Cowboy cookies are thick, chewy, and packed with tasty mix-ins like shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans! Loaded with flavor, they taste like they are fresh from the bakery! These easy cookies are a real crowd-pleaser and perfect for any occasion.
Easy Cowboy Cookies Recipe
If you've never heard of cowboy cookies before, they are thick and chewy cookies that have a ton of delicious treats mixed into the dough before being baked! They're the perfect cookies for anyone that has a big appetite!
I love to whip these cookies up for game days or parties because I know they are bound to be a huge hit with everyone! No matter the occasion, these cookies always are the first to vanish!
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🥘 Cowboy Cookies Ingredients
These common baking staples can easily be found at any grocery store! Make sure to grab some chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut and you are good to go!
- Butter - 1½ cups of softened, room-temperature butter. Using butter that is at room temperature is especially important as it helps the butter and sugar to cream together seamlessly while also allowing even baking.
- Brown Sugar - 1½ cups of light brown sugar, packed. Swap it out for dark brown sugar if you want a rich molasses flavor.
- Sugar - 1½ cups of sugar.
- Eggs - 3 large, room-temperature eggs.
- Vanilla - 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Opt for pure vanilla (instead of imitation) for the best flavor.
- Baking Powder - 1 tablespoon of baking powder.
- Baking Soda - 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
- Cinnamon - 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
- Salt - 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Flour - 3 cups of all-purpose flour. Make sure to spoon and level it for accurate measuring!
- Old-Fashioned Oats - 3 cups of old-fashioned oats for that wonderfully chewy texture.
- Chocolate Chips - 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pecans - 2 cups of toasted pecans, chopped.
- Coconut - 2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Cowboy Cookies
There's nothing difficult about these cookies, as all you have to do is mix the ingredients together and pop them in the oven! To get started, grab your baking sheets, a mixing bowl, and your measuring utensils.
You'll end up with about 36 cookies, depending on how large you make them!
Prepare
- Prepare. To get started, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Toast the pecans. In a dry medium-sized skillet, add your 2 cups of chopped pecans and toast them over medium heat until fragrant. Immediately remove them from the heat and transfer the pecans into a clean bowl to stop the toasting. Set aside.
Make The Dough
- Cream the butter. In a large mixing bowl (or using your stand mixer), cream together 1½ cups each of butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on low speed. Once combined, increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture until nice and smooth.
- Add dough ingredients. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, and beat between each addition. Then, mix in 1 tablespoon each of vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix until combined.
- Mix in flour. Next, gradually add in 3 cups of all-purpose flour and beat until just combined.
- Fold in the mix-ins. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in 3 cups of oats, 3 cups of chocolate chips, 2 cups of pecans, and 2 cups of shredded coconut.
- Roll into balls. Roll your dough into equal-sized balls (about ¼-cup of dough each) and space them out on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake The Cookies
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 400°F (205°C) for 15-17 minutes, turning the cookie sheets halfway through baking. If you are making smaller cookies, adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Cool. Once the tops have begun to brown, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pans for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies are such a popular cookie that you can easily add them to any gift basket! Of course, you can always keep them for yourself, too! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If you want your cookies to be extra thick, pop them into the freezer after forming them into balls for about 20 minutes. This will slow down the spreading process and they will remain thicker.
- Using room temperature ingredients helps the butter to cream together with the sugar into an ultra-smooth consistency. This will yield the best cookies. It also helps your cookies to bake quickly and evenly.
- Measure out your all-purpose flour by fluffing it up with a fork and then using a spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup. Finally, use a knife to level off the top. This ensures that you are not over packing the flour, causing cookies that are overly dense
🥡 Storing
Keep your cookies at room temperature in a sealed container or Ziploc bag for up to 4 days.
To freeze, place your baked cookies into a sealed container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to defrost before enjoying them.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
There are a bunch of tales floating around as to how these tasty cookies got their name! Rumor has it that cowboy cookies were similar to a protein bar! They stored well, so cowboys would take them with them and enjoy them on the trails. Of course, they are also incredibly hearty and filling!
You can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Instant oats absorb moisture much faster than old-fashioned oats and can cause your cookies to become drier than you might like. As a result, this could alter the texture of the cookies.
Sure! These cookies are incredibly versatile and you can easily change and adjust the mix-ins that you use! You can omit the coconut or swap it out for something different.
🍪 Tasty Cookie Recipes To Try
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies - These cookies are a chocolate lover's dream as they feature a dark chocolate cookie base with a Hershey's kiss on top!
- Polar Bear Paw Print Cookies - These incredibly adorable cookies are the perfect addition to any wintertime festivities!
- Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies - Red and green sprinkles makes these mouthwatering cookies fun and festive!
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies - For when you're craving some cookies but don't need a large batch, this is the recipe you need!
- Peanut Butter Cookies - Classic peanut butter cookies can be enjoyed year-round!
- Christmas M&M Cookies - Adding M&M candies to your cookies is a great way to get chocolate flavor with some fun colors!
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📖 Recipe Card
Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1½ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled)
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups pecans (chopped, toasted)
- 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To get started, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a dry medium-sized skillet, add your chopped pecans and toast them over medium heat until fragrant. Immediately remove them from the heat and transfer the pecans into a clean bowl to stop the toasting. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (or using your stand mixer), cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on low speed. Once combined, increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture until nice and smooth.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat between each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Next, gradually add in the all-purpose flour and beat until just combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and shredded coconut.
- Roll your dough into equal-sized balls (about ¼-cup of dough each) and space them out on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the oven at 400°F (205°C) for 15-17 minutes, turning the cookie sheets halfway through baking. If you are making smaller cookies, adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Once the tops have begun to brown, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pans for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If you want your cookies to be extra thick, pop them into the freezer after forming them into balls for about 20 minutes. This will slow down the spreading process and they will remain thicker.
- Using room temperature ingredients helps the butter to cream together with the sugar into an ultra-smooth consistency. This will yield the best cookies. It also helps your cookies to bake quickly and evenly.
- Measure out your all-purpose flour by fluffing it up with a fork and then using a spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup. Finally, use a knife to level off the top. This ensures that you are not overpacking the flour, causing cookies that are overly dense.
- To store: Keep your cookies at room temperature in a sealed container or Ziploc bag for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Place your baked cookies into a sealed container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to defrost before enjoying them.
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