Throughout my childhood, my grandpa made his special Cowboy Coffee Cake nearly every time he and my grandma flew out to visit us in California. With the recipe completely memorized, he pulled out ingredients and mixing bowls in the early hours of the morning, stirring together flour and cinnamon and an extra pinch of sugar for good measure.
Although the original recipe called for raisins, my brother and I hated them in anything except oatmeal cookies and tiny red paper snack boxes, so Grandpa substituted a secret ingredient to ensure we ate slices too… Fruity Pebbles, our favorite cereal! Then he spread the batter into the pan; scattered a thick, generous layer of streusel on top; and popped in it the microwave to bake.
Yes, the microwave! I never quite understood whether that was part of his “Cowboy” magic… Or whether the coffee cake just baked faster when prepared that way, as opposed to the traditional oven. Regardless, we all enjoyed tall slices of his tender breakfast cake as soon as it finished baking, topped with a tiny pat of butter that melted into the nooks and crannies of the streusel.
So when I first heard of “cowboy cookies,” my mind puzzled through what they could be. “Cookies with raisins? Or with a streusel topping?” I thought. “Or maybe cookies made in the microwave?”
A quick internet search told me that “cowboy cookies” were oatmeal cookies with nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips… Possibly named either because (a) they originated in Texas during a time where there were more cowboys than regular homesteaders, or (b) the cookies were hearty enough to survive a trip out into the Wild West.
Regardless, cowboy cookies were nothing like what my mind had envisioned—but even better!
But because traditional recipes called for plenty of butter, refined flour and granulated sugar, I created these Healthy Classic Cowboy Cookies to enjoy guilt-free instead! They have the same irresistible flavors and perfectly chewy texture, but they’re just 103 calories with none of those ingredients!
And to that, I have just one word… Yeehaw! 🙊
This is the next flavor in my healthy oatmeal cookie recipe series. ← Have you tried any of those other ones yet? They’re some of the most popular recipes on my blog because they contain no butter, refined flour or sugar… Yet they taste just like traditional, indulgent oatmeal cookies! (I highly recommend trying the apple pie, carrot cake, and classic oatmeal raisin recipes after this one!)
So my fellow Oatmeal Cookie Monster, you’ll start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats, and they’re sold in containers right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store. They’re a little thinner and smaller than old-fashioned oats, but they have the same flavor and health benefits!
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your cookie dough and make you cookies taste cakey or dry. This is especially true for the oats because they act like sponges and soak up moisture from your cookie dough!
For this reason, I highly recommend a kitchen scale! ← That’s the one I own and love, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I use it to make every recipe that I share with you here on AHB because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them.
You’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten your cookies with pure maple syrup instead. It’s not just for pancakes, waffles, and French toast! Buy the real kind, like this, instead of pancake syrups or sugar-free syrups. Those latter two contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthy recipe!
Then for those yummy cowboy flavors, you’ll stir in finely chopped pecans, shredded unsweetened coconut (like this!), and miniature chocolate chips. The chocolate is my favorite part! I’m a huge chocoholic… Which is why I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook! These are some of my favorite mini chocolate chips because they taste rich and melt really well.
If being a cowboy means I can eat these all day long… Then find me a saddle and some spurs! 😎 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 😊) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Classic Cowboy Cookies | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 2 tbsp (10g) shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tbsp (14g) finely diced pecans
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and partially flatten to about half of their original heights using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will also work, if measured like this.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Make sure to cut the pecans to be the same size as the miniature chocolate chips to ensure they’re evenly distributed and the cookies bake evenly.
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookies FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Pumpkin Cowboy Cookies
♡ Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
I made the carrot cake cookies a couple of days ago. I loved them, but my husband would love these! Can I substitute honey for the maple syrup? I am in Argentina and don’t have access to that.
I’m so glad you loved the carrot cake oatmeal cookies Camille! I’ve actually answered that question on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, which is linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your husband think of these cookies!
That’s so funny about the microwave cake!! I think that must have been a thing of the 80s/90s… the novelty of the microwave! We used to LOVE this dish my mom made we called “microwave chicken,” which was essentially friend chicken in the microwave. The overcooked, chewy bits were part of the experience! LOL! Thank goodness my Mom finally learned better later!
FRIED chicken, not friend chicken! 😉
Oh man, that’s awesome!!! I had no idea that your mom made “fried” chicken in the microwave! I bet it tasted a lot different when she used the oven instead… 😉
OMG Tasty and healthy
thanks for the information
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies! 🙂