I feel like I should be swinging around a lasso right now... why? Well, as we certainly don't live on a farm (much to Jeff's dismay), we'll blame it on these oat-y
Cowboy Cookies I made to snack on today. Why are they called that? *shrug* I really have no idea, but I'm just going with the flow.
There isn't anything too unusual about the dough for these - to give them a bit more thickness and crispness, but still retain a buttery flavor, I used a combination of softened butter and shortening. You can use all butter though, if you prefer. Using an even ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, the cookies are not really crispy or soft - they land in the middle where the edges are just crisp and the closer you get to the center, the chewier the cookies get. Using a generous amount of old-fashioned rolled oats also add to their chewy quality.
Hunks of bittersweet chocolate, nuggets of pecans and tiny shreds of unsweetened coconut are the mix-ins for these golden rounds. I tend to refrigerate cookie dough before baking, usually to control the end thickness, but I typically test out a few cookies to see how they do first. Since the test ones baked well and didn't melt into flat cookies, I went ahead and baked the the rest. If you do need or want to chill the dough first, I suggest flattening the scooped balls slightly, before baking, so they bake into round cookies instead of mounds. These cookies were hearty, had plenty of depth to them and while they didn't scream "I have coconut in me!", they added an intriguing texture and flavor that had you guessing just what made these so good. Don't let all of the cookies cool completely before gnawing on them though... have one (ok, make that three) to enjoy the gooey rapture of melted "chocolate goodness" (as Jeff likes to say) in each bite.
Recipes
There isn't anything too unusual about the dough for these - to give them a bit more thickness and crispness, but still retain a buttery flavor, I used a combination of softened butter and shortening. You can use all butter though, if you prefer. Using an even ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, the cookies are not really crispy or soft - they land in the middle where the edges are just crisp and the closer you get to the center, the chewier the cookies get. Using a generous amount of old-fashioned rolled oats also add to their chewy quality.
Hunks of bittersweet chocolate, nuggets of pecans and tiny shreds of unsweetened coconut are the mix-ins for these golden rounds. I tend to refrigerate cookie dough before baking, usually to control the end thickness, but I typically test out a few cookies to see how they do first. Since the test ones baked well and didn't melt into flat cookies, I went ahead and baked the the rest. If you do need or want to chill the dough first, I suggest flattening the scooped balls slightly, before baking, so they bake into round cookies instead of mounds. These cookies were hearty, had plenty of depth to them and while they didn't scream "I have coconut in me!", they added an intriguing texture and flavor that had you guessing just what made these so good. Don't let all of the cookies cool completely before gnawing on them though... have one (ok, make that three) to enjoy the gooey rapture of melted "chocolate goodness" (as Jeff likes to say) in each bite.
Recipes
I've made Cowboy Cookies in the past and I have to say that this recipe is much better than the one I tried. I may have to put this one on the baking list.
ReplyDeleteHelene - We hope you like them!
ReplyDeleteOh, yum - I will totally try and make these! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteElin - Get crackin'! I hope you like them.
ReplyDelete