Gordon Ramsay’s cowboy cookies take his chocolate chip cookie base and load it with rolled oats, desiccated coconut, and chopped pecans on top of the chocolate chips. You cream 225g of softened butter with both brown and white sugar, fold in everything, and bake at 175°C (350°F) for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set but the centres still look soft.
Gordon does not have an official cowboy cookies recipe, but his cookie method is the best starting point I have found for this style. This is the best cowboy cookies recipe I have tested at home, and each one is thick enough that you only need two or three before you are done.
Try More Cookie Recipes:
- Gordon Ramsay Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay PB&J Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Shortbread Cookies Recipe
What Makes A Cowboy Cookie?
A cowboy cookie is a chocolate chip cookie with oats, coconut, and nuts thrown in. The oats make it chewier, the coconut adds a slight sweetness, and the pecans give crunch in every bite.
I always thought they were just chocolate chip cookies with random extras, but the texture is completely different. The oats absorb moisture and keep the inside soft for days, which plain chocolate chip cookies do not do as well.
Cowboy Cookies Ingredients
- 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 150g (¾ cup) light brown sugar, packed
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280g (2¼ cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 150g (1½ cups) rolled oats (not instant)
- 150g (1 cup) chocolate chips
- 75g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
- 75g (¾ cup) chopped pecans
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Cowboy Cookies
- Heat the oven: Set it to 175°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then fold into the wet mix until the flour just disappears.
- Fold in everything else: Stir through the rolled oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans with a spatula until evenly spread.
- Scoop and bake: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the trays about 5cm (2 inches) apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden but the centres still look soft.
- Cool: Leave on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up, then move to a wire rack.
What Is The Difference Between Cowboy And Cowgirl Cookies?
Cowgirl cookies swap the pecans for white chocolate chips and sometimes add dried cranberries instead of coconut. The method is the same, just different mix-ins that lean sweeter and less nutty.
I prefer the original cowboy version because the pecans and coconut add texture that white chocolate does not. But both use the same base dough, so you can switch the mix-ins and nothing else changes.
Can I Leave Out The Coconut?
Yes. Without coconut you still have a loaded oatmeal cookie with chocolate and pecans, which is still good. The coconut adds a light chew and sweetness, but it is not the thing holding the recipe together.
Some people also swap pecans for walnuts. I have tried both, and walnuts are slightly more bitter but work fine if that is what you have in the cupboard.
What Do You Eat Cowboy Cookies With?
Cold milk or black coffee, nothing fancy. These cookies are so loaded with flavour that they work best on their own, and I serve them at the end of a barbecue when people want something sweet but not a full dessert.
They also sit well next to the chocolate mousse or the apple crumble if you are putting together a dessert spread.
Do Cowboy Cookies Keep Well?
Better than most cookies because the oats hold moisture. They last 5 to 6 days in an airtight container at room temperature without drying out, which is longer than a plain chocolate chip cookie.
Freeze the raw dough balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen with 2 extra minutes. I always double this batch and freeze half because the dough freezes perfectly.
FAQs
- Are Ranger cookies the same as cowboy cookies? Nearly. Ranger cookies traditionally use cornflakes instead of chocolate chips, but the base dough with oats, coconut, and pecans is the same. Some recipes use the names interchangeably.
- Why are they called cowboy cookies? They are trail-style cookies packed with energy from oats, nuts, and coconut. The name comes from the idea of a cookie tough enough to survive in a saddlebag, though I doubt anyone actually tested that.
- Can I use quick oats instead of rolled? I would not. Quick oats turn to mush in the dough and you lose the chewy texture that makes cowboy cookies different from regular chocolate chip cookies.
More Cookie Recipes:
- Gordon Ramsay Banana Bread Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
- All 8 Gordon Ramsay Cookie Recipes
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Total Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
- Sodium: 115mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 26g
- Protein: 3g
Gordon Ramsay Cowboy Cookies Recipe
30
servings15
minutes12
minutes27
minutesGordon Ramsay’s cowboy cookies take his chocolate chip cookie base and load it with rolled oats, desiccated coconut, and chopped pecans on top of the chocolate chips. You cream 225g of softened butter with both brown and white sugar, fold in everything, and bake at 175°C (350°F) for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set but the centres still look soft.
Gordon does not have an official cowboy cookies recipe, but his cookie method is the best starting point I have found for this style. This is the best cowboy cookies recipe I have tested at home, and each one is thick enough that you only need two or three before you are done.
Ingredients
225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
150g (¾ cup) light brown sugar, packed
100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
280g (2¼ cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150g (1½ cups) rolled oats (not instant)
150g (1 cup) chocolate chips
75g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
75g (¾ cup) chopped pecans
Directions
- Heat the oven: Set it to 175°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then fold into the wet mix until the flour just disappears.
- Fold in everything else: Stir through the rolled oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans with a spatula until evenly spread.
- Scoop and bake: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the trays about 5cm (2 inches) apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden but the centres still look soft.
- Cool: Leave on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up, then move to a wire rack.
