This cowboy cookies recipe is like chocolate chip cookies packed with everything delicious: toasted pecans, oats, chocolate chips, and shredded coconut. You’ll love the big bold flavor and play of textures in this easy to make cookie. You could also try my homemade oatmeal raisin cookies!
How to Make Cowboy Cookies
1. Toast your pecans: spread out on a sheet pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, making sure to move them around on the pan halfway through. Set aside to cool and give a rough chop.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
3. Cream the room temperature butter then add the white and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffed up.
4. Scrape the bowl down then mix in the vanilla extract and egg.
5. Scrape the bowl down and run the stand mixer until the fully incorporated and homogenous.
6. Add the dry mixture in and mix until almost combined.
7. Use your trusty spatula to find and mix any bits on the side or bottom that have escaped mixing.
8. Add the oats and chopped pecans and run the mixer for a few seconds to get things started.
9. Add the chocolate chips then sprinkle in the coconut. I always break apart any clumps with my fingers as I add it to the dough.
10. Run the mixer on low for about 30 seconds then use your spatula to finish distributing the chocolate chips, nuts etc. Cover the dough and chill for at least an hour. You can freeze some or all of the dough for up to three months if you’d like some delicious cookies you can make at the drop of a hat.
11. Heat oven to 375F. Scoop large portions of dough, about 2-3 tablespoons in size then roll them in the palms of your clean hands and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
12. Press a few chocolate chips and pecan pieces on top of each ball of dough and bake for 8-10 minutes. The edges will be set and golden brown but the centers will still be soft. Allow to cool on the baking sheet.
Pro Tips for this recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Chilling the dough is an important step so don’t try and get by without it. It helps the cookies spread less and let’s the flavors come together.
- You can use toasted walnuts, macadamia nuts, or skip the nuts altogether!
- If you’re freezing dough to bake later try forming the balls of dough then freezing on the baking sheet and transferring to a freezer bag for storage, they’ll defrost quicker and you can bake them up in a snap.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I add to them?
- Roasted peanuts
- Toffee chips
- flaked sea salt
- Candy covered chocolates
Do I need to chill the dough?
You really should chill the dough. Chilling cookie dough gives you a less spread out cookie and helps bring the flavors together.
What chocolate is best to use?
Personally I prefer bittersweet chocolate for cowboy cookies but semisweet is the standard. Milk chocolate is totally fine too BUT you can chop up a bar of your favorite chocolate or skip the chocolate all together.
How do you store them?
I pop my cooled cowboy cookies into an airtight container and leave it at room temperature for up to a week (but they never last that long). If for some reason it’s quite hot where you are then they can hang out in the fridge. I usually bake half of the cookie dough and then pop the rest in the freezer for later. It’s the cookie equivalent of money in the bank!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this cowboy cookies recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120g
- 1/2 tsp baking soda 3g
- 1/2 tsp salt 5g
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113g, room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar 65g
- 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar 113g
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 10mL
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup sweetened coconut
- 3/4 cup toasted pecans
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 150g
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
- Combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Reduce speed to low; add the vanilla and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
- Add flour mixture; mix until almost combined then scrape the bowl down.
- Mix in the oats, pecans, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips. Chill dough for one hour to overnight.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use an ice cream scooper (two tablespoons) to drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Chilling the dough is an important step so don't try and get by without it. It helps the cookies spread less and let's the flavors come together.
- You can use toasted walnuts, macadamia nuts, or skip the nuts altogether!
- If you're freezing dough to bake later try forming the balls of dough then freezing on the baking sheet and transferring to a freezer bag for storage, they'll defrost quicker and you can bake them up in a snap.
