There’s something for everyone in the ultimate cowboy cookies filled with flavor from oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and sweetened coconut. They’re super simple to throw together, and the dough freezes very well, so you can bake half the batch and save the rest for when the cookie craving hits again. Chewy with slightly crisp edges, these loaded cookies are a hit with friends and family.
There’s debate on where cowboy cookies get their name. Some believe that because they’re so robust and filling, they were sort of like an energy bar for cowboys who could keep them in their saddlebags for many days. Others theorize that got the name simply because they originated in Texas, a state synonymous with cowboys. But everyone agrees that these cookies are perfect: not too sweet, a little salty, with the perfect chewiness complemented by crunchy nuts. For more delicious cookie recipes, try my homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, kitchen sink cookies recipe, and monster cookies recipe.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Cinnamon — ground cinnamon adds warmth to these cookies. You could also use a bit of nutmeg if you like.
Baking soda — an important ingredient for chewy cookies. It helps with spreading in the oven and creating those crispy edges.
Butter — unsalted butter is the best option for this cowboy cookie recipe. Set it out about 20 to 30 minutes before you start baking to give it time to soften.
Sugar — you’ll need light brown sugar for its deep rich flavor and moisture, as well as regular granulated sugar.
Vanilla extract — the recipe calls for a generous amount of vanilla, so opt for a high-quality vanilla extract, not vanilla essence.
Mix-ins — old-fashioned oats (also called rolled oats), semisweet chocolate chips, sweetened coconut flakes, and chopped pecans all go into these hearty cookies. Do not use quick oats or steel-cut oats.
How to Make Cowboy Cookies
1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer), combine the softened butter, light brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Reduce the speed to low. Add the vanilla extract and 1 egg. Continue to beat until the ingredients are well incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl in order to incorporate the butter mixture evenly.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the butter and egg mixture. Give it a quick stir with a spatula to start incorporating the flour mixture, then turn the mixer on again and mix until almost combined. Scrape down the bowl again.
5. Add the oats and chopped pecans to the mixing bowl, and mix for a few seconds to start incorporating these ingredients.
6. Then add the chocolate chips and shredded coconut. Sweetened coconut can clump together in the package, so be sure to break apart any big chunks as you add it to the mixing bowl.
7. Give the bowl a final scrape down on the sides and mix everything together by hand to make sure it’s well combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Do not skip chilling the dough!
8. Just before pulling the dough out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough into balls. Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. This gives them room to spread. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until you see golden brown edges. The cookies should still be soft in the center (they will continue to bake after you remove them from the oven). Let the cowboy cookies sit on the baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour. Using too much flour is a common baking complaint that will result in dry, crumbly cowboy cookies. I use a kitchen scale to accurately weigh how much flour I need. If you don’t have one, fluff up the flour in its bag or container, then use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup. Don’t scoop with your measuring cup directly from the flour container.
- Use toasted pecans for extra nutty flavor! You can follow my instructions for toasting pecans using 3 easy methods.
- Use different nuts. Not a fan of pecans? Feel free to swap them out with walnuts, macadamia nuts, or even peanuts! If you don’t want to add any nuts at all, that’s okay, too.
- Use different chocolate chips. You can use bittersweet chocolate chips for a less sweet cookie, or milk chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie. You could also swap some of the semisweet chocolate chips out for white chocolate chips! For something completely different, try mini M&Ms or other candy-coated chocolates.
- Make sure the shredded coconut is sweetened. Sweetened coconut has moisture in it. Dry unsweetened coconut will yield dry cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Using too much butter or too little flour (or both) will cause the cookies to flatten as they bake. Another common cause of flat cowboy cookies is not chilling the dough. When you chill the dough, the cookies will not spread too much in the oven. Also, be sure your baking soda isn’t too old or out of date. To test it, add a small amount to a small bowl and pour a little bit of vinegar on top. If it vigorously foams, it’s still active and good to use! If not, it’s time for a fresh container.
Once completely cooled, transfer the cookies to an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for about 5 days (though I’d be very surprised if they don’t get eaten before then!).
Cowboy cookie dough freezes very well. To make things easy, form the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. I try not to freeze the dough for longer than a month. Allow the dough balls to thaw for a few hours and then bake as directed (adding a minute or two to the baking time if necessary).
Yes, you can freeze cowboy cookies once they’re baked! When they’re cooled, wrap the cookies snugly in a layer of plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. They will be fine in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost them for a few hours on your kitchen counter.
If you’ve tried this cowboy cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cowboy Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- ⅔ cup packed light-brown sugar (147g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (112g)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (180g)
- ¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes (90g)
- ¾ cup chopped pecans (90g)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low. Add the vanilla and egg, and beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the bowl. Add flour mixture. mix until almost combined, then scrape the bowl down again.
- Mix in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 2 tablespoon-scoop, scoop the dough into balls and place about 2 inches apart the baking sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden around the edges but still soft in the center. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour. Using too much flour is a common baking complaint that will result in dry, crumbly cowboy cookies. I use a kitchen scale to accurately weigh how much flour I need. If you don’t have one, fluff up the flour in its bag or container, then use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup. Don’t scoop with your measuring cup directly from the flour container.
- Use toasted pecans for extra nutty flavor! You can follow my instructions for toasting pecans using 3 easy methods.
- Use different nuts. Not a fan of pecans? Feel free to swap them out with walnuts, macadamia nuts, or even peanuts! If you don’t want to add any nuts at all, that’s okay, too.
- Use different chocolate chips. You can use bittersweet chocolate chips for a less sweet cookie, or milk chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie. You could also swap some of the semisweet chocolate chips out for white chocolate chips! For something completely different, try mini M&Ms or other candy-coated chocolates.
- Make sure the shredded coconut is sweetened. Sweetened coconut has moisture in it. Dry unsweetened coconut will yield dry cookies.