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Cowboy cookies start with a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie base, but are loaded with pecans and coconut flakes too.
Today is the first day of school here and the first day of school means one thing at my house – chocolate chip cookies. For many years I made chocolate chip cookies on the first day of school to welcome my kids home.
Even though there is no one currently living at my house that will be starting school today I still felt the need to make chocolate chip cookies. So I gave these cowboy cookies a tryl
Cowboy cookies start with a nice soft, chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and then you add chopped pecans and coconut flakes.
I don’t know why it is called a cowboy cookie? But I do know that they are delicious.
The secret to these cookies is to NOT overbake them. You actually want them to look underbaked. The cookies should not start to turn brown around the edges, just have an all over light brown color. If you let them get too brown around the edges they will still be great, just not quite as soft and chewy.
The cookies will look set (not gooey in the middle) but they will still look pretty pale.
The trick to keeping them soft and chewy is to store any uneaten, if you have any uneaten cookies, in a brown paper bag. In fact when I delivered them to the neighbor kids I took them over in a brown paper bag. Just in case they didn’t them all at one time!
Happy first day of school kids!
Check out more delicious chocolate chip cookie recipes:
Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 C dark brown sugar
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 1 C butter softenend
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 C flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
- 12 oz milk chocolate chips.
- 3/4 cup coconut flakes
- 3/4 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Cream together sugars and butter for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix.
- Add in dry ingredients except oatmeal. Mix throughly.
- Mix in oatmeal until combined
- Add chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and coconut flakes.
- Scoop onto parchment covered cookie sheet.
- Bake 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees, DO NOT overbake. Cookies should just start to brown.
Tips & Notes:
- Do not over bake these cookies. You want them to be a light brown when you take them out of the oven.
- Store cookies in a brown paper bag to keep soft.
Nicole says
This recipe is amazing! These cookies are also perfect for making ice cream sandwich’s with because of how thin and chewy they are. I’ve made this recipe at least 3 times in the last 2 months! Thank you!
Leigh Anne says
Nicole, I love the idea of making ice cream sandwiches with Cowboy Cookies – so much goodness! Yum!!
Janice says
58 years ago my mother found the Cowboy Cookie recipe in a magazine. It has become our family favorite. I have shared it with people all across the U.S. It is identical to the one posted. I still have mom’s cookbook and the original recipe cut out of a magazine. This dough is great to refrigerate and have fresh warm cookies every day. Mom always doubled it because there are nine children in the family.
Leigh Anne says
I love hearing these stories! Thanks so much for sharing.
Carol says
We’ve had this recipe in our family for 35+ years and it is our favorite! The only difference between this one and the one given to my mother many years ago is that my mom’s recipe has 3 cups of oats (making a thicker cookie) and a cup of chopped pecans (in addition to the 12 oz package of chocolate chips). Reading this makes me miss my daughter that just returned to college!
Leigh Anne says
I bet the added pecans would be delicious! Will have to try that next time and adding in some more oats. Thanks!!
Laurie says
This is my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies too! Thanks for sharing it.
By chance, is your college cookbook still available? My hard drive crashed and one of my girls now has her own apartment at college. I would love to put the cookbook together for her!
Leigh Anne says
It is, here is a link to it. https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/?page_id=5092 I will email you the link to download as soon as I receive notification you have purchased it. Thanks!
Marnie says
This has been my ‘go-to’ chocolate chip cookie recipe forever. I got it from my Aunt Ethel years ago, although she called them ‘Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies’ because the lady she got it from won a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair with them. Whatever you call them they are yummy! Lately, I’ve been making them with coconut oil which gives it a whole new twist. My family likes them even better. Thanks for sharing your recipe and memories..Love your blog!
Leigh Anne says
The old ones are the best ones aren’t they!! Love that it is a favorite of your family too. My original recipe called for margarine – yours probably did too. Will have to try it with coconut oil – yum!!