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, the traditional recipe for cowboy cookies are a regular chocolate chip cookie with oats, pecans (or walnuts), shredded coconut and a touch of 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.

These keto cookies are ideal for those who are watching their blood sugar or who follow a keto diet.

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 as opposed to large 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:

Almond Flour: Since we’re taking the low-carb approach to this treat, we’re replacing regular flour with almond flour. I recommend using finely-ground almond flour for the best results.

Unsalted Butter: Bringing that classic buttery flavor and chewy texture, we need unsalted butter to act as the fat portion of the recipe. It makes these cookies taste so rich and divine!

Use softened coconut oil or vegan butter spread for a dairy-free version.

Sugar-Free Brown Sugar: Replacing regular cane sugar, we need a brown sugar substitute. You can use your favorite brand of sugar-free granulated sweetener. My favorite is golden monkfruit sweetener.

If you can’t find sugar-free brown sugar, any kind of granulated sugar-free sweetener will work, such as erythritol, Swerve, or regular monk fruit sweetener.

Large Eggs: A couple large eggs at room temperature help the cookies rise so that they’re soft and chewy.

Pure Vanilla Extract: If you keep vanilla extract on hand, toss in one teaspoon vanilla extract. This brings warmth to the cookies that makes them so irresistible.

Oat Fiber: As I mentioned earlier, traditional cowboy cookies include oats, but oats contain a decent amount of carbs. So what’ll we do to lower the net carbs?

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.

If you aren’t following a strict keto diet, you can replace the oat fiber with 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats. This is my recommendation if you use oats regularly in your diet. Oat fiber can be difficult to find at any local grocery store and may need to be sourced online.

You can also replace the oat fiber with ½ cup of additional almond flour.

Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips: Taking the place of regular semisweet chocolate chips, we need sugar-free chocolate chips.

You can also use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips if you aren’t on a strict ketogenic diet.

Ground Cinnamon and Sea Salt: A touch of cinnamon brings warm flavor and sea salt enhances the whole experience. Be sure to include both!

Baking Powder: The leavening agent that helps the cookies rise and ensures they don’t spread out too far during the baking process.

Raw Pecans and Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: The two key ingredients that make this great recipe so loveable! Chopped nuts and toasted coconut bring buttery nutty flavor and fun texture, which is why the original recipe is adored.

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!

Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for this great recipe, let’s make a batch of these cookies!

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 with the wet ingredients. 

Beat on medium-high until the dough is very well combined, thick, and sticky. If the dough seems very sticky, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

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 minutes, and for larger cookies, bake for 11 to 13 minutes.

Remove the cookie sheet 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. 

Store cookies in an airtight container or in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze cookies for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

If you make 22 cookies, each cookie contains 162 calories, 16 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of net carbs, and 2 grams of protein.

Note that the nutrition facts are calculated using specific products so you can re-calculate them based on the specific brands you use.

Looking for ways you can customize keto cookie recipes? Here are some options.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Omit the shredded coconut and add an extra 1/2 cup of almond flour if you aren’t into coconut or if you are allergic to it.
• 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.

And that’s it! These easy cowboy cookies are a great option for those who love a sweet treat but don’t want to spike their blood sugar.

The addition of the toasted pecans, shredded coconut, and cinnamon bring so much life to the cookie!

If you love making keto recipes, here are more low-carb reader favorites for you to enjoy.

More Keto Dessert Recipes:

• Keto Pecan Snowball Cookies
• Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Espresso Keto Brownies
• Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins
• Keto Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
• Vanilla Keto Ice Cream
• Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Keto Chocolate Nuggets

Have a wild ride with these cowboy cookies!

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