Cowboy Cookies

When I was looking up the Silo Cookies recipe, I came across a few comments from people saying it reminded them of Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies, which remind me of Ranger Cookies that my Aunt Barbara's mother used to make. Cowboy Cookies have rolled oats and cinnamon and Ranger cookies have Wheaties. I don't like buying a box of Wheaties just to make the cookies since you only need 2 cups, and then the rest of it goes to waste in my house. I'm much more likely to have rolled oats on hand, so I wanted to give these a try.

The original recipe makes a lot of cookies, so I only made a half recipe. In order to do this, I had to split 3 eggs to get 1.5 eggs. I took 2 eggs, beat them together and then removed 2 Tablespoons. You could also weigh an egg and split it according to weight.

Like the Silo cookie recipe, I mixed the chocolate chips, rolled oats, coconut and pecans together in a bowl first before adding them all to the cookie batter, to ensure they were mixed in well.

I used my large cookie scoop (that I usually use for muffin batter) and got 25 cookies out of this recipe. I put 8 on a cookie sheet at a time to give them room to spread since they are big cookies. This dough does not say it needs refrigerated, but while the first tray was in the oven, I put the other 2 trays in the fridge until it was time to bake them. If you have the time, I suggest letting each tray chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking, as it helps prevent the batter from spreading like it did on the first tray that I did not refrigerate.

I baked them for 15 minutes, until they were a little brown around the edges but still looked undercooked on top. I took them out of the oven and then let them sit in the pans for about 10 minutes before touching them. They finished baking that way and then looked perfect! These cookies were really good and I'm glad I gave them a try.

Cowboy Cookies

Adapted from the Washington Post's version of Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookie Recipe

 

This recipe is a half recipe of the original, which calls for 3 eggs. To get half of 3 eggs, you can either just use only one egg, or beat two eggs and remove about 2 tablespoons.

The bigger the cookie, the more chewy it can be. So if you like chewy cookies, make them big.  If you want a chewy cookie, cook them until the edges are browned, but not the whole cookie. If you cook the cookie until it is all nicely browned, it will be more crisp.

 

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) butter, at room temperature

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1½ large eggs, beaten (See Recipe Note)

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (we used shredded)

1 cup chopped pecans

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F: Place racks in upper and lower third of oven. Line two large baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

 

Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

 

Make the cookie dough: Place butter in a standing electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Slowly add in the white sugar and brown sugar, and beat to combine, about 2 more minutes. Add half the eggs, beat, and then add the other half and beat again. Add the vanilla extract and beat again. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture, until just combined. Add the chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans, mixing until just combined.

 

Scoop out the cookies: If you want large cookies, drop about ¼ cup lumps of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, separated by 3 inches to allow for enough room for the cookies to spread as they cook. For smaller cookies, use about 2 tablespoons of the cookie dough per cookie.

 

Bake the cookies: Bake at 350°F for 14 to 18 minutes for large cookies, or 13 to 16 minutes for small cookies. Rotate the pan halfway through baking, front to bake and top to bottom.

 

Simple Tip! If you are using a dark baking sheet, it will absorb more heat, and you won't need as much baking time. Also, the top rack will bake more quickly because heat rises.

 

Cool the cookies: Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

 

You'll likely need to work in batches, depending on the size of your oven and your baking sheets.

 

Yield: 25-36 cookies.

Credit: White House Archives