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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loved these and I didn’t even add the chocolate 😋
I love these cookies so much!!! Carolyn, you are an amazing keto baker. Just bought your ebook Keto Baking. Love your muffins, cakes and cookies. Can’t wait to try the other recipes!!! Thank you for all your tips that make keto baking so successful. Yummy!
Hi, the recipe says 2 eggs and the video says 1 egg. Which one is correct?
thanks..
If you watch the video, I talk about the fact that I am making a half batch.
Amazing recipe. Hits the spot for texture: chewy with a hint of satisfying crunch from the pecans. Give them time to cool to solidify. They pass my can’t tell test: can’t tell they are healthy.
Easy and delicious recipe, great as a cookie on its own or to make an ice cream sandwich (excellent paired with your cannoli ice cream base, with the chocolate chips and chopped pecans just pressed in the edge of the ice cream sandwich instead of mixed in)
My favorite keto cookie of all time!!!
Very good cookies! I used the gelatin and the chewiness was perfect 👌
Another amazing recipe! Thanks for adding it at last!!
OH MY GOSH!! This is a WONDERFUL recipe!! They came out great & no stand mixer necessary.
Thx so much. We LOVE your recipes – that blueberry cheesecake is SOOO good.
These were crispy on the edges and chewy on the middle. Tasted like the real deal! I made a half batch but next time I will make the whole batch and freeze some dough for cookie cravings.
Best cookie recipe all around. Everyone loves them. Another dead on for anyone watching carbs. Been using this for a while. Thank you. You are my low carb guru.
Thank you!
ive made this recipe x two times now the first time without chopped pecans and coconut shreds because i didnt have on hand this made amazing chocolate chip cookies too seriously amazing in fact my son an adult said are you sure these are keto lol i used the keto 2.0 new standard keto flour from victorias keto kitchen on youtube this time with the pecans and the coconut and now the cookies have 3 carbs a cookie
I made these yesterday and was shocked at how good they are. I’m not usually a fan of almond flour and “low carb” sweets, but have to have less sugar these days. I just read about using erythritol to make them crispy. I used Swerve Brown Sugar and they were crispy on the outside, but not on the inside. Next time (and there will be a next time) I’ll use another sugar with erythritol. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for this recipe!! Just made these cookies today. They taste amazing! I followed the recipe to the T and used Truvia’s brown sugar substitute for it. The cookies cane out very soft but hardened as they cooled so that made me happy! I was just confused why did the cookies turn brown just 15 minutes into the oven? How do I prevent that? I baked first batch at 325 and the next at 320 but both times the cookies turned brown very quickly.
I think it has to be the sweetener… what else does it have in it?
I wish they were a little crunchier. Not sure why they are so moist.
Very delicious.
Oops, didn’t see the sweetener alternative till just now. Bummer. I used Swerve brown sugar.
I did the same thing! I’ll make them again though using something different.
Love Love Love these cookies! Great taste and crunch, thank you! What I’m wondering is… do you think cutting back on the butter and sugar amount would change the cookie very much? If I used 1 cup sugar and 1/2 c butter?