Cowboy Cookies (Wyoming)

If Wyoming were a cookie, it would be big, loaded with good things and uncomplicated. Just like these easy to make cowboy cookies, which are filled with pecans, oats, chocolate chips, coconut, walnuts, and corn flakes. Although no one is sure exactly how cowboy cookies got their name, it's speculated that old west cowboys brought them with on the "road", kind of like modern-day granola bars. These Wyoming cowboy cookies are the perfect sweet treat. According to Civil War Talk, the cowboy cookie is considered the first power bar of the plains. The nutritious snack kept well and provided energy for long days in the Old West. Nobody knows for sure if that's where the cookie got its name, but one thing is certain: We were enamored with cowboys when the cookies got their start. Our love of cowboys began during the 1930s, when the Lone Ranger was the star of the radio and a popular character in novels and comic strips. Regardless of the origin of the name, cowboy cookies check all the boxes when it comes to the perfect cookie.

2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
½ tsp. sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup corn flakes, crushed

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat set aside.

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

In a much larger bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of your stand mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and then mix. Add the vanilla extract and then mix again.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix again until smooth. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, shredded coconut, walnuts and corn flakes until thoroughly combined. At this point, you may chill the cookie dough if you like. It will help to keep them from spreading too much in the oven. I chilled mine for about 30 minutes.

Scoop the dough (I used a standard cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets, and bake in batches as needed.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for about 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.

Enjoy immediately or place them in an airtight container to enjoy later.

Makes 3 dozen.