Christmas Cowboy Cookies are thick, chewy and loaded with simple ingredients. The perfect cookie for the holiday season that is easy to make.
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Easy Christmas Cowboy Cookies Recipe:
Holiday baking is one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. These Christmas Cowboy Cookies is one of my favorite because of how easy they are to make.
These cookies are thick, chewy and loaded with simple ingredients. The red and green M&M’s make these cookies so fun and festive. These cookies are great to serve for holiday dinner or placed on a cookie tray.
If you are a baker you probably already have the majority of these ingredients. Grab the kids and make some memories with these classic cowboy cookies.
You may love these Cake Mix Christmas Cookies.
What are Cowboy Cookies?
Texas Governor Cowboy cookies became a household cookie after Laura Bush submitted this cookie recipe and won. The combination of the oatmeal, chocolate chips and shredded coconut make these cookies so delicious a Family Circle favorite.
These oatmeal cookies can be made in a variety of ways. Add in raisins or cranberries for a delicious option.
Ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter softened
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs room temperature
- Vanilla Extract
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- White Chocolate Chips
- Chopped Pecans
- Sweetened Flaked Coconut
- Red and Green M&Ms
How to Make Christmas Cowboy Cookies:
- Step 1 – Heat Oven – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 2 – Mix Dry Ingredients – In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix in ground cinnamon and salt. Then set dry ingredients aside.
Step 3 – Cream Wet Ingredients – Using a mixer, cream together the butter with the sugar. Then add in the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Step 4 – Combine dry and wet ingredients – Gradually add in the flour mixture, mixing after each addition, until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
Step 5 – Add in additional ingredients – Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, coconut and half of the M&M. Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of the cookie dough onto the baking sheets.
Step 6 – Top Cookies with M&M’s – Press the remaining M&M into the tops of the cookies.
- Step 7 – Bake Cookies – Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and slightly browned.
- Step 8 – Serve and Enjoy – Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then move them to wire racks to cool completely.
Cowboy Cookie Variation Ideas:
There are many variation to these cowboy cookies. Feel free to change the ingredients. These are some of our favorites.
- Milk Chocolate Chips
- Sprinkle with Sea Salt
- Chopped Peanuts
- Toffee Bits
- Chopped Pecans
Recipe Tips:
- Combining Ingredients – We recommend mixing the ingredients with a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Mix on medium speed in a large mixing bowl.
- Adding in Egg Yolk – When adding in the eggs, add the eggs one at a time. This helps to fully mix in the eggs with the cookie dough.
- Cookie Scoop. The cookies will be the same size and cook evenly if you use a cookie scoop. This also helps to make the process super fast.
- Baking Time – Bake time may vary so watch the cookies closely. Cookies will be golden brown when finished cooking. They will finish cooking on the cooling rack.
- Line the Baking Sheets – Parchment paper makes clean up easy and helps the cookies to bake evenly without spreading a bunch.
Can you Freeze Cowboy Christmas Cookies:
Yes, these cowboy cookies freeze well and there are two options you can choose from. You can either freeze the cookie dough or freeze the cookies once they have baked.
Freezing Cookie Dough
- Prepare the cookie dough as the recipe indicates.
- After forming the dough balls, place the dough on baking sheet.
- Flash freeze on a baking sheet for 1 to 2 hours.
- Then freeze in bags or freezer containers until ready to bake.
This method makes it super easy to enjoy fresh baked cookies any day of the week. Just note that frozen cookies will need a few extra minutes to bake.
Freezing Baked Cookies
If you have leftover cookies, then you can freeze baked cookies. Place parchment paper in between the layers when freezing. You can use a freezer container or bag and freeze up to 3 months.
How to Store Leftovers:
Store the leftover cookies at room temperature in an airtight container or bag. Store the cookies with a slice of bread to keep them soft.
Print Recipe for Christmas Cowboy Cookies:
Christmas Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
- 3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
- 3/4 cup Chopped Pecans
- 3/4 cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
- 1 1/2 cups Red and Green M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, powder powder, ground cinnamon and salt. Then set aside.
- Using a mixer, cream together the butter with the sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture, mixing after each addition, until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, coconut and half of the M&M. Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of the cookie dough onto the baking sheets.
- Press the remaining M&M into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and slightly browned.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move them to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
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