludos!
tanya bastin-baltz says
Quick cooking or regular oats?
Thnx ; )
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Tanya, I used regular but I think either would be fine 🙂 Chris
tanya bastin-baltz says
Quick cooking or regular oats?
Anonymous says
I made these this morning, absolutely delicious, thanks for the recipe! I added butterscotch chips into the mix and it worked well.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, yes, they are quite delicious! I love your adaptation with the butterscotch chips, yum!!
Elizabeth says
Life is easier when you follow the rules. That lesson doesn't come easy though and even in adulthood we are reminded of this, "I was a bit dubious (and forever in a hurry) so I tried baking one pan without the stint in the fridge."
Good on you and their mum though, I always find it more difficult to enforce rules on mine when we are visiting relatives...especially grandparents.