If you’ve been hunting for a cowboy cookie recipe that does it all, you can stop searching. These cookies combine oats, semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, sweetened coconut, and a little cinnamon in one big, golden brown cookie. They bake up thick and chewy, and every bite has something different going on.
Think of them as an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that went all in. You get the chew of the oats, the crunch of the pecans, the sweetness of the coconut, and plenty of chocolate. The dough also starts with browned butter.
Best of all, there’s no chilling. You roll the dough into balls and bake. With a 4.91-star rating from 101 votes, plenty of bakers have already given this recipe a thumbs-up.
Recipe Card
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 11 minutes (the instructions below say 12 minutes)
- Inactive time: 10 minutes
- Total time: 51 minutes
- Servings: 2 dozen cookies
- Course: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted until browned and cooled for 5 minutes before use (1 cup = 2 sticks)
- 1 cup (199g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 3/4 cups (156 grams) old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup (60 grams) sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) pecans, roughly chopped, plus more for decorating
- 12 ounces (340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (optional)
Before You Start
A little prep makes the rest of the recipe go smoothly.
Brown the butter. Melt the butter until it turns browned, then let it cool for 5 minutes before using it. The recipe doesn’t give more detail on browning, so watch it as it melts.
Check your eggs. You need 2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk, all at room temperature.
Chop the pecans. Roughly chop them, and set a few aside if you want to press them on top later.
How to Make Cowboy Cookies
- Heat the oven and prep the pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Beat the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, use a whisk to beat the browned butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk for about 2 minutes, until well combined. The mixture may look a little separated, and that’s fine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the 2 eggs and the extra yolk, beating for about 45 seconds until everything is well combined. Then whisk in the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix-ins. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, oats, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips right on top of the wet mixture.
- Fold gently. First, lightly fold the dry ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients, just enough to combine. Then fold everything into the wet mixture completely. Stop as soon as it’s combined.
- Scoop the dough. Scoop 2-inch balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave 2 inches between each ball so the cookies have room to spread.
- Bake. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes. The cookies are ready when they’re golden and set at the edges but still slightly soft in the center.
- Add the toppings, if you like. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press extra chocolate chips and pecans onto the tops. If you want, sprinkle them with flaky sea salt too. Both steps are optional.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips and Variations
- Use room temperature eggs. The recipe specifies this for both the whole eggs and the yolk.
- Let the butter cool. Give the browned butter 5 minutes before mixing.
- Don’t worry about separation. If the butter and sugar look a little separated after whisking, keep going.
- Don’t overmix. The recipe says to mix just until combined, twice.
- Give them space. Leave 2 inches between dough balls so they can spread.
- Bake one sheet at a time. This is how the recipe is written.
- Top them right away. Press the extra chips and pecans on as the cookies come out of the oven.
- Finish with salt. Flaky sea salt is optional but is part of the recipe’s finishing touch.
Serving Suggestions
The recipe doesn’t list specific pairings. Serve the cookies once they’ve cooled, with the extra pecans, chocolate chips, and flaky sea salt on top if you used them.
You might like: Easy Cake Mix Cookies: Soft, Fluffy, and Ready in 15 Minutes
Final Thoughts
These cowboy cookies are a great pick when you want a cookie that has a bit of everything. They’re thick and chewy, loaded with mix-ins, and easy to make since the dough needs no chilling. Try a batch, and leave a comment to let me know how yours turned out.