Don’t get hung up on their lousy name; cowboy cookies are actually really delicious. I brought three dozen of these giant cookies on a flight to Iowa once, and my two brothers devoured every last one in six hours flat. Another time I brought them on a three hour road trip to Portland, Maine, and they were gone before the six of us climbed out of the van. They routinely get gobbled up so quickly that I haven’t ever actually managed to snap a picture of the finished product and was forced to bake another batch this weekend to photograph for you all. How I suffer for my art!
Though it seems these everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cookies might be commonplace in the South, I had never even heard of them until I moved to Philly, when I reached into the refrigerator of my food co-op around picked up a heavy cookie the size of my hand. “Cowboy Cookie,” I read. Huh.
That particular cookie came from Vegan Treats, an awesome vegan bakery that has long been supplying scrumptious goodies — s’mores cheesecake, brownies piled high with peanut butter frosting, and cookies ‘n’ cream-filled donuts — to grocery stores and restaurants in the Philaldelphia area. So it was no surprise that my heart fluttered the moment I sank my teeth into their rendition of the cowboy cookie. Butter and cinnamon imparted a warm aroma, and oats and coconut made them soft and chewy. And then there were the nuts and chocolate chips!
I now live regrettably far from anywhere Vegan Treats’ goods are stocked, but cowboy cookies have long since become a permanent addition to my cookie repertoire. And the particular recipe I adapted has a pretty hilarious backstory. You know how the presidential nominees’ wives have a bake-off before every election to name the better baker? (Okay, so maybe you don’t, but trust me on this one; I read it on the Internet. Aren’t gender roles quaint?) Way back in 2000, Laura Bush submitted her recipe for “Governor’s Mansion Cowboy Cookies” — the very one I have altered to share with you! — to that very bake-off. She won, and the rest, as they say, is history.
- 2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1½ c vegan butter
- 1½ c granulated sugar
- 1½ c light brown sugar
- ½ c applesauce
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 3 c flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 c chocolate chips
- 3 c rolled oats
- 2 c chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Measure coconut into a small bowl and stir in 1 tbsp warm water and 2 tbsp sugar; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whip the butter.
- Add sugars and cream.
- Add applesauce and vanilla and beat.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, powder, soda, and spices.
- Add to wet ingredients and beat until well mixed.
- Fold in the coconut, nuts, oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Use an ice-cream scoop to scoop balls of dough for jumbo cookies, and flatten slightly.
- Bake on greased sheets for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.
28 comments
Nicole says:
Sep 5, 2012
If I omit pecans does it change the consistency/cook time on this recipe? I’m omitting due to tree nut allergy. Thanks glad to see you back up and running! I absolutely LOVE your zucchini bread and can’t wait to try out your other recipes!
Thanks!
J. Katers says:
Sep 10, 2012
My mom made these for me when I came home for a visit and they were SO GOOD. She never baked vegan before and she did a super job. Thanks for this recipe!
Ashley says:
Sep 15, 2012
Im not an admin or anything, just a passerby. But I have omitted the pecans and it didnt change anything at all. (Made them for work and had one person with a nut allergy)
Nicole says:
Oct 16, 2012
Thank you!
Anneke says:
Oct 16, 2012
Oh my, these are the best cookies I have ever baked. Wow. My family loved them. I baked them longer for my husband who likes extra crunchy cookies, and underbaked them a bit for me. Both types were devoured. This makes a HUGE batch. It says 3 dozen huge cookies, so double that for regular size cookies, which is what I did. I made half a batch one day and cooked the rest of the batch 2 days later. Scumptious. Oh, and I should state that I used whole wheat flour, not white flour. I can’t imagine them tasting any better with white flour, but they might. I love Cayrn’s recipes. I have made several of them and have had perfect succes with each one thus far. Thanks, Caryn!
I Got the Hubs to Eat Coconut!!!??? Waaaaa? « cooking for the carnivore says:
Nov 6, 2012
[...] had a hankering for some Kitchen Sink cookies and found these and thought I could adapt them. Their recipe made 3 dozen giant cookies and let’s face it, NOBODY [...]
16 Vegan Super Bowl Snack Ideas | Vegan Cuts says:
Jan 29, 2013
[...] Sweet Stuff Image: Hell Yeah It’s Vegan [...]
Eric says:
Feb 20, 2013
You’re a hero to me! I recently made half of this recipe. Everybody in my household loved them and I ate half the batch while they were still a little warm. I think they’re best the first day!
The only thing that would be great is if it didn’t use so much vegan butter, I’m working on trying to use it less and less in recipes. I might try to make these with less or none.
