Cowboy Blondies Have Everything But the Kitchen Sink—I Love Them

Loaded with oats, peanut butter, chocolate, coconut, and nuts.

By
Molly Adams
Molly Adams
Molly Adams
A self-proclaimed food-pusher, Molly Adams has been cooking for the loved ones for as long as she can remember. She is a classically-trained chef with a background in catering, private cheffing and food media. Her experience includes recipe development, recipe testing and food writing. 
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Updated June 17, 2024
Molly Adams
cowboy blondies (overhead shot of sliced cowboy blondies laying flat)

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Cookies are my love language. Name any type of cookie, and I’ve probably made it at least twice. While it’s hard for me to choose a favorite, some combination of chocolate plus oats usually falls towards the top of the list. 

Monster cookies and cowboy cookies have always been my go-to gift for families welcoming home a baby. They offer comfort to the new parents while providing some sustenance thanks to hearty ingredients like oats and nut butter. 

Now, with three kids of my own, I do not always have time for making drop cookies. I’ve started reworking some of my favorite cookie recipes into bar form to keep things quick and simple. You get all of the homemade cookie flavors in an easy-to-assemble bar; no rotating cookie sheets or endless scooping is required. 

The batter for these cowboy blondies relies heavily on brown sugar to keep it moist and deeply flavored. The addition of peanut butter gives the bars a chewy, somewhat fudgy texture and a subtle nuttiness. 

Paired with the oats, coconut, and pecans, I’d argue you can (and should) eat them for breakfast. I like to ever so slightly underbake my blondies for the best texture; they will continue to cook and set up as they cool. 

cowboy blondies stacked

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

The Origins of the Cowboy Cookie

Before cowboy blondies came cowboy cookies. There are a few different origin stories floating around for the loaded cookies, but the one that seems most plausible is that they were invented sometime in the early 1900s to sustain cowboys during particularly long work days on the ranch. Others say they were simply named cowboy cookies because they were invented in Texas. 

However they came to be, one thing that is impossible to argue is how delicious they are. Studded with coconut, pecans, chocolate chips, and oats, they taste like a lovely mix-up of magic bars, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal cookies. 

While developing this recipe, I discovered that cowboy cookies had a bit of a moment in 2000 during the Bush-Gore presidential campaign when Laura Bush submitted them to Family Circle magazine, competing against Tipper Gore’s ginger snaps. How very early 2000s! 

Make These Cowboy Blondies Your Own

Laura Bush’s version is heavy on cinnamon, but I felt the spice muddied the flavor of the mix-ins too much. Some people like to add caramel on top of the baked cookies, which would be amazing if you were enjoying the blondie version as the base of a sundae for dessert. 

Feel free to play around with the mix-ins. You can easily swap pecans for walnuts or even dry-roasted unsalted peanuts. I’ve seen some recipes that include dried fruit like raisins, and I think dried cranberries or cherries would complement the other flavors here, too. If adding fruit, I’d only add about 1/2 cup; any more might overload the batter and make things a tad too sweet. 

cowboy blondies on a plate with more on the cooling rack and plate in the background

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Easy Bars for Baking

Cowboy Blondies

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Servings 16 servings
Yield 1 (8x8-inch) pan
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter

  • 1 1/2 cups (312g) packed light brown sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup (130g) unsweetened peanut butter (natural or no-stir)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup (170g) semisweet chocolate chips

  • 1 cup (115g) chopped pecans

  • 1 cup (75g) small grated unsweetened coconut, such as Bob’s Red Mill

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

    Arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.

  2. Melt the butter: 

    In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat it in the microwave for 20-second intervals, just until melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

  3. Make the batter:

    Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla into the butter. Beat until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

    Add the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no streaks of flour remain.

  4. Add the mix-ins:

    Add the chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut and fold in until incorporated.

  5. Bake:

    Transfer the batter to the prepared pan; it will be thick. Smooth into an even layer.

    Bake the blondies on the middle rack of the oven until risen, set, and a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not wet batter), 30 to 40 minutes.

  6. Cool and slice:

    Set the pan on a wire rack and let the blondies cool completely, 1 to 2 hours.

    Use the parchment overhang to lift the cooled blondies out of the pan and use a sharp knife to slice the blondies into 16 squares and serve. 

    Leftover blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
370 Calories
22g Fat
42g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 370
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 9g 47%
Cholesterol 38mg 13%
Sodium 222mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 42g 15%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 56mg 4%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 206mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.