These are great for bake sales, road trips, lunchboxes — or just to fill a cookie jar with something bold and delicious.
🍪🤠 Classic Cowboy Cookies
🧾 Ingredients (Makes about 24 large cookies)
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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1 cup granulated sugar
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1 cup light brown sugar, packed
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2 large eggs
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1½ tsp vanilla extract
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 tsp baking soda
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1 tsp baking powder
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½ tsp salt
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2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
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1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
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1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
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1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, optional)
🔪 Instructions
1. Prep
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream Butter and Sugars
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In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
3. Add Wet Ingredients
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Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
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Stir in vanilla.
4. Mix Dry Ingredients
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In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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Gradually mix dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
5. Fold in the Good Stuff
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Stir in oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans by hand or on low speed.
6. Scoop and Bake
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Drop dough in large rounded spoonfuls (about 2–3 tbsp) onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
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Bake for 11–13 minutes, until edges are golden but centers still soft.
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Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
🍽️ Tips & Variations:
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Make them bigger! Use an ice cream scoop for Texas-sized cowboy cookies — just bake a little longer.
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Swap chocolate chips for white chocolate, butterscotch, or dried cranberries.
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Add 1 tsp cinnamon for a warm spice note.
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Want chewier cookies? Slightly underbake them and cool completely on the sheet.
🧡 Why They’re Called Cowboy Cookies:
Legend has it they were hearty enough to fuel a cowboy through long trail rides — and they became famous again when Laura Bush’s cowboy cookie recipe won in a First Lady bake-off in 2000!
Want Laura Bush’s giant version, a gluten-free oat flour twist, or a small-batch recipe?
