Soft and chewy cookies with loads of chocolate chips, chopped pecans, oats, and coconut. These jumbo-sized cowboy cookies are the BEST!
You might also like our Copycat Chick-fil-A Chocolate Chunk Cookies, our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, or our Crispy Coconut Cookies!
Watch our step by step video!
Friends, toss all other oatmeal cookies out the window---these are chewy, stay soft for days, and are nice and thick. Loaded with chocolate chips, pecans, coconut, and oats. And these aren't your teaspoon, tablespoon, or two-tablespoon-sized cookies. Each cookie is made with ¼ cup of cookie dough which yields sturdy cookies that are large, but still easily enjoyed in one sitting.
What Are Cowboy Cookies?
The combination of flavors is reminiscent of a cookie that Laura Bush made in 2000 for the First Lady's Bake Off. Laura debuted her Texas Governor's House Cowboy Cookies which beat out Tipper Gore's ginger snap recipe. She made a Texas-sized oatmeal cookie and added coconut, chocolate, roasted pecans, coconut, and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
My version uses my basic oatmeal cookie recipe, the same add-ins (I don't roast/toast my pecans), and only ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Just a hint. My husband said the slight addition of cinnamon reminds him of the Double Tree Hotel chocolate chip cookies. You can find Laura’s exact recipe here.
Why This Cowboy Cookie Recipe Is the Best!
- They stay soft---no crunchy cookies here. I achieve this by slightly underbaking the cookies and then letting them set up on the HOT cookie sheets instead of transferring them to a cooling rack. The result is perfectly baked cookies with soft centers and gooey chocolate chips in every bite.
- They are impressively large but still individually sized---each cookie is made from ¼ cup of cookie dough so they are as big as two cookies.
- The cookies only chill for 30 minutes. You can skip chilling them if you'd like, but I find that it is easier to roll cold dough. 30 minutes is just enough time.
- Cowboy cookies with basic ingredients that are easy to customize. If you prefer milk chocolate over semisweet---swap them out. If you prefer walnuts to pecans---swap them out!
Cowboy Cookies Ingredients
Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt
Wet ingredients: softened butter (I always use salted), white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla
Mix-ins: old-fashioned oats (NOT instant or steel cut), semisweet chocolate chips, chopped pecans, coconut flakes (sweetened)
How To Make Cowboy OAtmeal Cookies
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars for a few minutes, until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Mix dry and wet ingredients together.
Stir in oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut flakes.
Cover the bowl of dough with a piece of plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover the baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop dough into ¼ cup portions. Roll into balls and place 6 cookie dough balls on each cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 14-15 minutes. The centers will seem slightly underdone and that's what you want.
Add a few additional chocolate chips to the top of each cookie, if desired.
Let cookies cool completely on baking sheets.
Store cookies in an airtight container. These cookies freeze beautifully too!
Delicious Cowboy Cookies Variations
Nut variations: walnuts, hazelnuts, chopped almonds.
Chocolate Variations: milk chocolate, butterscotch chips, dark chocolate, white chocolate.
Additional mix-in ideas: raisins, raisins, dates.
The BEST Cowboy Cookies Recipe
Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup shredded coconut sweetened
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars in a separate bowl for 2-3 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Add flour mixture and oats to wet ingredients. Mix.
- Stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.
- Cover bowl and chill cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough into ¼ cup portions (4 Tbsp). and roll into balls.
- Bake cookies, 6 cookies to a sheet, for 14-15 minutes.
- Add a few extra chocolate chips to the top of each baked cookie, if desired.Let cookies cool ON the BAKING SHEET for 10-15 minutes. Cookies will seem undercooked at first but will finish baking on the baking sheets.
Dale Cameron says
I make thee all the time. I add everything to them and they are still awesome. Cranberries, raisins, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips,and 1 cup rice crispies, and double the batch. I cook them longer until they are light brown and then they are crispy cookies.
Brandy says
Awesome to hear! And love the combination of add ins that you use!
Anglea says
Thank you great recipe! I did only 1/4 of oatmeal this time.
Brandy says
You’re welcome! 🙂