Okay, so here’s the thing. I’ve been making these cookies for like three years now, and every single time someone asks me “what ARE these?” And then they eat four.
Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. The first time I made Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies, I had no idea they were famous. My neighbor Sharon brought them to a potluck back in 2022 (remember when we were all just excited to be around people again?) and I literally cornered her by the dessert table demanding the recipe. She laughed and told me they won some presidential baking contest in 2000. Presidential. Like, this recipe beat other First Ladies’ cookies.
That’s when I knew I had to make them.
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Why Everyone’s Obsessed With Laura Bush’s Famous Cowboy Cookies
These aren’t your basic chocolate chip cookies. Nope. They’re like… if a chocolate chip cookie went to Texas and came back wearing boots and a big personality. They’ve got oats, pecans, coconut, chocolate chips, AND cinnamon all fighting for attention in the best possible way. My mom calls them “everything cookies” because, well, everything’s in there.
The story goes that Family Circle magazine used to do this political bake-off thing where presidential candidates’ wives would submit cookie recipes. In 2000, Laura Bush’s Texas Governor’s Mansion Cowboy Cookies absolutely destroyed the competition. Beat Tipper Gore’s ginger snaps. And honestly? After making both, I get it. These cookies are just… better.
Laura Bush Cowboy Cookies Recipe – The Ingredients
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. This recipe makes a TON of cookies. Like, 5-6 dozen. First time I made them, I thought the recipe was wrong because my bowl was overflowing. Spoiler alert: the recipe wasn’t wrong, I just needed a bigger bowl.
You’re gonna need:
For the dough base:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (don’t pack it down, just scoop and level)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (yes, both! I know!)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups butter (that’s 3 sticks – leave it out to soften for like an hour)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
All the good stuff:
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant, trust me on this)
- 2 cups sweetened flake coconut
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Quick shopping tip: Don’t buy pre-chopped pecans if you can avoid it. They’re weirdly dry. Just grab whole pecans and chop them yourself. Takes five minutes and they taste SO much better.
Oh, and about the coconut. Some people say “can I skip it?” Look, you CAN, but then they’re just… loaded oatmeal cookies. The coconut adds this subtle sweetness and chewiness that makes them COWBOY cookies. (My brother hates coconut and even he eats these.)
How To Make Perfect Cowboy Cookies
Alright, let’s do this. And please, for the love of everything holy, make sure your butter is actually softened. I rushed it once using cold butter and—disaster. Complete disaster. The cookies spread weird and the texture was all wrong.
Step 1: Get organized (or try to)
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. I usually prep three sheets because you’ll be baking multiple batches. Unless you have a commercial kitchen. In which case… can I come over?
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set it aside.
(Fun fact I learned the hard way: Don’t skip whisking the dry ingredients together first. I once just dumped everything into the wet ingredients and ended up with cinnamon clumps. My kids thought they were fun. They were wrong.)
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars
In your biggest bowl—seriously, use the biggest one you have—beat the softened butter with an electric mixer for about a minute until it’s smooth and creamy. Then add both sugars and beat for another 2-3 minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
This step is weirdly satisfying. The mixture gets pale and doubles in size. Sometimes I just stand there watching it like it’s the most fascinating thing ever. Is that weird? Maybe.
Step 4: Add eggs and vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. This is important—if you dump all three eggs in at once, they don’t incorporate properly and you get this weird separated texture. (Ask me how I know… actually, don’t.)
Then mix in that tablespoon of vanilla. Your kitchen should smell amazing right about now.
Step 5: Combine everything
Gradually add your flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until JUST combined. Don’t overmix or your cookies will be tough.
Now comes the workout portion of this recipe. Add the chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans. Stir everything together. Your mixer might struggle here (mine does), so I usually finish mixing by hand with a big wooden spoon. Arm workout = bonus.
Step 6: The waiting game (optional but recommended)
Okay, so the original recipe doesn’t call for chilling the dough, but I’ve found that if you chill it for 30 minutes, the cookies hold their shape better and don’t spread into flat pancakes. Your call. I’ve made them both ways and they’re delicious either way.
Step 7: Bake these bad boys
Here’s where Laura Bush’s recipe is different from most cookie recipes. These are BIG cookies. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the dough. I know, I know—seems like a lot. But these are Texas-sized cookies, remember?
Place them about 3 inches apart on your lined baking sheets. You’ll only fit about 4-6 per sheet depending on your pan size.
Bake for 15-17 minutes. The edges should be golden brown but the centers will still look slightly underdone. That’s perfect. They’ll continue cooking on the pan after you remove them from the oven.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes (I usually set a timer because I forget and then panic when I remember 20 minutes later). Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips From Someone Who’s Made These Way Too Many Times
The coconut situation: If you’re really anti-coconut, you can leave it out, but add an extra cup of oats to keep the texture right.
Freezing cookie dough: This dough freezes beautifully. Scoop the cookies, freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, just add 2-3 extra minutes to the baking time.
Substitutions I’ve tried:
- Used walnuts instead of pecans → worked fine
- Tried dark chocolate chips → amazing
- Swapped half the butter for coconut oil because I was short on butter → surprisingly good, adds extra coconutty flavor
Storage: These keep in an airtight container for about 5 days. If they last that long. (They won’t.)
Why These Cowboy Cookies Actually Won That Bake-Off
After making these approximately 47 times (okay, maybe 15, but it feels like 47), I totally understand why Laura Bush’s recipe won that Family Circle competition. They’re everything you want in a cookie—chewy centers, slightly crispy edges, loaded with good stuff, not too sweet but sweet enough.
Plus they’re hearty. Like, one cookie and you’re satisfied. Maybe two if you’re having a day. Three if nobody’s watching.
The cinnamon is subtle but it’s there, adding this warm background flavor that makes you think “what IS that?” And all those mix-ins? They’re perfectly balanced. Not too much of any one thing.
My 10-year-old daughter says they’re “fancy cookies that taste like regular cookies” which might be the best review I’ve ever heard.
Make These For Your Next Thing
Whether your “thing” is a bake sale, a potluck, Tuesday afternoon because you’re stressed, or trying to win over your in-laws (worked for me), these cookies are your answer.
They look impressive—big, chunky, loaded with visible mix-ins. They taste even better than they look. And bonus: you can tell people they’re presidential cookies. Conversation starter right there.
Just… make sure you have a big enough bowl. And maybe prep two batches of dough because you’ll want to make them again immediately.
Happy baking! (And may your cookies stay perfectly chewy and your coconut flakes stay fresh.)
