Former First Lady Laura Bush is credited with popularizing these delicious cookies. The cowboy cookie is an extravagant oatmeal cookie featuring chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut flakes. This recipe offers my take on the Former First Lady’s version, making it a bit more savory rather than overly sweet, by using a blend of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips. Enjoy it with a glass of milk!

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 25

Ingredients:

all-purpose flour
baking powder
baking soda
ground cinnamon
salt
butter
sugar
dark brown sugar
large eggs
vanilla extract
semi-sweet chocolate chips
dark chocolate chips
old-fashioned rolled oats
sweetened coconut flakes or toasted coconut flakes
chopped pecans

butter, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, cinnamon, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, old-fashioned rolled oats, toasted coconut flakes. chopped pecans on the counter

Get the full printable instructions with measurements at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Step 1: Heat oven to 350º F. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, beat butter and vanilla with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Gradually add sugars and combine for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each.

butter, vanilla, egg and sugar mixture in a large mixing bowl

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and combine using a wooden spoon. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut flakes, and chopped pecans. * If you would prefer to use all semi-sweet chocolate chips, just add one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and omit the dark chocolate chips from the recipe. (Folding in the oats, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and nuts may require a strong arm and a long-handled wooden spoon.)

mixed cookie dough in a large mixing bowl

Step 4: Scoop cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Add 1/4 cup of dough to each cookie.

Scooped cookie dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

Step 5: Bake in 350º F oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. To achieve chewy and soft cookies, avoid over-baking them. This will prevent them from becoming crunchy. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

*Caution-cake will be hot when removing from the oven.

Cookies baking in oven on a lined baking sheet.

Tips-

This recipe yields about 24 large (giant) cowboy cookies.
* If you would prefer to use all semi-sweet chocolate chips, just add one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and omit the dark chocolate chips from the recipe.
The recipe uses ¼ cup of dough per cookie.
Leftover cookie dough can be frozen for up to three months. Roll it into a log and seal it in an airtight Ziploc bag.
Cookie dough can also be scooped into balls on a baking sheet and frozen for an hour. Then, the frozen balls can be put into a Ziploc bag or container.
Substitute unsweetened coconut flakes with unsweetened toasted coconut flakes.

Cowboy Cookies

The cowboy cookie is a giant decked out oatmeal cookie with lots of chocolate chips, pecans and coconut flakes. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Tara

Cook Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings cookies

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup dark chocolate chips
½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350º F. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
In another bowl, beat the butter and vanilla with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth. Gradually add the sugars and mix for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and combine using a wooden spoon. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut flakes, and chopped pecans. (Folding in the oats, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and nuts may require a strong arm and a long-handled wooden spoon.) * If you would prefer to use all semi-sweet chocolate chips, just add one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and omit the dark chocolate chips from the recipe.
Scoop cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Add 1/4 cup of dough to each cookie.
Bake in 350º F oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. To achieve chewy and soft cookies, avoid over-baking them. This will prevent them from becoming crunchy. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on a baking sheet, then move them to a rack to cool completely. *Caution: The cake will be hot when removed from the oven.

Notes

This recipe yields about 24 large (giant) cowboy cookies.
The recipe uses ¼ cup of dough per cookie.
Leftover cookie dough can be frozen for up to three months. Roll it into a log and seal it in an airtight Ziploc bag.
Cookie dough can also be scooped into balls on a baking sheet and frozen for an hour. Then, the frozen balls can be put into a Ziploc bag or container.
Substitute unsweetened coconut flakes with unsweetened toasted coconut flakes.
* If you would prefer to use all semi-sweet chocolate chips, just add one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and omit the dark chocolate chips from the recipe.