Full of texture and delicious flavor, Cowgirl Cookies are made with coconut, pecans, oats, dark chocolate, cinnamon and ginger. Gluten-free and vegan-adaptable.
A balanced inner calmness radiates from a peaceful centre. It neither craves others’ approval nor rejects others’ presence. It neither pulls towards nor pushes away. It has a reverent attitude towards life and all its inhabitants.
Donna Goddard
Why You’ll Love Them!
Cowgirl cookies are full of all the things I love. They are nutty, chewy, tender morsels with crispy edges—a ramped-up version of an oatmeal cookie, but with delicious additions!
Mildly sweet and made with gluten-free flour and coconut oil instead of butter, these cowgirl cookies are highly adaptable—use butter or all-purpose flour if you like! Leave out the egg if you want it vegan (sub a flax egg). It’s a very forgiving one-bowl cookie recipe, that whips up quickly!
My favorite additions to this cookie (besides good dark chocolate) are chia seeds and crystalized ginger, which give it the best punchy flavor!
Cowgirl Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Rolled oats: Use organic, gluten-free rolled oats. Adjust the amount as needed.
- All-purpose flour: Or use a gluten-free flour blend, I used Arrowhead Mills Organic GF Blend.
- Flaked coconut: Use toasted coconut for toasty flavor.
- Chocolate chips: Or use chocolate chunks. Use dark or semisweet chocolate chips, or even white chocolate chips!
- Chopped pecans: For nutty flavor and crunchy texture.
- Crystallized ginger: My favorite addition! Adds punchy flavor.
- Dried cherries or dried cranberries: Optional, but add a nice tart flavor. Raisins work too. You can add more of the ginger here if you prefer.
- Chia seeds: Optional, but add a little nutritional boost!
- Cinnamon and cardamom: Ground cardamom is optional, but enhances the cozy, spiced flavor.
- Cane sugar and maple syrup: For just the right amount of sweetness. Instead of maple syrup, you can sub agave syrup or brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and depth.
- Egg: Use a large egg or sub a flax egg.
- Coconut oil: Or sub softened butter. If using butter, you’ll need slightly less than the melted coconut oil.
- Baking soda: Gives the cookies a perfect rise, resulting in a soft and chewy texture.
How to Make Cowgirl Cookies
1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the batter. Add melted coconut oil to a large bowl or stand mixer. Whisk with the sugar, then whisk in the maple syrup and large eggs until smooth. Add the teaspoon vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk everything together. Use an electric mixer on medium speed if you wish.
3. Add flour and baking soda. Sprinkle the bowl with the dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) and stir together.
4. Fold in the add-ins. Add coconut flakes, chocolate chips, nuts, crystallized ginger, optional dried fruit, and chia seeds to the flour mixture. Fold them in with a spatula or spoon.
5. Add the oats. Add the oats to the bowl, just enough to make a very thick cookie dough. Add more or less than the listed amount depending on how many add-ins you included.
6. Form cookies. Use a tablespoon to scoop up the dough and drop the mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. If your dough is really thick, you can use wet hands to roll them into two-tablespoon-sized balls (about the size of a walnut). Place the cookies on the parchment two inches apart.
7. Bake. Place the cookie tray on the middle rack and bake 11-13 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Chef’s Tips
- To make a flax egg: Mix a tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2 1/2 tablespoons of warm water. Let rest for 5 minutes to thicken before using. This substitutes a single egg.
- For presentation: Before baking, make sure each cookie has a chocolate chip, pecan, and coconut flake on top. They’ll turn out beautiful! I like to add flaky sea salt to the tops too.
- Don’t forget to let the cookies rest! They’ll be super tender when removed from the oven. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes. They will thicken as they cool.
Storing your Cowgirl Cookies
You can store the Cowgirl Cookies at room temperature in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. To keep them longer, refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQs
More commonly known as a “cowboy cookie,” this oatmeal cookie usually features add-ins like chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.
The original name “cowboy cookie” is believed to have originated from the American West, where it was an energizing snack that cowboys could keep in their saddle bags.
