Oatmeal Cowboy Cookies Recipe

By Melissa Griffiths

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on May 06, 2025

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These legendary Cowboy Cookies aren’t just delicious — they’re a versatile treat that will quickly become a family favorite! They are full of all kinds of fun things like dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut all rolled into a perfect oatmeal cookie. 

A plate of cowboy oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and white chocolate chips sits on a checkered cloth next to two bottles of milk; more cookies cool on a wire rack in the background.


 

🍪 These hearty cookies satisfy both sweet tooth cravings and hunger pangs, making them perfect for everything from lunchboxes to after-school snacks to holiday cookie exchanges.

Table of Contents

My 2 Best Tips For Making These Cowboy Cookies

Customize Your Cookies: This recipe is incredibly flexible. You can omit any ingredient you don’t enjoy or have allergies to, and substitute with more of another ingredient. For example, if you don’t like coconut, simply add more nuts or chocolate chips instead. The total amount of add-ins should remain roughly the same (about 2 cups total).

Oatmeal Types: I think using two kinds of oats — quick and old-fashioned — makes the texture of the cookie really perfect. That’s why I didn’t just use one kind or the other. That being said, if you only have 1 type of oatmeal, just use that one in place of both called for in the recipe (a total of 2 cups).

Melissa in her kitchen smiling in front of the starting ingredients for the chicken the quinoa salad and skillet chicken on the wood block in front of her

🩷 Melissa

These cookies are coming to you from out west – the heart of cowboy country!

They are full of all kinds of fun things like dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut all rolled into a perfect oatmeal cookie. A little bit of so many delicious things makes this cookie easy to love and easy to share with friends and neighbors.

Cowboy cookies earned their name because they’re hearty, portable, and packed with energy-boosting ingredients—perfect for cowboys who needed sustenance on long cattle drives.

The combination of oats, nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit creates a filling treat that’s both nutritious and satisfying. I love making these cookies ahead of a busy week filled with lots of activities since they’re perfect for a filling snack!

Three homemade oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and nuts on a decorative white and blue floral plate, placed on a light surface with a checkered cloth and more cookies in the background.
No ratings yet

Oatmeal Cowboy Cookies Recipe

By: Melissa Griffiths
These cookies are coming to you from out west – the heart of cowboy country. They are full of all kinds of fun things like dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut all rolled into a perfect oatmeal cookie. A little bit of so many delicious things makes this cookie easy to love and easy to share with friends and neighbors.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
45 minutes
Servings: 48 cookies
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Ingredients 

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
  • In a medium mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer), beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the molasses, eggs, and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
    A metal mixing bowl with creamed cookie dough and a paddle attachment, viewed from above on a light-colored surface.
  • Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and stir to combine well.
  • Add both kinds of oatmeal and stir until combined.
    A metal mixing bowl containing rolled oats, flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, arranged in separate piles on a light surface.
  • Add the cranberries, coconut, pecans (or walnuts), milk chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips.
    A metal mixing bowl filled with thick, chunky oatmeal cookie dough, featuring visible oats and chocolate chips.
  • Working with 1 large tablespoon of dough at a time, roll the cookie dough into balls, and place them on the cookie sheet 2.5 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
    A baking tray lined with parchment paper holds nine evenly spaced scoops of unbaked cookie dough, arranged in a 3x3 grid pattern.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the top of the cookie is no longer shiny.
    A white baking tray lined with parchment paper holds nine unbaked oatmeal cookies spaced evenly apart, ready to be baked.
  • Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, before removing them to let them rest on a wire rack until cool.
  • Repeat with remaining dough.
  • Enjoy warm. Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 8 weeks.

Notes

Consistent Cookie Size: Using a cookie scoop to measure the dough into balls will make all the cookies consistent in size. This helps speed up the cookie baking process, too!
Non-Stick Baking: Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to keep cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. 
Watch for Visual Cues: Rather than relying solely on timing, look for visual cues that cookies are done—the tops should no longer be shiny, and the edges should be just barely starting to turn golden.
Add-Ins: This recipe is really flexible as far as the add-ins go. If you’d like to omit something, great. If you’d like to replace one of the things with a little more of something else, you can do that, too. The amount of add-ins should total about 2 cups so just use that as a general rule of thumb when deciding what to use.
Oats Tip: I think using two kinds of oats makes the texture of the cookie really perfect. If you only have 1 type of oatmeal, just use either one. To make your own quick oats, put 1 cup of rolled or old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor and pulse until it’s more the texture of quick oats. This will work as the quick oats called for in the recipe.
Cookie Storage & Make Ahead Tips:
  • For best freshness, store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 
  • For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers for up to 8 weeks. Thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy.
  • Or freeze the cookie dough and bake from frozen! To freeze, form the cookie dough into balls. Freeze in an individual layer and then move the cookie dough balls into an air-tight container and keep in the freezer until ready to use. When you are ready to bake them, bake the frozen cookie dough balls (no need to thaw) for 12 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 130kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 120mg, Potassium: 48mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 129IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg
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Recipe FAQs

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes! This dough is perfect for making ahead. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days before baking, or freeze the formed cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, you can place the frozen dough balls directly on a baking sheet and add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Can I substitute or omit some of the add-ins?

You can omit any ingredient or substitute with another ingredient to customize your own cookie. The total amount of add-ins should remain about 2 cups total.

Can I only use one kind of oatmeal in this recipe?

Yes, if you only have one type of oatmeal on hand, then just use that kind for all of the oatmeal in the recipe (2 cups). You can also put 1 cup of rolled or old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor and pulse until it’s more the texture of quick oats — basically homemade quick oats!

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