These Wyoming Cowboy Cookies are everything you could want in a cookie—and more! They’re packed full of toasted pecans and coconut, chocolate and peanut butter chips, chewy oats, and crunchy cornflakes. They’re crispy on the edges with a deliciously chewy center.
Cowboy cookies may have been made famous by Laura Bush, but I learned to make the Wyoming version of Cowboy Cookies from a friend while living in Utah and have never looked back!
These cookies are loaded with hearty ingredients like oatmeal, pecan, coconut, and cornflakes for crunch! You may have tried my popular Cornflake Cookies in the past. These Cowboy Cookies are similar in texture, but much more loaded with textures and flavors!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Simple. Just a quick 15 minutes of prep and your Wyoming cowboy cookies are ready to go in the oven.
- Loaded with hearty ingredients. These cookies are a sweet treat and a snack all in one.
- Perfect texture and flavor combo. What’s not to love about nutty pecans, crunchy cornflakes, sweet chocolate and peanut butter chips, coconut, and chewy oats? These cookies are packed with the best blend of ingredients and then baked until soft in the middle with perfect crisped edges.
- Customizable. Make the recipe as-is or customize it with other mix-ins!
- Easy to scale. This recipe makes 36 Wyoming cowboy cookies, but you can easily double or halve the recipe depending on how much you need.
What are Cowboy Cookies
A cowboy cookie is an oatmeal cookie that’s packed full of mix-ins including nuts, baking chips, coconut, cornflakes, and more.
The theory is that they are called cowboy cookies because they were often enjoyed by cowboys as a hearty snack that could hold up in a saddle bag during their long days.
Regardless of their origin, they sure are delicious!
Recipe Notes
This cowboy cookies recipe is as simple as promised! Just 15 minutes of prep for the perfect batch of treats that everyone will love.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Pecans – Chopped pecans add a nutty crunch to the cookies. I like to toast them first.
- Coconut Flakes – I also like to toast the coconut flakes before adding them to the cookies.
- Butter – You’ll need 2 sticks of butter. Be sure to soften it first so that it mixes easily into the dough.
- Sugar – We’re using a combination of white sugar and brown sugar for ultimate sweetness and flavor depth.
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour – For the most accurate measurements, I recommend spooning and leveling your flour. Scroll to the “Recipe Tips” section for details.
- Old-Fashioned Oats – Be sure you’re using regular old-fashioned oats; not quick cooking oats. They will not work the same in these cookies.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Two leavening agents give the cookies the lift they need for the perfect texture.
- Salt
- Cornflakes – Cornflakes may seem like an odd addition to cookies, but trust me, they add such a yummy flavor and unique crunchy texture.
- Baking Chips – We’re using a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
Recipe Tips
- Toast the coconut and pecans. While this step can be skipped if you’re shorter on time, I do recommend it if you can swing it. Toasting the pecans and coconut gives each of them another layer of flavor depth that’s so tasty in these cookies.
- Spoon and level your flour. For the most accurate measurement, it is best to scoop your flour out of the bag with a spoon and pile it gently into your measuring cup. This prevents it from getting super packed into the cup, which can actually results in you measuring too much. Too much flour means dry and crumbly cookies.
- Use at least 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Since these cookies are loaded up with tons of textures and mix-ins, they don’t really work as smaller cookies. I recommend at least 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie, but you can make them bigger too if preferred. Keep in mind that bigger cookies will take longer to bake.
- Leave room on the baking sheet. The cookies will spread as they bake, so leave a little bit of room so that they don’t run into one another.
- Don’t over-bake. When you pull these cookies out of the oven, the edges should be turning golden-brown, but the middle may still look slightly underdone. That’s fine! That means that the center will be super chewy and delicious. They will finish setting up on the baking sheet as they cool.
- Customize! I love the combination of ingredients I used in this recipe, but you can totally mix and match or swap things out as you like. Try other nuts, other baking chips, you name it.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Skip the toasting – I do love the extra layer of flavor that toasting the pecans and coconut adds to the cookies. However, if you’re shorter on time, you can totally skip this step with delicious results.
- Prep the dough in advance – Cookie dough can be prepped and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To get ahead on baking, feel free to prep the dough in advance, then bake it quickly when you’re ready for your cookies. See below for instructions on how to freeze cookie dough!
Recipe Variations
If you love this Wyoming cowboy cookies recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Cowboy Cookie & Ice Cream – Chop the baked cookies up and add them to a bowl of creamy vanilla ice cream. Alternatively, sandwich a scoop of ice cream between two cooled cookies to make a delicious homemade ice cream cookie sandwich.
- Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies – Swap the chopped pecans for chopped peanuts, then skip the semi-sweet chocolate chips and use all peanut butter chips.
- Laura Bush Cowboy Cookies – Laura Bush cowboy cookies are similar, but don’t include cornflakes. If you want to make her version of cowboy cookies, feel free to skip the cereal.
How to Freeze Cookies
Cookies can be frozen before or after baking. If freezing the cookie dough you are able to just pop out a few or as many as you need to bake to have hot, fresh cookies on demand.
If you prefer, you can bake all of the cookies and freeze after baking. Freezing the baked cookies will preserve them and once, thawed they come out just as soft, chewy, fresh, and perfect as they are when freshly baked.
Both are great options for keeping cookies fresh and delicious!
To freeze cookie dough:
- Portion the dough out as directed onto a baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer and flash freeze until the dough balls are hardened.
- Once they are fully frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to bake, thaw the dough in the fridge, then bake as directed.
To freeze baked cookies:
- To freeze baked Wyoming cowboy cookies, let them cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag.
- Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- When you’re ready to enjoy them again, simply thaw them on the counter or warm them from frozen in the microwave.
How to store cookies
If you have extras after making these Texas cowboy cookies, then they can be saved to munch on at a later time.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- on the counter for 2-3 days
- in the refrigerator for up to a week
- in the freezer up to 2 months.
More EASY Cookie Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy cookie recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Cornflake Cookies
- Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Wyoming Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¾ cups flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup old fashioned oats, (not quick cooking)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup corn flakes
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- On a baking sheet spread the pecans and coconut into a single layer. Toast in oven for 4-6 minutes or until the coconut starts to get golden brown. Remove and let cool.NOTE: Carefully watch this to ensure you don't burn the coconut. It will happen fast!
- Combine the butters, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine.
- Add the pecans, coconut, corn flakes, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips and stir gently until combined.
- Place rounded tablespoonfuls on a cookies sheet about 2 inches apart. (These cookies will spread, so give them some room!)
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The centers will still be a bit soft but will continue to set as they cool.
- Let set on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes then move to a wire cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
- On the counter for 2-3 days
- In the refrigerator for up to a week
- In the freezer for up to 2 months.
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