Cowboy Cookies with Video

I hit the jackpot with this chewy, buttery, Loaded Cowboy Cookies Recipe! Delicious oats, chocolate, coconut, and pecans in every bite!

Whether you call these Cowboy Cookies or Ranger Cookies, this Oatmeal Cookies Recipe is an amped-up, out-of-this-world cookie you must make.

Why You Must Make

The first-ever cowboy cookies I baked were a huge disappointment. The recipe called for Rice Krispies which lost their crispness within hours. It took me over a decade to recover from that fiasco and to make another batch. It was time to give these another shot!

• The inspiration for this recipe for these easy cowboy cookies in the New York Times, attributed to Laura Bush circa 2000. They were the winner of the Family Circle’s presidential candidates’ wives cookie contest where the Democrat vs Republican competition was moved to the kitchen. I can see why this delicious, chewy oatmeal cookies recipe won!
• This recipe makes a HUGE batch and they freeze beautifully. You’ll have a stash of ready-to-go snacks and dessert in your freezer.
• These cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, and oatmeal. You can easily tweak the recipe for your palate, swapping out different chocolate chips or nuts, or leaving out the coconut. They’re very versatile.

Ingredient Notes

• Kitchen Staples – Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Sugar, Brown Sugar
• Eggs, Butter – Have at room temperature for easier incorporation.
• Baking Powder – Unlike baking soda, baking powder usually expires before you use it up. Check the expiration date before using. If you’d like to be certain, place a spoonful into a bowl or cup filled with very hot water. If your baking powder is active, it will bubble vigorously. If it does not, replace before making the dough.
• Chocolate Chips – I use Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate. Feel free to use bittersweet or even milk chocolate chips.
• Vanilla Extract – Use real vanilla extract, never artificially flavored.
• Oatmeal – Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats.
• Coconut – Use sweetened, angel flake coconut.
• Pecans – For the best flavor, toast your nuts before using to bring out their essential oils. This can be done in a skillet or on a sheet pan in the oven at 350° for 6-8 minutes.

Expert Tips

As usual, I had to tweak this recipe for loaded cowboy cookies a bit. I eliminated the cinnamon and decreased the amount of pecans. Of course, Bill would have loved these cookies sans oatmeal, coconut, and pecans. Yeah, those would be plain ol’ chocolate chip cookies! Some things never change.

• Get out your butter and eggs about 60 minutes before you start making your cookie dough so they come to room temperature. This ensures the dough will mix properly.
• Whisking together your dry ingredients before you mix them into the dough helps prevent clumps of baking soda, baking powder, or too much salt in any one cookie.

• I like using my paddle attachment if using a mixer to make cookies. This prevents the dough from aerating which can happen when you beat with a whisk attachment. If you use a hand mixer, just be careful not to overbeat.
• The other option is to mix by hand with a wooden spoon.

• These loaded cowboy cookies were each made with 1/4 cup of cookie dough! They are BIG cookies. Go ahead and use a rounded tablespoon full of dough and bake for 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies.
• I mentioned all my tweaks above, but feel free to add back in 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and an extra 1/2 cup of pecans, or nut of your choice to this oatmeal cookies recipe.
• You could also use an alternative chocolate chip like bittersweet, white chocolate, or butterscotch. Or how about replacing some of the chocolate with toffee bits?

• If you want perfectly round cookies, roll the dough between your two palms to form balls.
• Then, when they come out of the oven, tap them into perfect circles while they’re still hot using a spatula. It works like a charm.

How to Make a Smaller Batch

PRO-Tip: this recipe makes a huge amount of dough, and if you make smaller cookies you will have lots and lots! The measurements can easily be divided into thirds and you can also bake up more petite cookies (I recommend a rounded tablespoon instead of the 1/4 cup of dough called for in the recipe if you prefer a smaller version. Just decrease the baking time.).

PRO-Tip: If you decide to make 1/3 of the recipe, here are the amounts for the smaller batch:

•  1 cup flour
•  1 teaspoon baking powder (Check the expiration date.)
•  1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/8+ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
•  1/2 cup sugar
•  1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
•  1 teaspoon vanilla
•  1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
•  1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
•  2/3 cup angel flake coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frequently Asked Questions 

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• Plus if you’re a pecan lover, these Pecan Tassies are fabulous!
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The Recipe:

Loaded Cowboy Cookies Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Total Time 37 minutes

Yield 36 large cookies

Delicious oats, coconut, pecans and chocolate chips in every bite!

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 2 cups angel flake coconut (sweetened)
• 1½ cups chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. In a very large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugars, and combine thoroughly.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
5. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans.
6. For each cookie, scoop out 1/4 cup of cookie dough, roll it into balls, and space them 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Middles may have areas that appear slightly underdone. Remove cookies to a rack to cool.

Notes

I use salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, you may want to increase the salt.

Make one-third of this recipe for a smaller batch of cookies.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough for smaller cookies and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

If your cookies aren't perfectly round when they come out of the oven, use your spatula and tap the edges while the cookies are hot to form more circular cookies.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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  Black Spatula
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  Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets Non-Stick Parchment Paper, 25 Sheet, 4 Count
• 
  OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
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  USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan
• 
  KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer 
• 
  ¼ cup stainless steel scoop

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 315Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

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