Cowboy Cookies

18 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Cowboy Cookies are crispy, chewy oatmeal brown sugar cookies with chocolate chips, coconut and pecans that are done in less than 30 minutes!

We love Cookie Recipes including this fan favorite, Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies, and these Cowboy Cookies are a dark horse favorite that have won Christmas Cookie Exchange competitions along with the always famous Gingerbread Cookies.

Cowboy Cookies stacked on board with coconut flakes and chocolate chips

Cowboy Cookies are like a kitchen sink Chocolate Chip Cookie meets Oatmeal Cookie with lots of mix-ins, or like a Monster Cookie without the peanut butter and M&Ms. They have coconut which adds a delicious chewy texture, and the brown sugar in this recipe adds a delicious brown sugar quality to the cookies too. The pecans add a crunch which makes them both chewy and crunchy like your favorite bakery cookies.

These may not be a well known type of cookie, but once your friends and family try them you’ll be requested to bring them to every event and holiday! They are easy and versatile to make for every fun celebration and almost reason to celebrate since because they’re loved so much.

Cowboy Cookies Collage of dough prep steps

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are they called Cowboy Cookies?

They are also sometimes referred to as Ranger Cookies, but the origins of these cookies actually trace back to politics! There was a cookie cook-off challenge in a Family Circle magazine issue in the early 1990s between Laura Bush when she was still a Governor’s wife and Tipper Gore, and her “Texas Governor’s Mansion Cowboy Cookie” was a favorite that beat out Tipper’s Ginger Snap Cookies. A second theory on why they are called Cowboy or Ranger Cookies is just that with so many ingredients mixed into the cookies, they’re heartier which is something cowboys who are out working would be able to appreciate.

How do I make cookies chewy?

Use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar in your cookie recipe like we do in this one make the best cookies. Make sure you refrigerate your cookie dough balls before baking or they can flatten and get too crispy. You can also under bake by 1-2 minutes if you find your cookies are coming out more crisp than you’d like. Finally, make sure to use a good quality baking sheet/cookie sheet.

Cowboy Cookies Collage of baking steps

Tips for Making the Best Cookies

  • Use a good silicone mat. This prevents excess browning on the bottom of your cookies AND means you don’t have to worry about them sticking.
  • Preheat your oven well ahead of time and check the temperature with an oven thermometer.
  • Store them in a good tupperware container (and include a slice of bread to keep them fresh).
  • Make sure to only mix in the flour mixture until just combined to prevent flour from being over mixed.
  • Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar well until very light and fluffy before adding in any more ingredients.
Cowboy Cookies close up with bite taken

How to Store Cowboy Cookies

  • Serve: Once cooled enough, move to a wire rack and serve Cowboy Cookies still slightly warm or completely cooled.
  • Store: Cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. They will stay good for about up to 1 week but are more forgiving than most cookies because of the added shredded coconut.
  • Freeze: Freeze baked cookies with parchment layered between to prevent them from sticking to each other. Better yet, freeze the unbaked dough balls and bake fresh before serving, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
Cowboy Cookies on board with coconut flakes and chocolate chips

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Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy Cookies are crispy, chewy oatmeal brown sugar cookies with chocolate chips, coconut and pecans that are done in less than 30 minutes!
Yield 18 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup pecans , chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and to your stand mixer add the butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla until fully combined then sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and add it into the stand mixer on low speed until just combined.
  • Add in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut and pecans until just combined.
  • Add 2 tablespoon sized scoops of dough to your baking sheets and bake for 12-13 minutes, letting them cool before removing from the baking sheets.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1.8mg
Cowboy Cookies Collage

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

Cowboy Cookies

Stack of Cowboy Cookies
Cowboy Cookies in a stack
Cowboy Cookies with coconut chocolate and pecans

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

    1. Use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar in your cookie recipe like we do in this one make the best cookies. Make sure you refrigerate your cookie dough balls before baking or they can flatten and get too crispy.

    1. Janice, so glad he enjoyed the cookies. Cookie recipes are a favorite so if you have time maybe type in “cookie” in our recipe index to browse all the cookie recipes on the site. There is a BUNCH! And thanks for the 5 star rating 🙂

  1. My dad absolutely loved these. My always made oatmeal raisin cookies and my dad loved those. Now when I tell Dad that I’m making cowboy cookies he says GOOD! And smiles. My dad is 74, I am 50 and my mom has passed. She cooked for my dad for 53+ years. So… Thank you for helping make my dad smile again .

    1. I haven’t but that sounds pretty amazing! If you decide to try it, I’d love to know how they turned out.

  2. I never comment on recipes, but these are so great I had to send my thanks! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper!