You guys know I don’t share many recipes here on the blog because cooking and baking just aren’t my thing. But when I realized that I had never shared my great-grandmother’s Cowboy Cookies here on the blog, I knew that I needed to write this post stat. They are just too good not to share!

My great-grandmother was an amazing baker  and left our family with so many great recipes that we continuously make for the holidays, birthdays, and family get-togethers. (You can see find her Coconut Crispy recipe right here!)These Cowboy Cookies are a staple in our family. My mom bakes dozens of them at our annual cookie day party and for lots of other occasions throughout the year.

My favorite part about these cookies is the dough. It’s my favorite cookie dough (bring on the salmonella!), but since I’m pregnant and trying to be as safe as possible, I wasn’t able to partake when making the cookies for this post. Boo. But you better believe I’m requesting a big bowl of this dough once this baby is born! That’s exactly what I did after having Rory. My mom whipped these cookies up when we were in the newborn haze and I devoured a ton of dough. It was delightful.

Anyways, onto the cowboy cookies recipe!

Our Family Recipe – Cowboy Cookies

Tips to Make Cowboy Cookies

While I’m no cookie-making aficionado, I have made this recipe quite a few times and my mom has probably made them hundreds of times. So I consulted her for her best cookie-making tips.

Use a Stand Mixer

If you’ve got a stand mixer, then use it! It honestly makes this recipe so quick and easy. We got this Kitchenaid mixer as a wedding gift and while we don’t use it regularly, it really does come in handy for recipes like this one. You can definitely use a hand mixer and it won’t change the outcome, but you may get a sore arm, especially when adding all of the oats, chips, and nuts at the end.

Combine Dry Ingredients

When it comes time to prep the dry ingredients, be sure to do those in a separate bowl. not in the stand mixer. You’ll want to stir up all of those dry ingredients together first and then add to the wet mixer.

Slowly Add Dry Ingredients

Once those dry ingredients are mixed up, sloooooowly add them to the wet mixture. I go a little at a time so it combines thoroughly. If you add it all at once you’ll likely be covered in flour when it poofs in your face. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Nuts Are Optional (But a Yummy Addition)

If I have extra nuts on hand, I add them to the recipe. If not, these are still delicious. When I made them for this post, I had some extra walnuts on hand so I chopped them up and added them to the dough. It just makes the cowboy cookies even heartier!

Add Spoonfuls to The Tray

When it comes time to add the dough to the baking sheet, I like to use parchment paper that is lightly covered in Pam. I then take a spoon and make little spoonfuls of dough all across the baking sheet. These can spread a bit, so be sure to leave room around each cookie.

Use a Cooling Rack

Whenever we bake cookies, we always use a cooling rack. Once they emerge from the oven, I’ll give them a few minutes to settle and then transfer to the cooling rack. If you leave them on the hot pan for too long they’ll continue to cook.

Freeze Extra Dough

I hate when you have like five cookies left and you have to do another whole round of baking. Instead, I suggest getting this awesome little device. Finn recently got this so he can treat me to homemade cookies whenever the mood strikes. (He is always ready to fulfill any pregnancy craving I have!) You just pour any extra dough you have into the tray, put the other side on it to form separate cubes of cookies, and then pop this in the freezer. I’m very tempted to eat the cookie dough frozen, but I’ve been holding back!

My Favorite Cookies

So there you have it…our family favorite cowboy cookies! I’m actually so happy that I now have this blog post to reference whenever I want to make these cookies on a whim. No more whipping out the cookbook to find this recipe.

Oh, and I should mention that Finn has an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe too. It’s a bit different from these ones and he is verrrrry passionate about his recipe! He shares all of his best tips for fluffy chocolate chip cookies in this old blog post if you want to give it a read.

Have a Great Holiday!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend! I will be off of the blog all of next week for my quarterly blog break. Looking forward to seeing you back here on Monday, July 12th. We’ll have more backyard content, my mom’s main bathroom reveal, and the start of the nursery. Can’t wait!

Casey