If every politician had a home-baked batch of Cowboy Cookies – my favorite cookie in the world – we might just be able to achieve world peace.
It’s hard to remain at odds when you’re devouring these jokers. Bonus? They use oatmeal, which means they’re probably healthy. Who am I to argue the merits of whole grain?
It’s been so long since I made a batch I had forgotten how delicious they are. HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN? They’re magical.
Anyway, my sweet mother-in-love shared the recipe ages ago, and it’s no-fail if you can follow instructions. I’ve added notes below the recipe, so be sure to read them before whipping up a batch.
Then, email me a thank you note with pictures, please. It’s ancient wisdom that when you take pictures, the cookies last longer.
Cowboy Cookies
~ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies ~
Preheat oven to 350°F
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup Crisco Shortening (NOT oil)
- ½ cup softened butter (1 whole stick)
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups oats*
- 1 cup pecans* (optional, which is nuts to this Southern gal)
- 1 small package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Sift flour, soda, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
- With a mixer, combine sugar, brown sugar, Crisco, butter, two eggs and vanilla. Once incorporated, add dry ingredients and mix well.
- Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and pecans until well blended (I do this part by hand, not with a mixer).
- Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until desired doneness.
IMPORTANT Baking Notes:
- My original recipe called for one cup of Crisco, but I like butter, so I amended the recipe to ½ cup of shortening, ½ cup of butter. The results are spectacular. Never use margarine. Because WHY WOULD YOU when butter is an option?
- This recipe can be halved or doubled.
- Let the butter sit at room temperature to soften. Do NOT melt it! Soft = good. Melted = bad. (Cookies will be flat.)
- If you’re a house divided like ours, you have permission to make half a batch with pecans, half without. I totally judge people who don’t include nuts (including my otherwise amazing husband and children).
- Pecans are pronounced puh-kahn, not pee
in acan.
\ pi-?kän<– right way wrong way –> ?p?-?kan \ - We’re also a house divided about how to pronounce pecan.
- I use Old Fashioned Quaker Oats; I’ve tried the quick-cooking version before and did not like that cardboard-esque result. You won’t like it, either.
- The first time you try this recipe, check them at 10, then 11 minutes in. I don’t know how hot your oven bakes, and you do not want to overcook these babies. Undercooked > Overcooked
- These are Whole30 compliant.
- The previous statement was
a liewishful thinking.
Enjoy!
BAKER BEWARE: if you decide to make these cookies – and I hope you do – you (and whomever you share them with) might just turn into a monster like this guy…
I’d say it’s worth the risk.
Love, love, love! These look like perfection! Love all the detailed notes – that is so me!
Can’t wait to try these!
Thanks Robin, for this awesome recipe!
Received my devotional book today in the mail! 🙂
Thank you!!!
I am picking my 15 year old son up from boarding school next week, for a long weekend at home. I will absolutely make these!
More important than the recipe to me this morning (although I would love to create such a splattered testimony over the years!) reading this post today soothed me.
I’m in such a prickly and unsatisfying time in my life. It feels good to be reminded things like cookies can help.
I need to bring some basic comforts back into my life. Little things that go a long way. Yes, things are hard right now. But, they don’t have to be hard every second of every minute of every day.
I can pause and eat a cookie.
Shelly,
What a … special reaction to a recipe post; your response is significant to me because it demonstrates that a writer NEVER can predict the impact of her words; how something can be a different thing depending on the reader. I’m grateful you reminded me of this today.
I’m grateful you took time to read and response. Your comment is a little word gift today! <3