Cowboy Cookies : No Yeehaw From Me

I don't know why these are called Cowboy Cookies and according to Joy of Baking, these are also known as Ranger Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies (what a name!) and Everything Cookies.

Apparently, former First Lady Laura Bush had a hand in making these cookies popular when her Cowboy Cookies recipe won over Tipper Gore's Ginger Snap recipe in Family Circle's Magazine cookie bake-off back in 2000 during the presidential campaign.

What I like is that these cookies are loaded with oats, nuts, raisins, shredded dried coconut and chocolate chips. I made the full recipe but baked only a small batch for obvious reasons. Yup, my pants are getting tight at the waist, hips and thighs because I have been stuffing my face with cookies (and other carb-rich stuff).

I have reduced the sugar by quite a bit as the original recipe calls for 240g sugar to 260g flour. But to be fair, there is also 480g of rolled oats in the recipe which I have halved because I thought that was too much oats.

I'm afraid that I was underwhelmed by these cookies. I should have enjoyed them but somehow....they did not taste that good. Maybe my guilty conscience dulled my capacity for cookie pleasure. So don't take my word for it.

The remainder of the cookie dough was divided into 3 portions and kept in the freezer. Hopefully the next time I bake me some Cowboy Cookies, I get that yeehaw! feeling.

Cowboy Cookies

Recipe source : Adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients :

- 250g self-raising flour

- 1 cup rolled oats

- 120g walnuts, chopped

- 1/2 cup dessicated cocount

- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I think 1 cup would be better)

- 1/2 cup raisins

- 227g butter, softened (I used salted)

- 60g caster sugar

- 95g brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method :

1. Using a plastic spoon or spatula (or handmixer), cream butter and both sugars until creamy.

2. Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Add flour and fold to form a dough.

4. Then fold in oats, walnuts, dessicated coconut, chocolate chips and raisins.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto a lined baking tray.

6. Bake at 160C for 16 minutes or until the cookies are browned. Bake longer for crispier cookies.