Cowboy Cookies

Oats.  Coconut.  Chocolate.  Need more? My source for this recipe is THIS site- you can find a nice little story about Laura Bush using these cookies to help win the presidency for her husband (sort of..not really).  I halved the recipe and still got 3 dozen cookies.  Here is the full recipe- if you only do half, use one big egg or 2 small eggs or the weird thing I did, where I used one medium egg and tried to let only half of the second one fall in the bowl...

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups chopped pecans (optional - I omit)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a second bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. 

Stir in the flour mixture, blending until just combined. Add the chips, oats, coconut, and pecans and stir until fully incorporated.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet, making sure to allow plenty of room between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes- they will seem underdone- let them cool completely on the sheet before removing to a rack or plate.  This is how you achieve that wonderful soft, chewy cookie texture while keeping crisp edges.

Then hide them.  Because you will eat them all!