Cookie #1: Cowboy Cookies

I love cakes. My husband loves cookies. Every Friday I like to bake a cake for the weekend and so every Thursday I ask my husband what kind of cake he would like me to make. 99% of the time his answer is: “I want Cookie”. So, for his birthday I thought I’ll give him cookies. Lots of cookies. 20 kinds of cookies. Well, not all at the same time. And this is how the cookie punch card idea came about.

Now you may ask - why 20? There’s no reason really. Just a nice round number (10 too little, 30 too much). My dad suggested a number of cookies according to my husband’s age. But if I follow that line it means that by the time he is 60 I will have to bake him cookies more than once a week. I have other plans for my retirement, though, and baking cookies is not one of them.

So, let me introduce to you cookie number one.

Cookie #1: Cowboy Cookies

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine, October 2008.
Makes about 5 dozen

Vegetable oil cooking spray (I don’t like this product. I use unbleached parchment paper instead)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (1 cup)
3 ounces (3/4 cup) pecan halves
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray (N.), line with parchment, and spray parchment. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until combined. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a small spoon, drop dough onto baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake until edges of cookies begin to brown, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks. Let cool. (Cookies can be stored up to 3 days.)

Happy Birthday, L.!
Nurit


Related posts:
Cookie #2: NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking with kids: Chocolate-banana cookies, recreating the magic – Part I.