Cowboy Cookies

I found (or should I say my hubby found) this recipe on the internet and we had to give it a try! These were pretty good! They don't have quite as much sugar in them as other cookie recipes I've tried so they didn't seem quite as sweet so we told ourselves they were healthy and ate two! But they have a little of everything in them. Great with a glass of milk!

Cowboy Cookies

3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins

To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast nuts on a cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. (check on them when you start to smell them, they are usually done then, even if it hasn't been 8 minutes. Be careful, they burn easily) Let cool, and then chop into pieces.

Place one oven rack in the top third of the oven, and one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line TWO baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Stir in the nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, and raisins by hand.

Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cup for each cookie. Place six balls of dough (I fit 9 on mine)on each baking sheet. With greased fingers, gently flatten each ball of dough int a 1/2 inch thick cookie. Bake cookies for about 12 to14 minutes,(baking times vary with different ovens) rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Cookies are done when they are golden brown around the edges and just barely set in the center. They should still be soft. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then place on wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 20 or so large cookies.

Yum....... I recommend eating while warm with a large glass of milk!