Cowboy Cookies

These cowboy cookies are mildly crisp and so soft and chewy all at the same time!

They have everything you crave in a cookie. Rich and buttery? Yes.

Crisp and tender? Sure! So soft and chewy they melt in your mouth? You know it! Loaded with chocolate chips? You bet! 

With these cookies, you can have it all. 

Oh, and they’re packed with oatmeal, too! I know, I know… there are some oatmeal haters out there.

But believe me, it only takes one bite of these cookies to change their minds. 

Get your western boots ready because today, you’re making cowboy cookies!

Cowboy Cookies

The cowboy cookie is the embodiment of the perfect cookie.

For one, it has all the wonderful textures a cookie should have – lightly crisp on the outside, and super soft, tender, and chewy on the inside. 

And then there’s the flavor. Oh, my! The combination of white and brown sugars, butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chips is to die for! 

They’re easy to make, to boot. They take 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to bake, which is perfect for those midnight cravings!

Cowboy Cookie Ingredients

Thanks to these ingredients, these cookies are fully loaded with flavor! 

• All-Purpose Flour – It forms the base of the cake.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – The leavening agents that will make your cookies rise. Be sure both are still potent, or else, your cookies will be flat. To check, drop a teaspoon of baking powder and in warm water. If the water sizzles, it’s still potent. Otherwise, throw it out! Do the same with the baking soda, but with vinegar.
• Salt – Just half a teaspoon enhances the flavor of the other ingredients by a lot!
• Butter – For ultra-rich cookies! Use softened butter. If it’s melted, the cookies will over-spread as they bake. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before use. Or pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds on a low setting.
• Sugar – Both granulated and brown. The brown sugar contains more molasses, which gives the cookies more moisture. In short, it’s the key to making the cookies extra chewy. But it’s much sweeter, which is why you need the white sugar to counter-balance its flavor. 
• Eggs – Be sure they’re large and at room temperature! The colder the eggs are, the harder they’ll be to combine with the rest of the ingredients. Forgot to take them out of the fridge? Here’s a hack: submerge them in a glass of warm water for 5 minutes, and they’re ready to go.
• Vanilla – Just like the salt, it enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, giving your cookies maximum flavor.
• Oats – For the best texture, use rolled oats, not instant or steel-cut.
• Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips – Because all cookies need them!

Tips for the Best Cookies

• Give your cookies some crunch! Add pecans, walnuts, or any type of nut. Crushed candies like M&M’s work, too!
• Sift the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This will prevent your batter from forming lumps. 
• This recipe calls for creaming the butter and sugar for chewy cookies. It sounds like such a technical term, but it’s easy. Just beat softened butter and the sugars with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
• These cookies are super versatile! You can use whatever kind of chocolate chips you want – white, milk, dark – take your pick. You can even use butterscotch chips for a salty contrast.
• Classic cowboy cookies call for shredded coconut and cinnamon, so feel free to add those, too.
• If the cookies look like they’re crisping up more than you like, underbake them for 1 to 2 minutes.
• If the batter is too runny, chill them for 30 minutes before baking. 
• Store the cookies in an air-tight container and at room temperature for up to a week.
• You can bake the cookies on greased or lined baking sheets, but I highly recommend a silicone mat. It’s the best tool for avoiding brown bottoms.
• Do not over-mix the batter! Once you’ve added the dry ingredients, beat at low speed and stop once the ingredients are well-combined.

Where Does The Name Cowboy Cookies Come From?

While the answer is uncertain, there are some theories that explain where the name comes from. I’ll leave it up to you to choose which one to believe!

It’s possible that the cookies were either developed or became popular in Texas.

It could also be that these cookies are firm enough for cowboys to take on the trail.

Or, since the cookies are loaded with so many ingredients, they’re so hearty that working cowboys would prefer them over other snacks.

The most interesting theory, however, claims that the original recipe was developed by former first lady, Laura Bush.

Back in the early 90s, Family Circle Magazine issued a cookie cook-off between Bush and Tipper Gore.

Bush’s “Texas Governor’s Mansion Cowboy Cookies” won against Gore’s gingersnap cookies. Eventually, the name was shortened to simply “cowboy cookies.”

Are These Cookies Different from Ranger Cookies?

Simply put, ranger cookies are a type of cowboy cookies.

Generally, cowboy cookies have oatmeal, coconut, nuts, and cinnamon.

Meanwhile, ranger cookies are a specific kind of cowboy cookies that have Rice Krispies and chocolate chips in them.

Apart from the Rice Krispies and chocolate, all of the ingredients are in the recipe below!

See, that’s the beauty of cowboy cookies – they’re easily customizable. Once you have the batter down, you’re free to add whatever ingredients you like. 

Cowboy Cookies

Servings

60

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

95

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2 all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon 1 baking powder

• 1 teaspoon 1 baking soda

• 1/2 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup 1 butter, softened

• 1 cup 1 granulated sugar

• 1 cup 1 brown sugar, packed

• 2 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon 1 vanilla

• 2 cups 2 rolled oats

• 1 cup 1 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the baking sheets with oil or butter, or line them with parchment or wax paper.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the butter and sugars. Beat them with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula from time to time.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and add the vanilla.
• Gently pour the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar-egg mixture and beat on low speed until combined.
• Mix in the rolled oats and chocolate chips with a spatula until they’re evenly distributed.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto the greased/lined baking sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a serving plate. Cookies can be served warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

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