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Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy cookies and oats on parchment paper
Image Credit:
Ivanna Grigorova/Shutterstock
Written By: Ken Haedrich Cookbook Author and Expert Baker
Yield
Makes about 24 cookies.
Category
Cookies and Bars
Course
Desserts
Occasions
Christmas
Preparation Method
Bake
Sources
The Old Farmer's Almanac Everyday Baking

Our Cowboy Cookies recipe is a reader favorite! Packed with yummy mix-ins such as oats, chocolate chips, and pecans (or walnuts), they have a nice, chewy texture. 

You can make it your own and add raisins or cranberries for an even chewier taste; some folks like to add shredded coconut. You can make them any way you like—whether you like oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies, cookies with walnuts, or coconut cookies. Can’t decide? Make it with all those things!

These cookies are a favorite to share at parties, office gatherings, and late-night get-togethers. They are especially great for the holidays and when you need a quick and easy dessert fix. 

These cookies freeze well, too. Perfect for guests or when you don’t want to eat too many at once!

Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  2. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter, shortening, and sugars for 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Stir in the dry mixture, about half at a time. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer; if longer, let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before shaping).
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
  4. Using 1⁄4 cup of dough per cookie, shape dough into balls and place on baking sheet, leaving 2-1/2 inches in between. Flatten balls into 1⁄ 3-inch-thick disks with your fingers. Bake one sheet at a time on the center oven rack for 13 to 14 minutes, turning the baking sheet 180 degrees midway through the baking time. When done, cookies will have browned very lightly and will still look moist beneath the surface. Do not overbake.

Variations

Instructions

Cowboy Cookies with Coconut
Add 1 cup of flaked sweetened coconut to the dough along with the chocolate chips.

Bandana Cowboy Cookies
Omit the chocolate chips and substitute 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of Craisins. (The white and red suggest a cowboy’s bandana.)

Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies
Omit the chocolate chips and substitute 2 cups of peanut butter chips. Or, use 1 cup each of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.

About The Author

Ken Haedrich

Ken Haedrich

Cookbook Author and Expert Baker

Ken Haedrich is one of America’s leading baking authorities and a prolific writer—the author of 17 cookbooks and hundreds of magazine articles. Ken has received numerous accolades for his work and is the recipient of The Julia Child Cookbook Award.

Read more from Ken Haedrich

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Comments

<span>Claire</span> Thu, 01/25/2024 - 10:06
This is so wonderful; thank you! I bake cookies frequently for bake sales at our church and all of these cookie recipes are great!
<span>Judy Randolph</span> Tue, 01/25/2022 - 08:46
How delighted I was to see Cowboy cookies recipe that I've been making since the late 70's from a Pat Boone recipe I found in the newspaper. I also added peanut butter and maybe the ingredients are not exactly the same, but it was my favorite cookie recipe. I still make it at age 76. thank you!
<span>Paula</span> Tue, 04/21/2020 - 08:23
Thank you for the recipe. Within the next few hours I hope my home will be filled with the aroma of baking cowboy cookies (made with what I have on hand, i.e., goji berries and hazelnuts) and also a playlist's worth of old-time cowboy songs by the Bunkhouse Orchestra Deseret String Band, beginning with "A Cowboy's Life." *Not to be confused with Cow Pies.
<span>Shelley Walsh</span> Fri, 04/17/2020 - 18:13
These look fantastic, but I am wondering if I can use less sugar and if so what would be the least amount of sugar I could use while still having the recipe turn out? I am trying very hard to reduce my overall sugar intake. Thank you.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 04/23/2020 - 14:23

Hi, Shelley. You could use 1/4 less brown sugar and 1/3 less white sugar. The cookies will be different, but still good.

 <span>Maryann Miller</span> Tue, 01/25/2022 - 12:30
You can substitute Monk sugar for regular sugar. Monk sugar has no cal., no glycemic index rating and tastes good.
<span>Lonnie</span> Fri, 04/17/2020 - 12:26
These cookies always make me one happy cowboy - they are my hands down favorite! In addition to adding coconut, I also switch half of the chocolate chips to butterscotch. Can't beat the combination, although someday I may try half peanut butter chips just for fun. Oh, I also prefer pecans to walnuts.
<span>Margo Haynes</span> Mon, 10/22/2018 - 19:56
I think someone mentioned the recipes printing without the picture. I always like a photo with my recipes & since not all print that way, I always copy recipes from any site and make a document out of them. I center the title of the recipe at the top of the page with the URL where I got the recipe immediately below it and the over to the far left if there was a photo I save to "my pictures" & then I insert it on the upper left hand corner & immediately below the photo I print out the oven temp unless like in the recipe it is done after chilling the dough & going in a line across the page I list the bake time and the yield of cookies. Immediately below that on the far left I list the ingredients & below the ingredients the directions. Below that if available I list the nutrition information & below that my notes of any variations I've made if I made any, then I hit print and I have everything just like I want it. This is a great recipe! I'm curious if we are allowed to submit recipes, have a blessed rest of the year everyone!
<span>Margo Haynes</span> Mon, 10/22/2018 - 19:38
I made them according to the recipe for the first batch, the second batch was made with semi-sweet chocolate chips & raisins, the third with semi-chocolate chips & packaged chopped dates in place of the raisins, & the last batch with milk chocolate chips and raisins
<span>Sue</span> Sun, 09/03/2017 - 21:11
We made these with raisins instead of chocolate chips