Cowboy Cookies Recipe: A Gluten-Free Holiday Favorite

Cowboy cookies are an old-school favorite. Satisfyingly chewy and packed with goodies, these are always a hit.

If there’s a cookie more truly American than the Cowboy Cookie, I’m not aware of it. These big cookies are packed full of goodies and have a soft, chewy texture, perfect for riding the range or enjoying with a glass of milk.

Cowboy cookies are certainly versatile. This one's gluten-free thanks to a solid gluten-free flour blend, but I’ve included a dairy-free option and you can really add any mix-ins you choose.  The thing that makes them “cowboy-style” is the size and the chewy texture achieved from adding oats to the dough along with heavy-handled vanilla (from vanilla bean paste or extract) and a dash of cinnamon. I haven’t tried these without coconut, but we’ve definitely swapped in dried fruit or other nuts for the pecans and been quite happy.

If you’re headed to a cookie exchange or holiday party, I highly recommend these cowboy cookies (maybe served side-by-side with these Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies. Just saying.) They hold well, so you can make them a day or two before and keep them in a sealed container, and the dough freezes well too. This is a recipe my friends have asked for often, and they’ve had rave reviews after serving them too.

While these cookies are a certainly a holiday hit, this recipe is a year-round winner. Camping trips, sleepovers, lunchboxes and beach days are all enhanced by cowboy cookies, so saddle up and make some soon!

Cowboy Cookies Recipe: A Gluten-Free Holiday Favorite

K.C. Cornwell

The quintessential American cookie, these Cowboy Cookies are soft, chewy and filled with almost every goodie imaginable: oats, pecans, chocolate chunks, and even coconut.

5 from 6 votes

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups 270 g gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup | 2 sticks or 454 g butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup 150 g granulated sugar
• ¾ cup 165 g packed light ­brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups 130 g gluten-free rolled oats
• ½ cup 90 g semisweet chocolate chunks
• ½ cup 45 g shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup 90 g pecans, chopped
• Flake sea salt, for topping
• Make it Dairy-Free: swap coconut oil for the butter and use dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175C).
• Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, set aside.
• Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and beat in eggs thoroughly, then beat in vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low, and add in flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, then chocolate, coconut and pecans until just combined.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. For each cookie, drop ¼ cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. Salt the top of each cookie with a sprinkle of flake sea salt. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, 16-18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy.

Keyword cookie recipe, cowboy cookies, gluten-free baking, gluten-free cookies, gluten-free dessert, gluten-free holiday recipes, holiday recipes

Notes:

Dough can be chilled for up to 2 days in a sealed container. Once baked, the cookies will keep for three days in an airtight container.