I’m thinking about trying you’re chocolate chip cookies and I want to try your little weiners too. The pictures are great! (I swoon for pictures of little weiners)
claryn says:
Feb 22, 2013
Hey Eric, stoked you liked the recipe! I love these cookies, too
It sounds like my chocolate chip cookies will be right up your alley! You might also want to check out my plain molasses cookie recipe. It yields a thinner, chewier cookie, but it’s oil-based, which is always neat! Last but not least, I don’t know if you’ve used coconut oil before, but I know some folks swear by it as a substitute for store-bought vegan butter. There are recipes out there for making your own homemade vegan butter, too — just give it a google!
Eric says:
Feb 25, 2013
Thanks!
I made these again for a bake sale, but didn’t use Earth Balance and instead used coconut oil and a little coconut milk and they turned out wonderful! Everyone loved them and people asked for the recipe too!. I think they were more coconut-y than the regular ones (which I like more) though.
I will also check out your molasses cookies! I think I might try your chocolate chip cookie recipe first though – they look really great. I have been considering making vegan butter too.
Almost-Vegan Cowboy Cookies | b a k e a h o l i c says:
Apr 3, 2013
[...] adapted from: Hell Yeah It’s Vegan! [...]
kati says:
Apr 25, 2013
Have you or anyone had any luck substituting gluten free flour for the flour?? I am super keep to try these but need to switch flours and am always a nervous nelly that it will ruin them!! no one likes yucky cookies…
Angela says:
Apr 30, 2013
I too need to make the GF…so if anybody has yet had success, please let us know which GF flour product worked!!
Mandy says:
Jul 3, 2014
Yes, they are delicious with arrowhead mills gluten free all purpose baking mix!!
claryn says:
Jul 10, 2014
Awesome! That’s good to know.
Mandy says:
Jul 3, 2014
Yes, worked well. They are yummy!
My Vegan Experiment « Dirty Inspirations says:
Apr 30, 2013
[...] found this cookie recipe on the Hell Yeah Its Veganwebsite, which has become one of my favorite sites for recipes. The [...]
tammy spits says:
May 18, 2013
Thanks so much for an absolutely delicious cookie!! I make these for non vegans too and they devour them! This is my hubby’s favorite cookie recipe now, I sometimes add a few chocolate chips to my part of the batter and cranberries. I love that this is a huge recipe, I wrap these giant cookies in foil and freeze them, they come out of the freezer tasting just as delicious as the day they were baked!!!
emmag says:
Jun 16, 2013
is the baking powder etc supposed to be a tablespoon or a teaspoon? xx
claryn says:
Jun 30, 2013
A tablespoon, as written. Yikes, right?! I bet they’d turn out just fine with less, but rest assured that this recipe works just great with the full amount, too. It makes a huge amount of dough!
Brandy says:
Sep 17, 2013
I was preparing to make these but I had a question. How much cream? It says whip butter and add sugars and cream. I did not see cream in the ingredients list.
claryn says:
Sep 17, 2013
I meant “cream” as in the verb “to cream”, not the noun (as in the dairy product). See the following link for detailed instructions! http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Cream-Butter-and-Sugar-by-Hand-or-with-a-M/
Rachel says:
Dec 14, 2013
We are new to being vegan, as of this year, but I LOVE making cowboy cookies and was hoping to find a good substitute – Thank you!
The couple items I sub is Almonds instead of Pecans (allergy) and Cardamon instead of Cinnamon (I love the way cardamon smells and the flavor it adds to these cookies).
claryn says:
Dec 15, 2013
Awesome! I’ve gotten really into cardamom recently, so I’m totally going to try your twist in these some time. Thanks for the idea, and congrats on going vegan!
Mandy says:
Jul 3, 2014
Oh my Gawsh!! These are the best cookies ever!! I used raw sugar and gluten free flour blend. So yum!!
Lindsay says:
Jul 9, 2014
Thank you, thank you, thank you. These are the most delicious cookies EVER. Even my boyfriend thought so, and he really fancies himself a cookie connoisseur (and is not vegan). And you weren’t kidding about making giant cookies. I made 1/3 of the recipe and got exactly 12 GIANT cookies. I didn’t flatten much and they stayed nice and tall, which was great in my book. Now I just have to restrain myself from making these constantly.
claryn says:
Jul 10, 2014
Haha! Glad you both liked them, Lindsay
Regina Hall says:
Oct 5, 2014
Best cookies I’ve ever made! You have to be in a sugary mood though!! I used half coconut oil, half vegan butter; and I only used half the chocolate chips and it was still plenty sweet. Try adding walnuts as well!!