Copycat Marshall Field’s Chocolate Cookies

Malls just are not what they used to be. If you were a teenager before the early 2000s, then you know what we’re talking about. In the days of yore, massive multi-level department stores reigned supreme, and every leasable square foot of space was filled with trendy brands and happy shoppers holding food court drink cups in their hands. While we cannot physically go back in time to the golden age of shopping malls, we can at least transport our taste buds with vintage cookie recipes like this copycat Marshall Field’s chocolate cookie recipe.

Marshall Field’s was a pioneer in the era of department stores. For example, the brand was the first to introduce tearooms to its stores, so ladies could remain downtown to complete their shopping rather than travel home. (You can still visit the Walnut Room in Chicago today.) Additionally, the retailer was also the first to offer personal shopping and bridal registries to their customers, and let’s not forget the first department store to install escalators. As the retail giant grew, it eventually acquired Seattle-based Frederick & Nelson and their Frango mint brand. In time, Marshall Field’s and the Frango brand became just as beloved as Chicago’s deep-dish pizza, with troves of customers clamoring to their storefronts to obtain parcels of their iconic baked goods and chocolate confections.

Among the most beloved (and sorely missed) Marshall Field’s cookies were their iced chocolate cookies. These soft-baked, pillowy chocolate cookies had an intense chocolate flavor and were crowned with just the right amount of sweet chocolate frosting. They were the perfect way to complement a long day of shopping. Let’s re-create a bit of the magic with this nostalgic recipe.

Ingredients for Copycat Marshall Field’s Chocolate Cookies

Cookies:

• Butter: In baking, your cookies are only as good as the butter you use to bake them. See the difference that using high-quality butter can make for your recipes by using one of our Test Kitchen’s favorite butter brands.
• Brown sugar: For this recipe, light or dark brown sugar will work just fine. Use whichever you have on hand.
• Corn syrup: Corn syrup is the secret to making a copycat Marshall Field’s chocolate cookie recipe that stays soft, chewy and moist for days.
• Unsweetened chocolate: For the best, most rich chocolate taste, use a high-quality brand of baking chocolate.
• Egg: An egg adds richness and structural support to the cookies, helping them rise and spread in the oven as they bake.
• Buttermilk: Adding buttermilk to cookies works just like adding buttermilk to red velvet cake. It enriches the dough with extra fat to help make the cookies extra tender, soft and moist.
• Vanilla: Just a smidge of vanilla adds depth of flavor and enhances the taste of the chocolate in these decadent copycat Marshall Field’s cookies.
• Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener to give these pillowy cookies some lift and rise.
• Flour: As with many of our contest-winning cookie recipes, you’ll need nothing special here, just some good old-fashioned all-purpose flour.
• Salt: Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the cocoa notes of these chocolate iced cookies.
• Pecans: Pecans were traditional in the original Marshall Field’s cookies, but you can omit them if you don’t enjoy nuts or have an allergy.

Frosting:

• Confectioners’ sugar: Confectioners’ sugar is the base for all our favorite frosting recipes, including this one.
• Cocoa powder: Good cocoa powder will give the icing the most intense cocoa flavor possible.
• Butter: Butter adds richness and makes the icing wonderfully creamy, smooth and spreadable.
• Water: Using boiling hot water to mix the icing is a trick that brings the icing to the perfect spreadable consistency without thinning the icing with additional water.

Directions

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two 15x10x1-inch sheet pans with parchment.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar and corn syrup until fluffy and light in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, vanilla and egg until fully blended.

Step 2: Blend the dry ingredients and combine

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.

Next, gradually add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients, alternating between the two. Mix just until the flour disappears and no dry clumps of flour remain.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t overmix the dough. To keep these cookies delicate and lighter than air, resist the urge to mix the dough too much. As soon as the flour disappears, it’s perfectly mixed. Find more helpful baking tips in our cookie baking guide.

Step 3: Fold in the pecans and chill

Gently fold in the pecans, then cover and chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Make the frosting

While the dough chills, you can prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter and 2 tablespoons boiling water, and whisk until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of boiling water. The frosting should be the consistency of a thick glaze that’s spreadable with a knife.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re new to making frosting, using boiling water is just one frosting tip we love.

Step 5: Bake the cookies

Remove the dough from the fridge and spoon it, 2-1/2 tablespoons per cookie, onto the prepared sheet pans. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until the centers of the cookies are set. Remove promptly from the oven and let cool for five minutes on the sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t overbake the cookies. Overbaking will cause them to be dry and crumbly rather than pillowy soft. As soon as the cookies are nearly set in the middle and still a little shiny on top, they’re ready to remove from the oven.

Step 6: Top with frosting

Once cool, spread a generous layer of frosting onto each cookie. Serve and enjoy!

LAUREN HABERMEHL FOR TASTE OF HOME

Copycat Marshall Field’s Chocolate Cookie Variations

• Create Frango mint iced chocolate cookies: Add 1/2 teaspoon mint extract to the frosting. Then, finely chop 1/2 cup chocolate mint candies and sprinkle them on top of each cookie. Andes candies are the most accessible, but if you’re lucky enough to snag a box of Frango mints (now sold at Macy’s), use those instead.
• Try turtle chocolate iced cookies: Before baking, press a square caramel into the center of each cookie dough ball and press the dough around the caramel to seal it in the center. Bake and cool as directed, then top with chocolate frosting.
• Prep coconut lovers cookies: Add 1 teaspoon coconut extract to the dough and 1/2 teaspoon to the frosting. After spreading the icing onto the cookies, sprinkle the tops with a few teaspoons of toasted coconut.

How to Store Copycat Marshall Field’s Chocolate Cookies

Stacking iced cookies before they’re dry is an easily preventable cookie storage mistake, so if you’re stacking the cookies in a container, allow the frosting to set for one to two hours until a crust forms on the surface. This will prevent the cookies from sticking together. Store in an airtight container to preserve freshness.

How long do copycat Marshall Field’s cookies last?

Copycat Marshall Field’s cookies are best enjoyed within three to four days of baking.

Can you freeze copycat Marshall Field’s cookies?

Yes! Freeze the cookies in a single layer until firm, then stack them in an airtight freezer container for up to three months. Thaw them at room temperature when ready to enjoy—or eat them straight from the freezer.

Copycat Marshall Field’s Chocolate Cookie Tips

LAUREN HABERMEHL FOR TASTE OF HOME

Why are my cookies dry and dense?

These iced chocolate cookies should be soft and pillowy upon baking, so if they are dense and dry, a few factors may have caused this. First, it’s possible that you didn’t measure the flour properly and accidentally added too much to the dough. Second, you might have overmixed the cookie dough once the flour was added, which overworks the gluten in the flour and causes the cookies to be dry and tough rather than melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender.

Can I make cookies without corn syrup?

Yes, you can omit the corn syrup from this copycat Marshall Field’s chocolate cookie recipe if you prefer. Just note that the cookies will not be quite as soft and will have a little more chew. They may also dry out a little faster, as corn syrup helps add and preserve moisture once the cookies are baked.

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This copycat recipe for Marshall Field’s famous iced chocolate cookies will transport you back in time to the glory days of shopping malls. —Lauren Habermehl, Pewaukee, Wisconsin