ULTIMATE Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy Cookies are soft, chewy, and totally addictive, loaded with a variety of flavors and textures -- from oats and coconut to chocolate chips and pecans!

If you enjoy big-batch treats, you'll also love Monster Cookie Bars, Oatmeal Lunchbox Cookies, or M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!

Years ago, my craving for cookies happened to coincide one day with my need to come up with a little sweet treat for a Girls' Night Out. However, I knew that if I made cookies for my mom get-together, I'd have to ensure that there would be enough extras for my demanding whiny hungry minions at home. So I decided to bake Cowboy Cookies because, not only does this recipe make a huge batch, but they're also so loaded with goodies that there's a little somethin' in there to please everyone!

What Are Cowboy Cookies?

If you've never had the pleasure of sinking your teeth into big, chewy Cowboy Cookies before, allow me to introduce you to these everything-but-the-kitchen-sink wonders. They're kind of like super loaded oatmeal cookies full of contrasting textures and flavors.

First you have the oats, of course. But there's also chewy coconut, creamy chocolate chips, crunchy pecans, and -- the secret ingredient -- oh-so-humble cornflakes! I know it sounds crazy, but the flakes add surprising little pockets of crispness to these soft, chewy treats. YUM.

Chewy is definitely a key word in describing this Cowboy Cookies recipe, which hopefully explains why I've used it no less than five times in these first few, short paragraphs. No, my thesaurus ain't broke...there's simply not a more fitting adjective for these cookies. They key to ensuring their chewy (sorry) texture, however, is to make sure they don't spread too thin or become overly brown and crispy due to an extended baking time.

Ingredients

These Cowboy Cookies require pretty standard cookie dough ingredients, but as previously mentioned, it's the abundant add-ins that make them extra special!

So what does it take to make 'em?

The Cookie Dough Ingredients

• All-purpose flour. Any type will do, but I use organic unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Baking powder + baking soda. Both leavening agents are necessary.
• Salt + cinnamon. For flavor that pops.
• Unsalted butter. At room temperature.
• Brown sugar. Packed. I usually keep light brown sugar on hand, but dark brown will work if that's what you've got.
• Granulated sugar.
• Eggs. At room temperature.
• Vanilla extract. The flavor shines through, so use good-quality pure vanilla.

The Add-Ins

Cowboy Cookies are typically jazzed up with following:

• Rolled oats. For that aforementioned chewy texture. 😉 Sometimes these are called "old-fashioned oats" instead.
• Chocolate chips. You can use all semisweet or do a 50/50 combo of semisweet and milk chocolate chips.
• Shredded coconut. Your coconut can be sweetened or unsweetened. However, be sure you're using "standard" flaked or shredded coconut. You don't want your coconut pieces to be too large (such as coconut chips) or too finely shredded.
• Cornflakes. Crushed. Use plain, unsweetened cornflakes, not frosted flakes. But if you've only got sweetened flakes on hand, you can always reduce the sugar just a tad.
• Nuts. Chopped. Pre-toasting your nuts is highly recommended for extra flavor and crunch. This Cowboy Cookie recipe calls for pecans, but if you prefer, you could substitute walnuts instead.

How to Make Cowboy Cookies

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

The steps are simple, but be forewarned that you need a BIG BOWL for all of those mix-ins!

1. Set an oven rack in the center position of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until combined.

4. In a very large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars. Beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and reduce the speed to medium-low. Blend in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.

6. With the mixer on low speed, blend in the flour mixture until just combined.

7. Use a large wooden spoon to stir in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, cornflakes, and nuts.

8. Use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop 3-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until your Cowboy Cookies are set and the edges are beginning to turn golden brown. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Ensure Chewy Cowboy Cookies

If you bake your Cowboy Cookies immediately, simply scoop the cookie dough into mounds on the cookie sheet without flattening. There should be some spread as they bake but not too much.

If you make your cookie dough ahead of time and end up refrigerating it before baking, let it come to room temperature for a few minutes before forming into balls and slightly flattening, as shown below.

How to Keep Your Bowl from Overflowing

Have I already mentioned that this Cowboy Cookie recipe makes a ton? We're talking 4 dozen or so thick, not-exactly-small cookies here. In fact, with all of the ingredients packed into this recipe, I sometimes have a hard time keeping everything contained in the bowl of my 4.5-quart stand mixer. So here's my little trick...

I start out the recipe in my stand mixer, creaming the butter and sugars together, adding the eggs and vanilla, and then blending in the flour mixture.

At that point, however, I transfer this basic cookie dough over to a giant bowl (I actually use a huge stock pot, because it's the biggest receptacle I have!), where I then add the masses of chunky ingredients. I use a big wooden spoon to incorporate everything and then it's time to scoop and bake, with nary a chocolate chip ricocheted onto the kitchen floor. 😉

Believe me, this method is way better than watching your mixer do the macarena across the countertop as it tries to incorporate all of those chunks in its overloaded mixing bowl.

And there you have it, folks...these Cowboy Cookies are everything you've ever wanted in a cookie and more!

They will satisfy your inner Cookie Monster while making your friends (because there's enough to share!) and family members very happy.

Enjoy. 🙂

More Chocolate Chip Cookies

• The BEST Classic Blondies
• One-Bowl Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies
• Banana Breakfast Cookies

ULTIMATE Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy Cookies are soft, chewy, and totally addictive, loaded with a variety of flavors and textures -- from oats and coconut to chocolate chips and pecans! Your search is over for the perfect, easy cowboy cookie recipe!

By Samantha Skaggs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 48 cookies (approximately 4 dozen)

Calories: 192kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 ½ cups shredded coconut
• 1 ½ cups crushed cornflakes
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

• Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a very large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars. Beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides, reduce speed to medium-low, and blend in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
• With mixer on low speed, blend in flour mixture until just combined. Use a large wooden spoon to stir in oats, chocolate chips, coconut, cornflakes, and pecans.
• Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop mounds of dough (approximately 3 tablespoons per cookie) onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are beginning to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Equipment Needed

• Stand Mixer
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Large Mixing Bowl

Notes

• You can either use all semisweet chocolate chips or half semisweet + half milk chocolate chips.
• Sweetened or unsweetened coconut may be use, but make sure it's regular sized "shreds" or "flakes"...not fine/tiny shreds and not extra large flakes/chips.
• Use plain/unsweetened cornflakes. If you only have frosted flakes, you may want to cut back on the sugar just a bit.
• For extra flavor and crunch from the pecans, I recommend toasting them ahead of time: spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned, watching carefully.
• You may sub chopped walnuts for the pecans, if you wish.
  
• If you use a stand mixer and you don't think all of the ingredients will fit in the bowl, prepare the cookie dough through the step of blending the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Then scoop the dough into a very large bowl (or even a big stock pot, if that's the biggest receptacle you've got) and mix in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, cornflakes, and pecans using a wooden spoon.
• Cookie dough may be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days before baking. Allow the cookie dough to sit at room temperature until it's just softened enough to scoop, and then form into 1 ½-inch balls. Space out the balls of dough on the cookie sheet and slightly flatten them until they're about 2-inches across. Bake as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Post originally published on October 23, 2014, and updated on February 24, 2021, and December 20, 2024.