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    You are here: Home / Desserts / Cowboy Cookies

    Cowboy Cookies

    January 13, 2022 By Sam 32 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    collage of cowboy cookies, top image of birds eye view of cookies on cooling rack, bottom image of side angel of cookies

    Saddle up, partner–we’re making Cowboy Cookies! Full of flavor and texture, this recipe combines coconut, pecans, oats, and chocolate to make one unique cookie, no horse or lasso required. Recipe includes a how-to video!

    rows of cowboy cookies studded with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecan on black metal cooling rack

    Cowboy Cookies

    If you’re not familiar with them, cowboy cookies are a beefed up version of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies; they’re hearty, chewy, and have a LOT of flavor and texture. Like most cookies, these are sweet, but they’re robust and not too sweet. Best of all, these cowboy cookies are so quick and easy to make.

    With an oatmeal cookie base and a generous handful of mix-ins (coconut, chocolate, and pecans) cowboy cookies have enough texture to compete with kitchen sink cookies and a flavor that’s almost reminiscent of seven layer bars. They truly have the best elements of the most popular cookies out there, so I’m confident they’ll be a hit for you too!

    So, what actually makes a cowboy cookie, anyway?

    What You Need

    overhead view of ingredients for cowboy cookies

    These are just a few of the key ingredients that give these cowboy cookies their hearty texture and flavor:

    • Butter. You’ll need one cup of unsalted butter that’s been softened to room temperature.
    • Sugar. I like a combination of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar for chewy, flavorful cookies.
    • Vanilla. If you’ve got a batch of homemade vanilla handy, use it now!
    • Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon adds a subtle and almost unexpected undertone that suits the cookies well, but you can always leave it out if desired.
    • Oats. I use rolled (“old fashioned”) oats, not instant, for best results. Instant oats could make the cookies dry, so I don’t recommend using those.
    • Coconut. Use sweetened shredded coconut; I don’t recommend using unsweetened coconut.
    • Pecans. I recommend adding nuts, but if you need to leave them out for allergy reasons you can do so with no other changes needed!
    • Chocolate chips. You can use semisweet or milk chocolate chips–or a blend of the two, which is my favorite!

    SAM’S TIP: If your dough is very sticky and difficult to work with, or your cookies are spreading too much, cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. If your butter is too soft or your kitchen is too warm, it can make the dough too greasy and hard to manage–letting it chill will solve this!

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make Cowboy Cookies

    collage of four photos showing how to make cowboy cookies
    1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
    2. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually stir them into the wet ingredients until everything is nicely combined. You want a nice cohesive dough!
    3. Add your mix-ins and stir them in with a spatula until they’re evenly distributed.
    4. Drop dough by large scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet… I like to briefly roll the dough between my palms to help make them uniform in appearance, it’s messy but usually worth it! Then bake until edges are golden brown and let cookies cool.

    SAM’S TIP: Take your cookies out of the oven when the edges are turning light golden brown. The centers will probably appear slightly under-baked; this is fine! They’ll finish cooking on the baking sheet and will have a soft, chewy texture when cooled.

    overhead view of neatly arranged cowboy cookies cooling on a metal cooling rack

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why are they called cowboy cookies?

    There are several theories about where cowboy cookies get their name; one is that they were like an energy bar for cowboys working in the old west. This could very well be true, since cowboy cookies are certainly satiating, portable, and long-lasting.

    While that theory can’t exactly be proved, another more credible explanation is that during the time the cookies became popular, Americans were quite fascinated by cowboys and the wild west.

    Regardless of how they got their name, you don’t have to be a cowboy or even like cowboys to enjoy these cookies! 😄

    Can cowboy cookies be frozen?

    Yes! You can freeze them baked or unbaked. If baking from frozen, they’ll just need an extra minute or two (or three!) in the oven.

    My cookies came out dry and crumbly. What happened?

    This can happen if you substituted instant oats or unsweetened coconut, or if you over-measured your flour. Make sure you know how to measure your flour properly, so this doesn’t happen in the future!

    bitten cowboy cookie on cooling rack full of cookies

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    rows of cowboy cookies studded with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecan on black metal cooling rack

    Cowboy Cookies

    Saddle up, partner–we're making cowboy cookies! Full of flavor and texture, this recipe combines coconut, pecans, oats, and chocolate to make one unique cookie, no horse or lasso required.
    Recipe includes a how-to video!
    4.97 from 32 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 13 minutes
    Total Time: 33 minutes
    Servings: 35 cookies
    Calories: 207kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)
    • 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed (200g)
    • ½ cup granulated sugar (100g
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon table salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
    • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (212g)
    • 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut (123g)
    • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (115g)
    • 1 ½ cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips or a blend of the two! (255g)

    Recommended Equipment

    • Mixing bowls
    • Baking sheet
    • Electric mixer
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars and use an electric mixer (or you may use a stand mixer) to cream together until thoroughly combined and light and fluffy.
      1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar (100g
    • Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir until thoroughly combined.
      2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.
      2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet (either using mixer on low-speed or by hand) until ingredients are thoroughly combined.
    • Add oats, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips and use a spatula to stir together until ingredients are evenly distributed.
      2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut, 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, 1 ½ cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips
    • Drop cookie dough by heaping 2 Tablespoon-sized scoop onto prepared baking sheet, and, if desired, use your hands to round into a ball (the dough will be a bit sticky, but this will make rounder, more uniform looking cookies). Space cookies at least 2” apart.
    • Transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes and edges of cookies are light golden brown. Centers may seem slightly underbaked still, this is fine, allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet where they will finish baking but still be soft and chewy.

    Notes

    Oats

    I recommend whole oats for this recipe for the best texture. Substituting instant oats could make the cookies dry.

    Coconut

    I have only made this recipe using sweetened shredded coconut. While unsweetened coconut may work, I don’t really recommend it as the cookies will be less sweet and I would expect them to be more dry and prone to crumbling as well.

    Making in Advance

    The cookie dough may be made up to 5 days in advance of baking and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.

    Storing

    After baking, cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Miriam Rose Blanar

      March 09, 2023 at 1:55 pm

      I have a weird question. I’m going to be making these for a customer and she wants to know what size they are. Are they 3 or 4 inches?

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 09, 2023 at 2:56 pm

        Hi Miriam! They are about 3 inches. 🙂

        Reply
        • Miriam Rose Blanar

          March 09, 2023 at 3:14 pm

          Thank you so much!

        • Hannah Rouse

          March 15, 2023 at 10:14 pm

          5 stars
          I made these tonight with big flakes (not shreds) of unsweetened coconut, and they were fantastic (and not too dry)! I also used 1/2 c each of dark, milk, and white chocolate chips.

          Thanks for the recipe!

        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          March 16, 2023 at 11:51 am

          We’re glad you enjoyed the cookies, Hannah! Thanks for the review 😊

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