Many of you will recognize these keto cookies from my cookbook, The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. It’s easily one of the most popular recipes from the book and I am always getting emails and messages about how good they are.
And you can see why. They are big and beautiful, and chockfull of delicious additions like pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips.
They are so good, in fact, that a lot of sites have republished it without my permission. This is the price of doing business as a creator sometimes. But I’m a little tired of it, to be honest.
I decided to fight fire with fire and post the full recipe here. Because if it’s going to be out there on the internet for all to see, I want to get the credit!
And I am so glad I made them again. They are easily one of my favorite keto cookie recipes!
What are cowboy cookies?
Imagine, if you will, a mashup of oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies with some coconut and pecans thrown in for good measure. And also imagine that they are considerably larger than your average cookie. Now you have the famous cowboy cookies.
For a keto version, we have to change things up a little. So we skip the oatmeal, switch up the sweeteners, and use almond flour instead of wheat flour. But the resulting cookies are just as mouthwateringly delicious, just as chockfull of goodness, as the original.
And with the addition of a little gelatin, they also have the ideal crispy-chewy texture. The edges get thin and crisp, but the center becomes soft and chewy!
Reader Reviews
These Keto Cowboy Cookies are extremely popular in All Day I Dream About Low Carb, a Facebook group devoted to my readers and followers. Please feel free to join us over there! Here’s what some of the members say:
“I caved and made Cowboy Cookies last night. They are fabulous! My daughter who struggles with giving up carbs but has committed to doing it said “these are SHUT UP GOOD!” That’s high praise indeed.” — Crystal
“I kept seeing the Cowboy Cookies over and over and over and over (you get the point…haha) from the Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking Cookbook, so I finally broke down and bought the cookbook. Wow, now I see what all the fuss is about, they are incredible!!!! You’d never even know they are Keto!” — April
“I went to the trouble of buying Carolyn’s cookbook, and so far (after nearly two weeks) I have managed to make exactly ONE recipe out of it: the Cowboy Cookies. EVERY time I suggest something else, hubby says “No, I want some more of those COWBOY Cookies!” — Georgene
Ingredients you need
- Butter: Make sure it’s well softened so you can beat it until creamy.
- Sweetener: I prefer an erythritol based brown sugar replacement, to get that crispy-chewy texture. See the Expert Tips section for more sweetener options.
- Almond flour: Always use well ground, blanched almond flour.
- Gelatin: A little grassfed gelatin helps give the cookies a chewier consistency. It is entirely optional.
- Coconut: I like to use the big coconut flakes but you can use shredded if that’s all you have. Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Pecans: They can be raw, but it’s also really nice if they are lightly toasted.
- Chocolate chips: Both Lily’s and ChocZero work well in this recipe.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step by step directions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium high. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until just mixed together. Stir in the coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips.
- Form the dough into 2-inch balls and space at least 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with silicone or parchment paper. Press the balls down with the heel of your hand to about 3/4 inch thick. These cookies will spread so give them room!
- Bake at 325ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, switching the pans and rotating them halfway through. Let cool completely on the pans.
Expert tips
These keto cowboy cookies like to spread so make sure you give them plenty of room on the pans. If you prefer thicker cookies, try adding another 1/4 cup of almond flour and don’t press them down too much.
I prefer silicone baking mats to parchment paper, as they protect the bottoms of your cookies better. They also cause the cookies to spread more slowly.
The gelatin is entirely optional, but it does give the cookies that perfect chewy but crisp texture. The edges get crisp on the pan while the centers stay chewier.
This makes a big batch of big cookies! But you can easily cut the whole recipe in half for twelve large cookies. You can also make the cookies smaller, if you prefer.
Sweetener Options
Only erythritol will give you a crispy cookie, which is why I used PureCane Brown in this recipe. Any amount of allulose or xylitol will keep the cookies from crisping up properly. You can use those if you don’t mind a softer texture.
If you don’t have access to a brown sugar replacement, regular granulated erythritol sweeteners will suffice.
