The Best Thick and Chewy Cowboy Cookies

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The very BEST Cowboy Cookies for all of your baking needs! A thick and chewy brown sugar cookie, loaded with oats, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, crunchy pecans, and a dash of cinnamon. They’re the perfect cookie for any time of year, but especially during the Fall season. Slightly crisp on the edges, but oh-so soft and chewy in the middle with pools of delicious melted chocolate. Finish with flaked sea salt for a treat that’s sweet, salty, and EXTRA delicious!

What Are Cowboy Cookies?

A cowboy cookie is a type of drop cookie made from a simple chocolate chip cookie base with oats, coconut, pecans, and cinnamon added to it.

Reasons You Will Love These Cowboy Cookies

• No electric mixers need for this recipe! All you need is one bowl, a whisk, and a spatula.
• Super simple to make and taste absolutely delicious.
• No refrigeration needed.
• Every bite is oh-so soft and chewy in the middle, but with perfectly crispy edges.
• Pools of melted chocolate!!!
• Filled with crunchy pecans, nutty coconut, and chewy oats.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• Sheet Pans
• Large Cookie Scoop
• Wire Cooling Rack

Ingredients To Make The Best Cowboy Cookies (& Why!)

Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Melted Unsalted Butter – adds moisture and flavor and melting it makes these cookies extra chewy.
• Granulated Sugar – adds sweetness and gives these cookies just the slightest bit of crunch on the edges.
• Brown Sugar – adds depth and keeps these cookies oh-so soft and chewy.
• Large Eggs –  act as a binder and contribute to the texture.
• Vanilla Extract – adds the perfect undertone to enhance all the flavors in these cookies.
• All-Purpose Flour – has the ideal protein content to create the perfect structure and texture.
• Salt – enhances the flavor.
• Baking Soda – promotes spread and chewiness.
• Ground Cinnamon – adds a hint of flavor to every bite.
• Rolled Oats – absorb just the right amount of liquid to make these cookies chewy.
• Chocolate Chips – Use any chocolate chips that you like! We used bittersweet chocolate chips.
• Pecan Halves – add a delicious nutty crunch to every bite.
• Shredded Coconut – adds flavor without sugar.

How To Make Cowboy Cookies (Step-by-Step!)

Step 1: Prepare cookie dough

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Add flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut.

Step 2: Bake

Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion dough onto prepared pans. Press down. Bake for 14 minutes, until light golden brown.

FAQ’s and Troubleshooting

Variations & Mix-In Ideas

• Add spices – While cinnamon is a classic addition to cowboy cookies, adding other spices could make them even more delicious! Try a dash of ginger or nutmeg to create an extra delicious cookie. If you’re looking for something a little more festive, try pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice instead of cinnamon.
• Extra chocolate – Everyone loves a little more chocolate! Feel free to use a combination of your favorite chocolate chips in this recipe.
• Other nuts – Not a fan of pecans? Simply want something different? Feel free to use walnuts, almonds, peanuts, or even macadamia nuts!
• Dried fruit – One addition we all love is a handful of dried fruit. Cranberries or raisins make a delicious add-in.
• Pretzels – Looking for extra crunch? Try adding a handful of chopped pretzels to add crunch and to get a classic salty/sweet combo.

How To Get a Perfectly Round Cookie

The best way to achieve this is using a cookie scoop, so the dough balls will already be in close-to-perfect rounds. As they bake, the cookies will spread into a perfect round shape!

Sometimes the cookies can get a little wonky-shaped while spreading, but no worries! You can still fix it.

Using a round cookie cutter that’s larger than the cookie, bump the cookies while they’re still very hot to fit inside the cutter and circle around them to create the perfect round shape!

How To Store

The best part about these cookies? They can be frozen for up to 3 months! Oh, yes, that’s right. After baking and cooling, you can place the baked cookies in an airtight freezer safe zip top bag and put in the freezer.

However, if you’d like fresh baked cookies 1 or 2 at a time, you can actually freeze the cookie dough itself! Follow the directions all the way to portioning out the dough. From there, place a few inches apart on a lined sheet pan and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the cookie dough is frozen solid. Then place the frozen cookie dough balls in a zip top bag and keep in the freezer for 1-2 months. When ready to bake, take out the amount you want to bake, and allow them to come to room temperature. Follow baking instructions in the recipe card.

Substitutions

• This recipe can be made gluten-free if you use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour.
• These cookies can also be made vegan if plant-based butter, your favorite vegan egg substitute, and dairy-free chocolate chips are used.
• You can also make this recipe dairy-free by using a plant-based butter and dairy-free chocolate chips.
• Any chocolate type can be used in this recipe! Dark chocolate, semi-sweet, bittersweet, milk chocolate…whatever you like most!

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Expert Tips

• Be careful not to over-mix the cookie dough! Stir the flour in just until there are no more pockets of flour.
• It’s best to use light colored sheet pans for these cookies.
• Don’t forget to line your baking sheet.
• It’s best to use a cookie scoop to ensure all cookies are the same size.
• The cookie dough can be frozen and baked at a later date.
• Do not over bake these cookies! When in-doubt, take them out. These cookies are best when they are just barely baked. That provides the perfect soft and chewy texture. They should just begin to brown around the edges.

When you make these Thick and Chewy Cowboy Cookies, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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