It is a staple ingredient, but the nice thing about these cookies is that you can play around with the add-ins and customize them to your liking!
Give these cookies a try and I hope they bring some joy into your day! Please remember to rate them for us ⭐️ and leave your adaptations in the comments so others can read them too.
xoxo
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
Cowgirl Cookie Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 21 cookies
- Category: cookies, baking recipes,
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Ingredients
- scant 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or softened butter) *7 tablespoons is perfect!
- 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, (or agave syrup, or brown sugar)
- 1 large egg (or sub a flax egg, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus a pinch more.
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend (I like Arrow Mills Organic GF Blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup crystallized ginger
- 1/4 cup dried cherries or craisins (optional, add or more ginger if you prefer)
- 1–2 tablespoons chia seeds– optional
- 1 1/2 cups organic, gluten-free rolled oats, more or less
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt the coconut oil, and place in a large bowl (or stand mixer) and whisk with the sugar. Whisk in the maple syrup and egg until smooth. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt, whisking again.
- Sprinkle the bowl with the flour and baking soda, whisking well.
- Add the coconut flakes, chocolate chips, pecans, crystalized ginger, optional dried fruit, and chia seeds and fold together using a spatula or spoon.
- Lastly add the oats, just enough to make a very thick cookie dough. You may need a little less or more depending on how many additions you added.
- Drop mounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet (roughly the size of a walnut). Alternatively, if your cookie dough is very thick like mine, use wet hands to roll them into two-tablespoon-sized balls and place on the parchment paper, 2 inches apart. Top each one with a chocolate chip, pecan or coconut flake.
- Bake on the middle rack for 11-13 minutes, until golden brown. Let rest for five minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
To make a flax egg: mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax or flax meal with 2 ½ tablespoons of water.
Before baking, I like to make sure each cookie has chocolate chip, pecan, and coconut flake on top—just for looks. Feel free to sprinkle with Maldon salt flakes if you like.
Cookies are very tender when you pull them out of the oven- they will firm up as they cool.
Cowgirl cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. Or refrigerate for up to 10 days, or freeze in a freezer for up to 3 months, a good option if watching your sugar intake.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 171
- Sugar: 8.8 g
- Sodium: 70.6 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.3 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 9 mg
So good and chock full of nutritiousness!
Glad you liked these Josie! 😉
Holy wow these are good!! The chocolate with coconut and (walnuts) are a winning combination! I am amazed. Thank you so much!!!
Awesome! Glad you gave them a try Angeli.💛
This was very good, I used just shy of 1/2 C of butter. I used 2 tblsp of raw sugar since I added vanilla protein powder. I also did not have the ginger, so I used the unsweetened dried cherries for replacement of ginger and followed the rest of the recipe including 2 T of chia seeds. These cookies turned out great! Thank you Sylvia!
Love your adaptions Cyndi!
Tasty, fun and bursting with flavor!
Yay, glad you gave them a try Karen!
we’ve been looking for a low sugar based cookie that actually tastes good…this is a winner! It is worth taking a few minutes to add the extra pecan; choco chips (I use the Enjoy Life brand/low sugar) and instead of a coconut piece or ginger (I added extra ginger) I sprinkled a bit of sea salt on top…EXCELLENT.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Maureen! I love the sea salt too- thanks for the rating and comment!
I’ve made your Cowgirl cookies three times now. My favorite version was with the ginger and I like the texture very much much. Saved to favorites!
Yay Jenny, so happy you are liking them! Appreciate the review.
Can I use oil (such as olive oil for example) instead of melted coconut oil?
Hi Kayler- I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not. I guess my only hesitation is whether they firm up enough after they cool? There is a lot of “stuff” in the cookies and not a lot of flour. If you try this- will you let me know?
Delicious little cookies! Great taste and texture. I didn’t have crystallized ginger, so I just subbed in some fresh grated ginger. Everyone who tried these cookies loved them!
Yay, great to hear Lisa!
I set out to make soup and instead made these cookies and boy am I glad I did! I added cherries and candied ginger and that was a great idea…..thanks for this fun recipe.
Ha. Sometimes the cookies need to take priority! So glad you liked these- love the additions.