More delicious recipes you will enjoy
Keto Cowboy Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) brown sugar substitute
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (220 g) blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (2.03 tablespoons) grassfed gelatin, optional, adds chewiness
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (85 g) unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup (109 g) chopped pecans
- 1 cup (180 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line 2 cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Set the oven racks to the second highest and second lowest positions in the oven.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium high. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the almond flour, gelatin, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until just mixed together. Stir in the coconut, pecans, and the chocolate chips.
- Form the dough into 2-inch balls and space at least 3 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Press the balls down with the heel of your hand to about 3/4 inch thick. These cookies will spread so give them room!
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, switching the pans and rotating them halfway through. Let cool completely on the pans.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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These were great the first time I made them although they didn’t hold their form well. I suspect that was my fault though.
For the 2nd batch, I made a few modifications to suit my tastes: I replaced 1/2 cup of almond flour with PB2 Pure, reduced the brown sugar to 1 cup, and omitted the chocolate chips. I also chilled the dough balls in the fridge for 10 minutes before pressing and baking, and omitted the convection option on my oven. These turned out great, and I will be making them again!
Perhaps for my 3rd attempt, I will try adding white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts (instead of pecans). Thanks for a great recipe to use as the base for my baking experiments!
I just made these again today and shared with friends who immediately asked for the recipe. Since Pure Cane is my usual go-to sweetener, I was happy to see that it is used here. I am not sure what to do when I finish the bags I have since they went out of business, but these cookies ARE awesome and crispy and BIG! I love how Carolyn always explains why to use each type of sweetener. I learn so much from her.
Thank you for sharing! These were the best cookies I made!
I left out the pecans because I didn’t have any but these were delicious without them! They’re every bit as decadent as regular sugar/flour cookies without the bloating and blah feeling after.
how many calories are in 1 cookie, they are amazing? best ever!
The recipe card tells you all of the nutritional information.
Wow! I just baked a batch of these FINALLY! They are so good! Nice and chewy, love the coconut and pecans, I did sub out half the chocolate chips for some of Choc Zero’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups, chopped. It is so great to have a cookie with that chewy mouth appeal!
Wonderful. I made them and i utterly love them. It is my favorite keto cookie recipe I will try every cookie recipe of your book. I was wondering can i put only one cup of sugar instead ? I read with attention your keto guide baking and i understand it can change the recipe so i did not dare. I will try swerve sugar next time to see if the menthol taste is less with them.
dear Carolyn, my cowboy cookies did not spread at all. they came out of the oven looking exactly the same as when they went in the oven except for a little browning around the edges. what did l do wrong? HELP, please.
You likely had too much flour. Did you measure it accurately? What brand did you use?
I love your recipes.whenever I’m looking for something new to try you’re my go to.
for the Cowboy cookies I’ve kicked it up a notch. added some pumpkin spice and instead of vanilla I used the Lorann emulsion. My partner always thinks anything Keto or gluten free tastes likes cardboard, he loves these.
Just made these, perfect and even my non keto husband had 3 of them.
Thank you so much for all the work you put into your recipes.
Hi can I make the dough ahead of time; roll to out to individual balls; and freeze the dough for baking later. Thanks.
nevermind, i found your response to a similar question.
Thanks.
Just made a batch and they smell divine! Going to save half the batch for my upcoming Romancing Savannah Writers Retreat! Thanks for another great recipe.
Melba Flournoy
Author on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Vella
Enjoy!
These cookies are to die for! I normally don’t like recipes with almond flour because they turn out too dry, but that’s not the case with these cookies. You won’t be disappointed if you try them!
These are to die for! A family favorite in my house. Don’t change a thing about this recipe.
I was cleaning my pantry and found an older bag of Brown Sugar Swerve…before the change…I made these today and they were PERFECT! Best cookies ever. I am sad I only made 1/2 a batch now that I tasted them. LOL
Fantastic!
We loved the cookie and want to make a big batch. Can the make ahead and freeze the raw dough to bake later?
Thanks.
I haven’t tried that but it should work.