My freezer is empty of cookies. This is Not good. Cookie baking has not been high on my to-do list, but I have someone I want to make a great cookie for, and this one qualifies. I saw this recipe 10 years ago on the net. A year later I finally threw a batch together. These cookies are created just like that; dump and blend; there is a bit of stickiness in the shaping of them but no matter, just wash those sticky fingers and hands before you put on the oven gloves…
Notes: I like to use all dark brown sugar, I added walnuts, used less vanilla and I prefer Better Batter flour mix. I’ve made them using Cup 4 cup blend, another good option for flour blend. Once I used a half cup KA brown rice flour mix for the last ½ cup of flour. Its best to beat the eggs; added them roughly one at a time. I got the chunky coconut chips at Frey’s Better Foods here in Hellertown.
Cowboy cookies have been around a long time. Popular with cowboys I assume! They are sturdy and yummy. The flavor is a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips, cinnamon, brown sugar and oats with a healthy dose of butter. Totally. nummy. good.
I never heard of them before my first batch although apparently, they have been around for decades. I read that Laura Bush baked a version of them in her smack down with another First Lady wanna be. They are hearty and really big so I am guessing they might well be from Texas!
My first batch made 24 cookies, the recipe said 20…. One other time 30 cookies. So, mine were a tad smaller than suggested but still really large. I ended up baking mine for 14 minutes, so I suggest you do likewise. If you bake them one sheet at a time they should be done in 12 minutes, but I would rather bake 2 sheets simultaneously. Some of the sets of six cookies were done on the parchment paper and one sheet was just on a cooking sprayed nonstick cookie sheet. Both ways worked fine. They spread some but not a lot so leave some space between them.
I plan to freeze most of them, so they last a bit. I am guessing success will be my ability to pull one of these big boys out of the freezer and snack down after work next week!
Cowboy Cookies, GF and you’d never know it!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter works great)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it) *BB does!
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups old fashioned gf rolled oats
1 1/2 cups coconut chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and whisk to combine well.
Place about 1 teaspoon of the dry ingredients in a separate, small bowl and add the chocolate chips to the bowl. Toss to coat the chips, and set the bowl aside.
To the large bowl, add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and whisk to combine, working out any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the oats and coconut chips and mix to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine. Add the chips and reserved dry ingredients, and mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout. If necessary to bring the dough together, knead it with your hands. Divide the dough into 20 pieces, each about 2 ounces. Roll each into a ball and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each ball into disk about 1/4-inch thick with your palm or a big spatula.
Place the baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven, two at a time, and bake until lightly golden brown all over (about 14 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes or until firm before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy these fat and tasty big cookies; no one will ever guess they are gluten free!
Postscript: these freaking cookies are addictive! They are subtly flavored by the combination of the above-named ingredients. My guy and my grandson Aiden love them too. Trust me, they are the bomb!
Note to self; follow recipe exactly and they are even better…. I make sure to beat the eggs first before pouring them on top of the softened butter and the vanilla. I also remembered to add the chips last and watch them closely in the oven. They are so yummy I tend to put most of them in the freezer to keep myself from eating more cookies. FYI: Perfect warm out of the oven.
My World Without Wheat 