Cowboy cookies are a true flavor bomb. The sweet cookies take everything you love about chocolate chip cookies and combine them with oats, pecans, cinnamon, and coconut. Each bite is exploding with flavor.
If you find yourself having trouble deciding on what kind of cookies to make, you’ll fall in love with this cookie as it has all of the flavors you could want. It’s overloaded in the best way possible.
GOOEY COWBOY COOKIES THAT ARE IRRESISTIBLE
A cowboy cookie is basically like seven types of cookies in one. It’s kind of like a chocolate chip cookie mixed with an oatmeal cookie combined with a snickerdoodle. All of those flavors sound like they might overpower one another, but it is actually the opposite. The flavors blend so smoothly to create a cookie that is pretty much out of this world. It’s decadent but in the best way.
This recipe is a family favorite. Everyone loves it because it has a little bit of everything. It’s the perfect cookie to bring to a barbeque or any special gathering because it is a true crowd pleaser with all the different flavors.
This recipe first came to popularity thanks to the 2000 presidential race of all of places. Family Circle magazine published cookie recipes from the candidates’ wives and asked readers to vote on their favorite. Laura Bush’s cowboy cookies took first place and made them a household name in the cookie world.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE COWBOY COOKIES
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter – take the butter out before making the recipe so it can soften.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips – any kind of chocolate chips will do.
- Rolled oats
- Sweetened coconut flakes
- Pecans – toast and chop them into pieces.
HOW TO MAKE COWBOY COOKIES
1. PREPARE
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set the bowl to the side.
3. MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle, beat the softened butter on medium speed until it is light in color and very fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix for about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs in, one at a time, continuing to beat after each egg. Add in vanilla and beat everything for one minute. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once combined, add the chocolate chips, oats, coconuts, and pecans until fully mixed in.
4. FORM THE COOKIES
Scoop 1/4 cup of the cookie dough and shape it into rough balls. Place them on the cookie sheet three inches apart.
5. BAKE THE COOKIES
Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes, making sure to rotate the pan halfway through. Let the cookies cool in the pan before removing them to a cooling rack.
FAQ
The cookies got their start in Texas. Many people believe that the cookies were given their name due to their ability to hold up on long days in a cowboy’s saddlebag. The recipe regained popularity thanks to Laura Bush in 2000.
Yes, you can absolutely freeze cowboy cookies. Make the cookies just as you would and let them cool completely. Then, add them to a plastic bag or airtight container and place them in the freezer. The cookies should last 2-3 months in the freezer.
If your cowboy cookies are coming out of the oven flat, your oven may be too hot. If the oven is too hot, it is allowing the butter to melt faster in the dough, flatting out the cookies. Adjust the temperature and continue to bake.
Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups chocolate chips
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 cups pecans toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda & powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugars to combine, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla and continue to beat for another minute.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, followed by the chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans.
- Portion ยผ cup of dough per cookie onto an ungreased baking sheet three inches apart.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown.