Packed with energy with oats, chocolate chips, sweet shredded coconut, and crunchy nuts, these homemade cookies are irresistibly delicious in every bite.
You may also know these cookies by the names of Texas Cowboy Cookies, Ranger Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies, The Everything Cookie, or Garbage Cookies (because of the wide variety of ingredients in them).
I have customized these cowboy cookies to be soft inside and crunchy outside by not over-baking them, and my own variation for mix-ins our family enjoys.
These cowboy cookies are an easy one-bowl family's all-time favorite cookies
Why You Will Love Cowboy Cookies!
- The "Everything Cookie": These cookies are famous for their dense, "kitchen sink" nickname, combining melty chocolate chips with your favorite kind of nuts, coconut, and oats for a variety of flavors texture in every bite.
- Old Fashioned Comfort: Unlike standard recipes, the authentic Laura Bush version includes a generous amount of cinnamon, which adds an unexpected warmth and "comforting fall flavor" to this cookie style.
- Top Winner Cookie: These were awarded a winner in the Family Circle Presidential Bake-Off in the year 2000, where Laura Bush’s recipe beat Tipper Gore’s ginger snap recipe.
- Quick Energy: Because of the complex ingredients, these were high-energy and sustained cowboys working long hours at the range.
- Customizable: These cookies can be adapted easily with ingredients mixed in, such as chocolate sprinkles, and remade into whatever is in your pantry
- Easy: one-bowl-friendly dough
- Fun Cookie Gift: Great for gifting, holidays, or bake sales
Tips for the Best Cowboy?Laura Bush Cookies
- These cookies are meant to be large and puffy, using 1/4 cup of dough for originality
- Don't over-bake them; take them out when the edges begin to brown
- Flavors will meld together if you refrigerate the dough and hour before baking
- All ingredients should be at room temperature when preparing
- Deeper flavors come from toasting the nuts first
- Swap out ingredients you're not fond of IE Coconut with Craisins
- Use high-quality ingredients and don't use inferior pantry staples
Some Other Variations
- chopped dark chocolate chunks
- minced cherries
- chopped snicker bars
- white chocolate chips
- peanut butter
- butterscotch chips
- assorted dried fruits
- peppermint chips
- lemon chips
- zest of oranges
- sunflower or pumpkin seeds for nut allergies
- macadamia nuts or pistachios
- after baked top with mini marshmallows and toast them under the broiler
- spread the top of cooled cookies with a favorite jam and coconut
Party Ideas
- bake these in miniature cupcake tins and make a well to fill them with pudding aftercooled
- bake one big cookie in a round pizza pan
- frost the cookie with chocolate ganache and sprinkles
- top with mini marshmallows after baking, and broil the tops for a rocky road summer cookie
- sprinkle frosted cookies with colorful candies to match the party theme
Quick Tips
- for chewy cookies the longer you keep the raw dough in the refrigerator the chewier the cookie will be
- butter makes the cookies soft because of the water content using part shortening will make crunchier cookies
- slow bake the cookies for crunchier style cookies on 325 degrees
- always measure the flour exactly or this will produce a flat cookie
- only use old fashioned oats
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Spice Cookies
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cookies
Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
Best Cowboy Cookies Pin for later
Whatever You Name Them!
Whether you name these the Doubletree Copycat Cookies, The Everything Cookie, President Bush/Gore Cookie, it doesn't matter!
This adapted recipe for this cowboy cookie is the best ever and I want you all to try them.
They will be your family's new favorite cookie for the cookie jar!
Yield: 24
Best Cowboy Cookies
Prep time: 11 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 23 Min
These cookies have numerous names for them. They can be called either the doubletree, everything cookie, Laura Bush cookies or cowboy cookie
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats do no use quick-cooking
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut
- 1 cup pecans chopped or any kind of nuts you like
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chips, or a combo
- Optional:
- chopped dark chocolate chunks
- minced cherries
- chopped snicker bars
- white chocolate chips
- peanut butter or butterscotch chips
- assorted dried fruits
- peppermint chips
- lemon chips
- zest of oranges
- sunflower or pumpkin seeds for nut allergies
- macadamia nuts or pistachios
- after baked top with mini marshmallows and toast them under the broiler
- spread the top of cooled cookies with a favorite jam and coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat the sugars and all the butter, and shortening together until fluffy around 3 minutes
- (I use an industrial mixer). Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the baking soda, powder, then stir in the flour and oats.
- Add the coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. I even mix them up sometimes.
- These are also great with other candy-coated chocolate pieces.
- The batter is very thick I use a medium-sized ice cream scoop.
- You can also roll the dough into golf size balls and put them on parchment or Silpat mat to bake.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees 12 to 15 minutes or until they start to brown on top depending on how big you make yours and how crispy you like them.
Notes:
Party Ideas
- bake these in miniature cupcake tins and make a well to fill them with pudding after cooling
- bake one big cookie in a round pizza pan
- frost the cookie with chocolate ganache and sprinkles
- top with mini marshmallow after baking and broil the tops for a rocky road summer cookie
- sprinkle frosted cookies with colorful candies to match the party theme
Quick Tips
- for chewy cookies the longer you keep the raw dough in the refrigerator the chewier the cookie will be
- butter makes the cookies soft because of the water content using part shortening will make crunchier cookies
- slow bake the cookies for crunchier style cookies on 325 degrees
- always measure the flour exactly or this will produce a flat cookie
- only use old fashioned oats
Best Cowboy Cookies Pin for later
Here are more of our favorite cookie recipes:
Cucidati Fig Sicilian Cookies
24 One-Stop Cookie Shop
Fried Bow Tie Cookies
25 Holiday Cookies
