How to Make the Best Cowboy Cookies for Christmas
Christmas Cowboy Cookies are everything you want in a holiday bake. Warm, cozy, crisp at the edges, and perfectly chewy in the middle. They are packed with oats, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, sweetened coconut, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and rosemary, which makes the whole kitchen smell like Christmas.
These Christmas Cowboy Cookies are an easy holiday cookie recipe made with oats, cranberries, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips, then finished with a festive white chocolate drizzle.
These cookies look absolutely beautiful on a holiday cookie platter. They smell like Christmas while baking, taste incredible, and everyone will reach for them again and again. They are perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday parties, or gifting to friends and neighbors. Because this is the time of year to make extra and share!
OMG, this recipe is not only the perfect Christmas cookie, but one you will find yourself making all year long.
What goes into these cookies…
With easy swaps like dried cranberries or raisins, and coconut swapped for puffed rice cereal, you can customize them to what you love or what you have on hand. Every batch is full of flavor, chewiness, and that irresistible sweet and slightly savory combo.
To really deck these out for the holidays, drizzle them with melted white chocolate and top with extra dried cranberries, fresh rosemary, and even a tiny pinch of coarse salt. That sweet and salty vibe takes them over the top.
One of the best parts about cowboy cookies is that they are hearty and full of flavor. Add in your favorite, and leave out something if you prefer.
What makes these really Christmasy is the cranberries and rosemary, it’s one of my favorite flavor combinations.
Find more of my fun cranberry and/or rosemary treats:
- Rosemary Cranberry Toffee
- Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Rosemary Candied Walnuts
- Chocolate and dried fruit (Mendiant)
- White Chocolate Covered Pretzels with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries
- Fig Jam Dip
- Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
- Cranberry Sauce Scones
There is something insanely addictive about these cookies. One whiff and you instantly get that warm, cozy feeling.
The combination of brown sugar and cinnamon is always a winner, and the add ins make every bite exciting. Pecans, coconut, dried cranberries, and oats all come together for total deliciousness.
Don’t overcrowd the baking sheets, these cookies are big and they need room to spread out and bake evenly.
Crowding the baking pans with too much cookie dough prevents each cookie from having space to bake well.
One an 11×18 baking sheet I fit 6 cookies.
Let’s talk toppings, if you press in some of the add-ins you’ll see them on top of the baked cookies.
I like adding extra dried cranberries, pecans, and rosemary, so you see all the yumminess of what’s inside at a quick glance!
Finishing touches are what everyone notices about these…
the white chocolate drizzle,
the fresh rosemary
It gives these cookies that festive Christmas look, simply and easily,
while the red cranberries tie it all together beautifully.
Drop cookies recipes like these are great to have handy when you need something quick, impressive, and crowd-pleasing on a moment’s notice.
Christmas Drop Cookies:
Drop cookies are great cookies to have in your back pocket to make on a moments notice!
Everyone needs some easy Christmas cookies, add some fun, colorful sugar or sprinkles, or plate them up on a festive plate or package.
- Glaze chocolate Gingerbread Drop Cookies
- Glazed Almond Cookies
- Butter Pecan Cookies
- Oatmeal Maple Bacon Cookies
- Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peppermint Brownie Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookie
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Why are these called Cowboy Cookies?
Cowboy cookies are known for being hearty, bakery-style cookies packed with oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts. This Christmas version adds dried cranberries, cinnamon, and a white chocolate drizzle for a festive holiday twist.
These Christmas Cowboy Cookies store beautifully in an airtight container for several days, making them a great make-ahead cookie for holiday parties. They also freeze well, which makes them perfect for holiday baking prep.
Put these holiday show stoppers at the top of you must bake list!
Christmas Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk, from 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz)
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup sweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup pecans
optional items to add in, or on top of the cookies
- 1/2-1 cup white chocolate (for drizzle) Melt in microwave at 30-second intervals, stir well at each interval.
- 4-6 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped Add in the cookie dough, or sprinkle on top of the cookies after they bake.
- 1/2-1 cup dried cranberries to place over the white chocolate drizzle
- pinch coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
- Add in the granulated and brown sugar and salt, mix on medium to combine fully.
- Add in the whole egg and yolk, and blend the eggs into the mixture.
- Next, add in the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, oats, and mix to combine.
- Add in the chocolate chips, coconut, dried cranberries, pecans, and rosemary if adding it, then mix on a low speed to combine well.
- Drop by 3 tablespoons sized scoops onto the parchment paper.
- If you want items in the cookies on top of each cookie, save some or add additional ingredients to the tops before baking.
- Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes. The bottoms should be golden and firm, the tops will set up nicely as they cool.
- At this point, you can sprinkle the cookies with fresh rosemary or coarse salt. Allow the cookies to cool completely if you're adding some melted white chocolate drizzle. Drizzle them, then add some additional cranberries, rosemary, or salt.
- Allow the white chocolate to set up well for at least an hour, then you can stack or wrap the cookies.