Yeehaaa… yum yum… it’s Cowboy Cookies. Or, in this case, Cowgirl Cookies.
A friend introduced these to me and I love them. Especially the name. Cowboy Cookies. Cowboy Cookies. Cowboy Cookies. Rolls off the tongue doesn’t it? Well, I took the traditional oats, chocolate chips and pecans this cookie is known for and added some pink m&m’s to make them, well, more girly.
But why stop there. I also made a few cookie mixes to try out as a test run for a gift idea. You see, I missed said friend’s birthday (sorry friend) and I wanted to make up for it. So, I took her basic recipe and made a few adjustments so I could fit all the ingredients into these jars.
They’re smooth Ball jars made especially for crafts. Smooooooth. No embossed logos in the glass. Nice. And with a little fabric, labels and a brown suede bow, they’re perfect little gifts.
But which one should I give her? It actually matters because I made four different variations. If you notice in the photo above, some of them have more oats, more flour or more sugar. I was trying different combinations to get all the ingredients to fit.
Oh and note to self: Use a ruler when attaching labels next time.
Luckily, the first test batch I made, worked. Yes!
So, here’s the recipe:
To give as gifts, use a 1 quart smooth Ball jar and layer the ingredients in like this: Pack each level down really tightly. I mean it. Pack it in. Or else it won't all fit. Also, I added the chopped pecans last, because if the ingredients were too much or not enough, then I could add more or less pecans to adjust. I'd rather sacrifice nuts than chocolate, you know. The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up. Uae the pdf linked in the blog post to provide instructions for your recipient.
Cowgirl Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Add
1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.
Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. I got about 26-28 cookies out of these.
Here’s how they came out.
Pretty and tasty. But I still want to try the other mixes later, and if one tastes better I’ll make sure and update the recipe. Besides, I want to know how long these will last in jars. Any ideas?
Want to make some cute cookie mix gifts, too? Here’s how.
Start with a 1 quart smooth Ball jar. I found these at Hobby Lobby craft store.
Layer the ingredients in like this:
First: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Second: oats
Third: m&ms
Fourth: chocolate chips
Fifth: brown sugar
Sixth: white sugar
Seventh: chopped pecans
Pack each level down really tightly. I mean it. Pack it in. Or else it won’t all fit. Also, I added the chopped pecans last, because if the ingredients were too much or not enough, then I could add more or less pecans to adjust. I’d rather sacrifice nuts than chocolate, you know. The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up.
See. There’s some of the pecans peeking out from under the fabric.
To decorate the top of the jars, get a spool of suede cord and some fabric. I really wanted to find some pink western bandana fabric, but this will do.
Anyway, cut the fabric into 6 inch squares and the suede into 25 inch pieces. Place the fabric on top and tie ribbons around the lid to hold it in place.
For the labels, you’ll need some card stock, a paper punch and double-sided tape.
You can use the pink labels I made if you want. DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE.
I also included one for the baking instructions and a label for Cowboy Cookies in brown if you want to gift these to boys or girls.
Note: you can change the color of m&ms and give them as Halloween gifts, or Christmas gifts, too. Check out the seasonal m&ms in the candy aisle. They are usually available in special holiday colors or themes. The pink ones were in the Breast Cancer awareness bag. Also another great gift idea.
Enjoy!
I LOVE cowboy cookies. The recipe I have has coconut too. I think it's from Martha Stewart.
The First thing that came to mind for me was Baby Shower goodies! I will definately be making some of these!
These are great, so creative and pretty. But why not encourage people to reuse jars they already have, even if they do have an embossed logo?
I am trying so hard to consume less at home, and reuse what I have. Every idea I read that helps me toward that goal is a gift. It is a struggle not to default to buying the newest, smoothest, easiest thing. It would be great if you would apply some of your creative genius to making this gorgeous stuff with the environment in mind.
OMG! These are incredible! All the little touches you've added are just the "icing on the cake"! LOVE it!
hmmm… super gift ideas. maybe for bridesmaids. out-of-town wedding guests? favors? keep the ideas coming in Bakerella. i will gladly "borrow" them. ('cause you know, you can't steal and go to heaven.) haha
LOVE YOU BAKERELLA!!!
THANK YOU! These are fabulous. Thanks for also including the art for the labels. I was just thinking about what might be a good little "thank you" gift or something that wouldn't break the bank. Darling!
I think I'm going to do this for my family this year – it looks like an awesome way to say "I'm thinking of you."
Fabulous!
très très belle idée j'aime beaucoup !
Très chouette idée pour offrir aux gens qu'on aime !
