Cowboy Cookies
If you love thick cookies with a chewy soft center and crisp edges, then this Cowboy Cookies recipe is for you! These large oatmeal cookies are loaded with pecan pieces, chocolate chips, and shredded coconut with a cozy cinnamon flavor and a flaky sea salt topping!
This Cowboy Cookie Recipe Is The Best
A single bite into one of these thick, chewy Cowboy Cookies will show you exactly how Laura Bush beat the competition with them! The delicious balance of bold flavors such as pecans, cinnamon, coconut, salt, and chocolate is absolutely out-of-this-world incredible!
To make the very BEST cowboy cookies, this dough mustn’t be overmixed. It has a chill time of at least 2 hours (preferably 24), and you should swirl the cookies right after baking. WAIT! Don’t run away from this recipe just because it calls for chilling the cookie dough. I promise these cookies are MORE than worth it if you can wait it out!
As an impatient baker myself, I love the taste of instant gratification, but some recipes are worth waiting for, and this is one of them! So much so, that this Cowboy Cookie Recipe is actually one of my go-to recipes for a treat, potluck, or hosting!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: This cookie encompasses a variety of bold flavors! The coconut really shines through, and the pecans and cinnamon make the cookie taste cozy. Chocolate is a welcome addition that brings everything together.
Texture: Thick and hearty with a soft center and slightly crisp edge.
Ease: 4/10
Pros: Great texture and flavor!
Cons: Lots of ingredients, dough needs to chill.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, this is one of my go-to cookie recipes!
Ingredients For The Best Cowboy Cookies Recipe
The goodness of these delicious cookies is a combination of ingredients you likely already have on hand in the pantry or the fridge while incorporating new ingredients that truly make this cookie what it is: A STANDOUT OF DELICIOUSNESS!
Starting with pantry staple ingredients this recipe calls for as all-purpose flour, corn starch, ground cinnamon, baking soda, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Then from the fridge you’ll grab salted butter, a large egg, and additional egg yolks.
To continue to build the recipe into a true Cowboy Cookie we’ll also need old-fashioned oatmeal, super-fine almond flour, malted milk powder, semisweet chocolate chips, pecan pieces, shredded coconut, and flaky sea salt. Trust me, these cookies are SO worth the extra trip out for any of the ingredients that you may not have!
How To Make Cowboy Cookies Recipe
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oatmeal, super-fine almond flour, malted milk powder, corn starch, ground cinnamon, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set this aside.
- Cream the light brown sugar, salted butter, granulated sugar, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Beat in a large egg, additional egg yolks, and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes light and creamy.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little to a time, mixing between each addition.
- Fold in the shredded coconut, semisweet chocolate chips, and pecan pieces.
- Portion the cookie dough out onto a baking sheet. Then press additional chocolate chips into the tops of each mound of dough if you’d like.
- Transfer the cookie sheet of cookie dough into the fridge to chill uncovered.
- Add six chilled cookie dough balls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving plenty of room between each cookie. Then transfer the cookie pan into the oven to bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown with centers that still appear to be soft.
- Press additional chocolate chips into the warm cookies as soon as they’ve been removed from the oven. Afterward, swirl the cookies around using a large round cookie cutter to make them nice and round. Once the chocolate chips on top have melted sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt.
- Cool the cookies on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Repeat the process until all of the cookies have been baked!
Cowboy Cookie Recipe Variations
What’s great about this Cowboy Cookies recipe is that it’s super customizable! If there’s something you don’t like or something you really love, you can easily switch it up by simply omitting a mix-in or adding one in! Here are some tasty variations that you may want to try:
- Butterscotch: Replace the chocolate with butterscotch chips.
- Nuts: Instead of using pecans, use a different nut of your choice.
- Candy: Swap the chocolate chips for m&m’s or toffee pieces
- Extra Oats: If you don’t love coconut (even though you barely taste it) it helps add texture. So if you want to omit it, I would recommend replacing it with additional oats.
- Fruit: If you want to, dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins would make a great addition to these cookies. Just replace an equal amount of the other add-ins with the fruit of your choosing.
Rebecca’s Tips
- Use a #16 scoop to measure the dough into evenly sized balls or use a kitchen scale to measure the dough into 2.5-ounce portions.
- Scoop into balls before chilling as the dough will be easiest to work right after being made.
- The cookies will look underdone in the center, this is okay as they will continue to cook as they cool and will yield a soft and chewy center this way.
- Do not overmix your dough as this will cause the cookies to be crispy instead of chewy after baking.
- Swirl cookies right after they come out of the oven to add thickness.
How To Store Cowboy Cookies
Transfer the baked and cooled Cowboy Cookies into an airtight container or large Ziploc bag with any excess air squeezed out of it. Then store the cookies at room temperature to enjoy for 4 to 5 days.
Can You Freeze Cowboy Cookies?
You definitely can! Freezing cookies is such a great way to keep extras on hand in case cravings strike or you have last-minute guests! You can freeze the dough or fully baked cookies, just follow the instruction below:
How To Freeze Cookie Dough: Prepare the dough and roll into balls and place balls on a baking tray in the freezer until frozen, about 1 hour. Transfer the frozen cookies dough balls to an airtight container and store for up to 3 months in the freezer. To bake from frozen, just add a few additional minutes to the bake time.
How To Freeze Cookies: Allow the baked cookies to cool completely before arranging the cookies on a large cookie sheet to freeze for 20 to 30 minutes before transferring to an airtight container. Store for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes To Try!
- Brownie Cookies – Made from a box mix and so so good!
- Butterbeer Cookies – These ones are for all the Harry Potter fans in your life!
- Birthday Cake Cookies – Everyone loves these funfetti cookies!
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Sticks – These are the ultimate cookie for dunking!
- Molasses Cookies – An old fashioned cookie recipe everyone loves!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
This recipe was originally published in October 2019 and was made with caramel and cornflakes. It was retested and updated in August 2024 with new photos in March 2025.
BEST Cowboy Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 195g
- 1¼ cups old fashioned oatmeal 100g
- ¼ cup super-fine almond flour 56g
- 2 tablespoons malted milk powder 20g
- 2 tablespoons corn starch 18g
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup salted butter 227g, cold
- 1 cup light brown sugar 225g, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt 6g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 additional egg yolks room temperature
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 370g, plus more for topping
- 1½ cups pecans pieces 180g, plus more for topping
- 1½ cups shredded coconut 125g
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1¼ cups old fashioned oatmeal, ¼ cup super-fine almond flour, 2 tablespoons malted milk powder, 2 tablespoons corn starch, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon baking soda.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth.
- Add in 1 large egg, 2 additional egg yolks, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and beat until light and creamy. About 5 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing between each addition.
- Fold in 1½ cups shredded coconut, 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, and 1½ cups pecans pieces.
- Measure the dough with a #16 cookie scoop, or about 2.5 ounces each. If you'd like, press additional chocolate chips on top of the dough.
- Chill uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably 24.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Add 6 cookie dough balls at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Begin baking the next batch on the second pan; do not bake two pans at a time.
- Press additional chocolate chips into the cookies immediately after removing them from the oven. Then, use a large round cookie cutter to swirl the baked cookies inside to make them nice and round. When the chips melt and soften, sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Chill the pan in the freezer for a couple of minutes between batches so you don't put the dough down on a hot pan.
Notes
- I recommend using grass-fed or European-style butter for best results.
- Chill the dough as stated in the directions because it allows you to get thick, chewy cookies.
- Let cool on the pan for at least a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- This is a new and updated recipe, the original can be found here for those that want it.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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These are da bomb. I used Kind brand almond cereal for the cornflakes which added another level of yum!