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Cowboy Cookies (Loaded, Chewy & Perfect for Sharing!)

If you love a hearty, bakery-style cookie packed with flavor and texture, these Cowboy Cookies are a must-bake. Loaded with oats, brown sugar, and your favorite mix-ins, they’re chewy, slightly crisp on the edges, and incredibly satisfying. I don’t really consider these to be oatmeal cookies but rather cookies with some oatmeal in them. This is my favorite base recipe for soft chewy cookies made with oatmeal.

This recipe makes a big batch, perfect for sharing, freezing, or keeping a stash of homemade cookies on hand for whenever the craving hits.

Why You’ll Love These Cowboy Cookies

• Soft and chewy with lightly crisp edges
• Packed with oats and customizable mix-ins
• Great for baking ahead and freezing
• Perfect for lunchboxes, parties, or snacks
• Makes a large batch (about 4 dozen!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups quick oats
• 1 to 2 cups mix-ins (chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.)

Instructions

Step 1: Prep

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: Cream Butter & Sugars

In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.

Step 4: Add Wet Ingredients

Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fully combined.

Step 5: Combine

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just blended.

Step 6: Add Oats & Mix-Ins

Stir in the oats and your choice of mix-ins until evenly distributed.

Step 7: Scoop & Bake

Drop tablespoon-sized portions onto cookie sheets, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Roll into balls for a more uniform cookie.

Bake for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Step 8: Cool

Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips for Perfect Cowboy Cookies

• Don’t overbake—they’ll continue to set as they cool
• Use room-temperature butter for smoother mixing
• Mix and match add-ins to keep things interesting
• Chill the dough (optional) for thicker cookies
• Use a cookie scoop for even sizing

Mix-In Ideas

Choose your favorite mix-ins. These cookies are amazing with raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, or cranberries. When making them with raisins, I add 2 tsp of ground cinnamon. I love making these with butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or even cinnamon chips. Okay, they are great with any flavor of baking chips. Or use up some leftover candy, chopped-up candy bars, malted milk balls, caramel chunks, toffee pieces, or M&M’s. You could also add walnuts, pecans, roasted peanuts, almonds, or coconut if you wish.

Customize your cookies with:

• Chocolate chips (milk, dark, or white)
• Chopped pecans or walnuts
• Shredded coconut
• Raisins or dried cranberries
• Butterscotch or peanut butter chips

Storage & Freezing

• Room temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
• Freeze Baked cookies: Up to 2 months
• Freeze dough: Scoop into balls and freeze, then bake straight from frozen (add 1–2 minutes to bake time)

These Cowboy Cookies are simple to make, easy to customize, and always a crowd favorite. Whether you keep them classic or load them up with extras, they’re guaranteed to disappear fast.

Print Recipe

Cowboy Cookies

Course: Dessert

Servings: 48

Calories: 105kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups quick oats
• 1 to 2 cups of your favorite mix-in (dried fruit, any flavor baking chip, nuts, etc.)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream butter, oil, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients until well blended. Mix in oats and your favorite mix-ins. Drop from a tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden. Let them set on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

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