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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My first few batches were great
I got a small chunky cookie
Then I got a kitchen aid and mixed with that and the last two batches are sooo thin they spread immediately and brown on edges . I tried putting dough in fridge but doesn’t seem to help
Carolyn, all your recipes look delicious! May I ask if you have any recipes for sweets
that do not use erythritol? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
I try to give options in as many of them as I can. Please make sure you are reading the tips sections.
Carolyn, all your recipes look delicious! May I ask if you have any recipes for sweets that do not use erythritol? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
I used the recipe as written and loved the results. I first made the brown sugar substitute from the given recipe and then the lovely cookies. I quickly packaged up most of them for the freezer to avoid eating them. I have been low carb for 9 years, but my husband is not. He ate one and said they were very good. Thank you for the lovely recipe!!
Great to hear!
Found this recipe a week ago and just made my 2nd batc! LOVE THEM! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Great to hear!
Okay, these were divine! I loved how they tasted.
Question… mine did not expand, they basically stayed the same shape, so not flat like your picture, thicker and more of a cake like texture, wonder where I went wrong. Yours looked flatter and crispier. They are just delicious!!
What sweetener did you use?
This is a great low carb cookie treat. I have made these several times and they are a big hit with my husband who is not low carb…and loves traditional Oatmeal Cookies. I’d call this recipe another Home Run for Carolyn!
I make these cookies every week! They are delicious! Our favorite cookies ever
I am delighted to hear it!
Great cookies, but I may cut down on the butter as mine were flattened right out, but very tasty.
My favorite keto recipe.
I took a double batch of cookies to my family’s annual pumpkin party this past Saturday and they ate them all up and asked for the recipe
I’m a bit confused. Are you supposed to put two pans in the oven at the same time -one on the top rack and one on the bottom. Then switch pans half way while turning them? You didn’t show that in the video and the explanation was not very clear. Tia!
The video was clear… I said at the beginning that because it makes so many cookies, I was only doing a half batch. 🙂
Taste great! But mine were very “wet”. Not sure what went wrong.
Sounds like you didn’t have quite enough flour. But also… what sweetener did you use?
I used 2 cups almond flour. I believe I used Besti brown monk fruit Allulose blend. I also have swerve brown.
mine were very wet as well. added extra almond flour but was afraid they would be dry. they don’t taste bad but are very cake like. im a big cookie fan and was really hoping for a cookie consistency. not sure what I did wrong.
Did you use allulose as your sweetener?
Hands down my favorite cookie to have on a snowy morning with a cup of your hot coco!!! Talk about feeling spoiled!
These are THE BEST cookies ever. Everyone I make them for loves them.
These are a family favorite!!!