Cowboy Cookies Recipe & Video

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Cowboy Cookies are also known as Ranger Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies, and Everything Cookies. But they're really just an Oatmeal Cookie with chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, and dried coconut. Freshly baked, the edges of the cookies are nice and crispy, yet the centers are soft and chewy. First Lady Laura Bush may have helped with this cookie's popularity when her Cowboy Cookie recipe won over Tipper Gore's Ginger Snap recipe in the Family Circle's Magazine Cookie Bake-off during the 2000 presidential campaign.

When making these Cowboy Cookies I like to add a tablespoon of a mild flavored honey to the batter as it adds moisture which helps to keep the cookies soft. Ground cinnamon imparts a slightly spicy flavor plus it adds a nice color to the cookies. With Oatmeal Cookies my preference is old-fashioned, not quick-cooking, rolled oats as I like their flavor and they are thicker which gives the cookies a chewy texture. For the chocolate chips you could use semi sweet, bittersweet, milk, or even white chocolate chips. For the nuts you can use pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds. If you want to toast the nuts first (as this brings out their full flavor), put them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Cool and then coarsely chop. For the dried coconut, you can use either sweetened or unsweetened, shredded or flaked. And if you don't like coconut, you can simply leave it out. For the raisins you can use dark (Thompson) or golden, or you can use currants, dried cranberries, or dried cherries. This recipe does make a large batch of 26 cookies, so if that's too much you can half the recipe, although you may want to make the full recipe as they freeze very well.