Cowboy cookies
My plan had been to write about baseball this week. But then the Astros didn’t do so well on Opening Day and I got word about an award this blog won so, well, I decided to bake cowboy cookies instead. I hope you don’t mind.
Cowboy cookies probably have very little to do with cowboys, but this doesn’t mean they’re not good. Typically, a cowboy cookie is defined by the presence of brown sugar, cinnamon, oats, chocolate, and nuts. And some people doll them up even more by throwing in some coconut and raisins as well.
My assumption is that the recipe for cowboy cookies was probably originally found on a package of oatmeal or brown sugar. I couldn’t find proof of this, but a little digging did reveal that the recipe has probably been around for at least 60 years as I read a document written in the early 1980s that said one woman’s recipe had been in her family for over 40 years. And yep, it was the same one we all use today.
I also found a recipe for cowboy cookies in a 1959 edition of the Toledo Blade, though this one was completely different. This cowboy cookie called for molasses, coffee, and boiling water, along with eggs, butter, and flour. Perhaps there’s a hint of authenticity to that recipe as those ingredients are more likely to be found on a chuck wagon than chocolate chips and oatmeal. I didn’t make those cookies, however, as I wasn’t in the mood for a cookie made with coffee—I wanted the cowboy cookie I’d grown up with, full of oats, chocolate, and nuts. And my, these did not disappoint.
Now, about that award. Well, I don’t want to sound boastful, but I have to say that I am over the moon that Homesick Texan was recognized in the First Annual Saveur Food Blog Awards as best regional cuisine blog. A Texas-sized congratulations to all the winners and nominees. And also, many thanks to both Saveur and you for your support. Now go enjoy these cookies—I baked them for you!
Cowboy cookies
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup pecans, chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3⁄4 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven is heating, place the pecans in an oven-safe skillet and roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
- Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and add to butter, sugar and egg mixture. Beat until well incorporated, and then stir in oats, chocolate chips, and roasted pecans.
- Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, place the sheet and bake for 14-17 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Cowboy Cookies are the type of cookie Laura Bush submitted to Family Circle for the Presidential First Ladies Cookie Bake-off. For the past 50 years, the winning cookie also matched the election. Further to the point, Michelle Obama's cookies beat out Cindy McCain's last year.
We've been making these cookies since Moby Dick was a minnow.
They're a favorite in our house adn everyone's we serve them too! 😉
Our recipe calls for coconut and it adds the best little bit of sweetness 😉
I can't wait to try this recipe out! I have recently moved from Houston to Washington state and am in serious withdrawel from all things Texas. Hopefully these cookies will make up for the Astros losses so far!
What a coincidence–a friend sent me a link to your blog today after I made these cookies (from the Saveur recipe, which also includes coconut–I think this is important for texture and softness) and told her they were Texan (I'm a Texan transplanted in Washington DC). Everyone LOVES these cookies. My tricks: I double the recipe (no need to mess with tablespoons this way since 12 Tbs=3/4 c), let the dough sit in the fridge for a day or two before baking, bake them extra large (golf ball sized), and sprinkle them liberally with sea salt when they come out of the oven. Thanks for the great blog!
THANK YOU for posting this recipe! my boyriend is from texas and has his family send him these cookies to new york. i can't wait to make them for him.
you're blog is wonderful, i can't wait to surprise him with all of these recipes