These Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies are a peanut-butter-lover’s twist on the famous Laura Bush cookie recipe. They’re big, chewy, and loaded with flavor.
This is basically a chocolate chip cookie taken up a notch with the addition of peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and coconut. They’re a cookie lover’s dream!
Jump to:
- Cowboy Cookie Recipe with Peanut Butter
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What are Cowboy Cookies?
- Why Are They Called Cowboy Cookies?
- Cowboy Cookies vs Cowgirl Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookie Ingredients
- How to Make Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies
- Tips for Making the Best Cookies
- How to Store These Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Easy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies Recipe
Cowboy Cookie Recipe with Peanut Butter
These are the cookies my husband asks for all the time! I love them for how they taste, but also because they have the word “cowboy” in them—how fun is that?!
I already have recipes for Cowboy Coffee Cake and a Cowboy Breakfast Skillet, and there are many more cowboy recipes to come.
There are beans, casseroles, stews, spaghetti, tacos, quiche, breakfast sandwiches, and even cobbler. I can’t wait to add my version of some of those recipes to this blog.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This is a no chill recipe, so you mix them up and bake them. No waiting!
- Swapping a portion of the butter for creamy peanut butter turns a classic cowboy cookie into something even more deicious.
- These are huge cookies—we’re talking a quarter-cup of dough each—and this recipe makes a massive batch of 42, so there’s plenty to share or freeze for later.
What are Cowboy Cookies?
At their heart, Cowboy Cookies are a “more is more” cookie. They’re thick, chewy, and loaded with oats, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips. Think of them as the ultimate energy bar in cookie form—rugged enough to survive a trip in a saddlebag.
The Loaded Cookie Family Tree
While they share some DNA with other “everything” cookies, there are a few key differences:
- Ranger Cookies: These are the closest cousins to the Cowboy Cookie, but they almost always include crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies), or even corn flakes, for a lighter, shattered crunch.
- Kitchen Sink Cookies: These are the “wild card.” While Cowboy Cookies have a set profile (oats, pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips), Kitchen Sink Cookies can include anything from pretzels and potato chips to butterscotch and caramel. These are really an “add whatever you want” type of cookie.
- The PB Cowboy Twist: Our version takes the traditional oat-and-pecan base and folds in creamy peanut butter, adding a salty depth and a softer, fudgier chew that the original doesn’t have.
Why Are They Called Cowboy Cookies?
There are a few theories about this. Some believe they were a high-calorie snack that traveled well, making them the perfect cowboy treat. Others think the Western theme was used for branding because it’s appealing.
Cowboy Cookies vs Cowgirl Cookies
While there are some similarities, like oats and coconut, Cowgirl Cookies usually have white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Those sound delicious—I’m going to have to add that recipe at some point too!
Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookie Ingredients
This easy peanut butter cowboy cookies recipe is basically an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie taken to the next level by adding coconut and nuts.
Plus, this makes a Texas-sized batch of Texas-sized cookies.
If I had to pick what I love most about Texas, it’d have to be cowboys and “everything is bigger in Texas.” And when it comes to cookies, that’s definitely something I can get behind!
Butter: I use unsalted butter, but salted butter works fine and no adjustment is required. You can reduce the amount of salt if you want.
Peanut Butter: I use creamy peanut butter but crunchy would also be nice.
Flour: I use regular ol’ all-purpose flour for these cookies.
Sugars: Equal parts white and brown sugar are used for the perfect balance.
Egg: Almost every good cookie includes eggs to help them bake up properly.
Leavening Agents & Flavor Enhancements: Baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt are used to help the cookies rise properly and taste amazing.
Mix-Ins: Chocolate chips, old-fashioned oats, sweetened coconut flakes, and chopped pecans are our favorites. Dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate chips all work great. Quick-cooking oats can be used, but the texture will be slightly different. You can swap the pecans for walnuts or even peanuts (to keep with the peanut butter theme).
How to Make Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies
Jump to RecipeThis is a brief overview of the main steps with corresponding photos. Just scroll (or jump) down to the recipe card for the full recipe with exact measurements and more detailed instructions.
In a large (and I mean large!) bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until well combined.
Add the peanut butter and beat until well mixed, then add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until everything is incorporated.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and continue mixing with the electric mixer until combined.
Using a spatula or large spoon, mix in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut until combined.
Using a ¼-cup ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto a large cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches between cookies.
Flatten slightly and bake for 15–18 minutes, or until just set and the edges start to brown.
Tips for Making the Best Cookies
- Take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator about an hour before you want to make the cookies so they can come to room temperature.
- I use an ice cream scoop that’s just over ¼ cup.
- The baking sheet I use is 12″ x 17″, and I only fit 6 cookies on each. I bake on the middle rack and only one pan at a time, so I ended up with 7 sheet pans total—this took quite a while. (But so worth it because Lee and my neighbor love them!)
- Be sure to flatten the cookies slightly. I use the back of a measuring cup, but any flat object will work—even the bottom of a drinking glass.
- Don’t overbake the cookies or they’ll be a little crunchy. Still good, just crunchy. These sit on the cookie sheet 3-5 minutes and will continue to bake, so you’ll want to take them out when they look almost done.
- Use a turner, sometime called a spatula, (I prefer a metal one) to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool for several minutes before moving them. If you try to move them while they’re still too hot, they’ll break apart.
- You can make these smaller, or any size you want. Anywhere from a tablespoon up to a ¼-cup scoop, just adjust the baking time accordingly.
How to Store These Cookies
Baked Cookies:
Store cookies in an airtight container for about 3 days. As with any freshly baked good, they start to dry out after a few days.
Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Cookie Dough:
The raw cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 days, and I wouldn’t keep it any longer. The dough will start to become crumbly and just not as good as when fresh.
Raw cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. These are best frozen already portioned out and slightly flattened.
Frozen cookie dough balls can be baked straight from frozen, but extra time will be needed—probably about to 3 or 4 minutes longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
The edges will be slightly browned, and the center will look set. Remember, cookies continue to bake once they’re out of the oven, so take them out when they look almost done.
The most common causes of cookies spreading are butter that is too warm, cookie sheets that are warm, or an oven that isn’t at the correct temperature. Make sure not to overmix the butter and sugar, let baking sheets cool between batches, and bake at the correct temperature.
More Easy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
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Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablsepoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3 cups chocolate chips
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 2 cups coconut
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350° and line a very large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream Butter & Sugars: In a large bowl (I use the largest bowl I have!), cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until well combined.1 cup butter, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- Add Peanut Butter, Eggs & Vanilla: Add the peanut butter and beat until well mixed, then add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until everything is incorporated.½ cup peanut butter, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and continue mixing with the electric mixer until combined.3 cups flour, 1 tablsepoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add Mix-Ins: Using a spatula or large spoon, mix in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut until combined.3 cups old-fashioned oats, 3 cups chocolate chips, 2 cups chopped pecans, 2 cups coconut
- Shape Cookies: Using a ¼-cup ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough onto a large cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Flatten slightly.
- Bake: Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until just set and the edges start to turn light brown.
- Cool: Cool on the pan for 3–5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
About Mindy
Mindy has been cooking for over 30 years, starting as a young mother who learned how to create delicious meals on a budget. Today, she shares approachable recipes made with everyday ingredients that are easy, affordable, and family-friendly. Her goal is to show that great food doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.