Keto Cowboy Cookies

Low-Carb Keto Cowboy Cookies are an all-the-textures, all but the kitchen sink sort of cookie, loaded with goodies to make you swoon!  Easy to make, grain-free, and sugar-free, these lumps of gooey deliciousness are magnificently addicting.

Have you heard of Cowboy Cookies?

I’m a self-proclaimed under-the-rock dweller, so it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I discovered them.

My guess is if you haven’t heard of Cowboy Cookies, you’ve probably eaten them without even realizing it. That was the case for me!

Let’s chat.

What are Cowboy Cookies?:

Chocolate Chip Cookies + oats + pecans + shredded coconut = cowboy cookies. 

Some folks use walnuts instead of pecans.

Essentially, cowboy cookies are a regular chocolate chip cookie with oats, pecans (or walnuts), shredded coconut and some ground cinnamon added in. They’re huge on flavor and texture and they are just a pure delight to eat and share!

Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies have become very popular, and what we’re doing here is simply a low-carb / ketogenic version of that.

Because I believe anything with the name “Cowboy” is serious business, I wanted to be sure these cookies lived up to their reputation, so I made them ultra large. 

If you’re serving guests or kids, I’d recommend going with standard sized cookies. 

But if you’re like me and my partner and love your sweet treat to be proportionally sized to your sweet tooth, go big, friend!

Ingredients for Keto Cowboy Cookies:

Since we’re taking the low-carb approach to this treat, we’re replacing regular flour with almond flour, and using sugar-free brown sugar (for that richer flavor). 

As I mentioned earlier, traditional cowboy cookies include oats, but oats contain a decent amount of carbs. So what’ll we do?

I recently heard about oat fiber, which is exactly as it sounds. It’s the fiber from the oats only, thereby removing the carbohydrate and leaving you with an oaty flavor.

Is the oat fiber completely mandatory in this recipe? 

No. If you don’t mind losing that oat flavor, you can easily replace it with ½ cup of additional almond flour.

In addition to the almond flour, sugar-free brown sugar, and oat fiber, we use unsalted butter (you can do softened coconut oil or vegan “butter” spread if you need a dairy-free version!), unsweetened shredded coconut, raw pecans, sugar-free chocolate chips, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and sea salt.

Pretty standard, really!

Do I Need To Toast The Coconut and Pecans For Cowboy Cookies?:

Okay, here’s the deal. Traditionally, the shredded coconut and pecans are lightly toasted in a skillet on the stove top before they are added to the cookies. This enhances the flavor of both and is well worth the added effort.

If, however, you’re just psyched about cookies in general and don’t care about the toasty richness, you can easily skip the toasting part.

For those of you who do want to toast, proceed with caution as these ingredients burn quickly when left unattended. 

Here’s what you do:

Add the shredded coconut and pecans to a small non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high on the stove top, stirring every 20 seconds or so, until the nuts and coconut begin turning a golden-brown and become fragrant. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool (don’t allow them to cool in the skillet because they will continue cooking and may burn. Proceed with the rest of the recipe!

How to Make Cowboy Cookies:

We use the same exact method as regular chocolate chip cookies!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the butter and sugar-free brown sugar to a stand mixer (or mixing bowl if using an electric hand mixer) and beat on medium-high speed until combined and fluffy.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl, then add one egg. Beat until combined, then add the other egg.

Again, scrape the sides of the mixer with a rubber spatula.

Stir together the remaining (dry) ingredients in a bowl and pour it into the mixer. 

Beat on medium-high until the dough is very well combined, thick, and sticky.

Scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies – for regular sized cookies, go with 8 to 11, and for larger cookies, bake for 11 to 13.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

That’s it! Your ticket to incredibly gooey, rich, flavorful chocolate chip cookies with all sorts of added bonuses all built in for the most delectable treat. 

Recipe Adaptations:

• Make the recipe paleo by using coconut sugar instead of sugar-free brown sugar.
• If you use regular brown sugar in your baking and don’t need these cookies to be low-carb, use regular light brown sugar.
• Swap the pecans for walnuts.
• Make the cookies dairy-free by using softened coconut oil instead of butter.

More Keto Dessert Recipes:

• Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins
• Espresso Keto Brownies
• Keto Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
• Vanilla Keto Ice Cream
• Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag me at @The.Roasted.Root!

Have a wild ride with these cowboy cookies!

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