Cowboy Cookies

I don't even know what made me think of these cookies, but I am elated that I did. I was trying to think of something easy to throw together, because Memorial Day weekend was coming up. I wanted to write a few recipes and have them ready to post when I needed them. That way I could enjoy my holiday weekend, and not leave my devoted readers hanging. I do have some devoted readers, don't I?

Anyway, this is really a cool story. When I pulled out the recipe card for these cookies I remembered the history behind the recipe. The very first time the recipe came into my life was for my brother and sister-in-laws baby shower. My mom and I were throwing the party, and we wanted something different to give as gifts to those who celebrated with us. I have no idea where we found the recipe, but it was a "cookie in a jar" recipe. You know, the kind where you put all of the dry ingredients in a mason jar, and attached the recipe card to the jar. The cool thing about this part of the story? The day I am writing this happens to be the last day of high school for the baby for whom we threw the shower. He is my Godson, and I am so proud of him. How does time fly?

But, as if that isn't cool enough, the recipe card that I have (pictured below) is actually a card from my baby shower, which was practically 12 years ago. You can tell it has been well used. In fact, I used to make these cookies all the time when Tom and I were first married. Every time we were invited to somebody's house, I would whip up a batch to give as a host/hostess gift. They are so simple to make, and packed with lots of flavor.

If you look closely, you can even see the hole
in the upper right corner where it was punched
to attach it to the jar.

This is the back of the card. Isn't it cute?

Since the recipe has been in the family for some time, it is not a gluten free recipe. So, I had to work my magic. But have no fear. . I am pretty magical these days. The other interesting quirk about this recipe is that since it is a recipe in a jar, the instructions are not the same as traditional cookie recipes. I kind of like that, so I left that part alone. If you want to gift this recipe in a jar, just pack all of the dry ingredients in a quart size mason jar in the order they are listed. Then create a recipe card with the ingredients and instructions, and attach it to the jar.

What You Will Need:
KitchenAid mixer or electric hand mixer
Cookie Sheet
Silicone Mat (optional) (I have to be honest, this was the first time I ever used a silicone mat when baking cookies. And the verdict? I don't think I will ever bake cookies without one again. I love how evenly they cooked, and they were super easy to get off the mat. No more scraping with the spatula. I am a true believer.)
Wire Cooling Racks

Recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup Old-Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Chopped Pecans (I used to use one of those fancy food choppers for this, but I was never satisfied with the result. They were never evenly chopped, and there was always lots of pecan dust. Recently, my mother was over playing soux chef for me. I was baking something with pecans. I think it was a pecan pie, and I asked her to chop some pecans for me. I offered her the choice between the chopper or a knife and a cutting board. She refused both. She said she just breaks them into pieces by hand. It is super easy, and you can control the size and consistency of the pieces. My mom is SO smart! Who needs all those fancy gadgets? I love this method, and I am totally doing it all the time now.)
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2/3 cup Rice Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/3 cup Potato Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/3 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. If you aren't using a silicone mat on your cookie sheet, grease the cookie sheet, and set aside.

2. In your KitchenAid mixer bowl or a medium bowl, cream together the butter, egg and vanilla.

Butter, egg and vanilla before mixing.

The butter looks kind of curdled, but don't worry
it is fine.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, both sugars, rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthum gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

I was multi-tasking when I was making this
batch, so I got ahead of myself and added 
the pecans to soon. I recommend holding them 
out with the chocolate chips, unless all of the 
ingredients are already in a jar.

4. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until well mixed.

 5. Remove bowl from KitchenAid mixer. Mix in chocolate chips and pecans with a large spoon or spatula.

6. Shape into walnut size balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. 

I use my small scoop to help me keep all of the
cookies the same size.

I don't know if this helps you gauge the size or not.

There they are, lined up so nicely, ready for baking.

7. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from cookie sheet to cool on wire racks.

Look at the way that chocolate oozes. And they
had been cooling for some time when this
picture was taken. MMmm good!

8. Try to get one before everyone else eats them all!

In honor of the name, Cowboy Cookies, I am sharing this unique version of a great bible verse.

"Pray that God will tell us where 'ta go and what 'ta do." Jeremiah 42:3 ~Simplified Cowboy Version

Sheryl