Super cute! I may have to use your idea!
It is so funny that you did this because my mom gave me Cowboy Cookies mix in a jar for Christmas! Her packaging wasn't quite as cute as yours, but I'm not going to complain about free cookie mix! Yours look absolutely delicious!
Awesome!
I love the fact that these are "normal" ol' cookies with a cutie pie facelift, featuring the pink M&M's! Those make me happy just looking at them! :)
I just made chocolate chip cookies last night and failed! Who fails making chocolate chip cookies?!
Looks like this will be my recipe for round two. And I know exactly who to give a jar to. :)
Wow, these would be great for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, too! THANKS! You made it easy by doing all the "Trying it out" until it worked and providing the labels, too!
Ok, the question is which will ship better? The cookie or the jar of mix?
I want to make these for a friend overseas… but which way to go…. hum…
Thanks again for your great ideas, Angie!
Angela
Everything about this is super cute!
Hugs from Texas for your wonderful blog that brightens my day so often! UR my Martha Stewart
=)
Lori
Linked to you on momsbyheart.net
Another fantastic and adorable idea. One of these days I'm going to actually MAKE some of these great things! You're inspirational!
A-dor-able!!!
I used to give jarred mixes as gifts when I was poor grad student and couldn't afford anything more. I think you've inspired me to go back to that!
Once again you have inspired me!!! I absolutly love the the tags!! thanks for the pdf. What program do you use to make your tags??? I just bought some tage punches from michela but I dont have a cool program to make tags. Thanks!!!
I'm gonna make this for my friends !!!
The look great! Both in AND out of the jar! ;)
These are so cute! I love this idea :)
What a cute twist on one of our favorites. As usual, Bakerella, you do not disappoint. Thanks!
I love your graphics – what program do you do them in and do you have a graphics background, or are you simply super talented and crafty
Oh my gosh! So cute in the jars! And I had to giggle at you needing to use a ruler. Labels at all different heights would be something I would do for sure.
That is such a cute idea…I think I know what I may be giving away for some Christmas gifts! :)
Way too cute as always! I have 2 daughters so I love that they are "Cowgirl" cookies with pink! These will make fun holiday gifts.
I'm looking for new cookie recipes also so I will have to give this a try.
Thanks for the inspiration as always!
Maria
http://www.madventuresinbaking.wordpress.com
Well being that I'm A Cowboy's Wife, you had to know I'd love this idea and have done it before for the holidays. It's so much fun because everyone can add their own flavor, type of label, etc. These are just too cute!!!
Hey Bakerella! I did these a few years ago when I was in school and didn't have a lot of cash for christmas presents. They last a few months in the jar because all of the ingredients are pretty time safe. I've also done 13 bean soup (also known as arizona bean soup) and that looks really cool too. Great blog and outstanding post!
Those are adorable! I've been lurking here for awhile and wanted to say I'm really looking forward to meeting you in Minnesota!
I love your blog! Another great idea from you! Thank you so much!
These turned out looking very tasty!! I think I am going to use this for Christmas cookie mix gifts this year, as all my family lives across the country and it would be perfect! Thanks for the recipe and labels PDF, YOU ROCK!!! Another great idea from Bakerella! p.s. My daughter is going to help me make your flower cupcakes from Mother's Day 2008 for her birthday in two weeks… We love your work! Thank you for sharing your skills and creativity!
So cute! I love making these as gifts! Thanks for sharing!!
These are so cute. I am gong to have my Home Ec students make these for gifts this year. I love that it's both Cowboy and Cowgirl – all my students will be happy.
what?! no giveaway…..??? boo!
I think I will try these… super cute as gifts too!
Votre site est une merveilleuse source d'idées! Etant passionnée de pâtisserie, je suis en extase devant toutes vos créations! Dommage que nous ne trouvons pas toujours les ingrédients en France!
Super idea for my Christmas (yes I did say Christmas) cookie party for favors this year. I think I'll call them Cowgirl Christmas Cookies! Thanks! Super cute as usual!
They look great!! I'm sure they taste yummy too! Will be making these for office staff and teachers first day of school. Sept 8…thanks for sharing!!
How do you make the labels? I have been wanting to do something similar. Thanks!
Hi Bakerella! I wanted to share this great recipe/idea with you for cupcake brownies! I just knew you'd love to get creative with them! =;) They are soo good and so easy!
Please take a look and let me know what you think! :)
http://younghomemakers.blogspot.com/2009/08/brownie-cupcakes-oh-yeah.html
Blessings!
~Miss Rachel~
I absolutely adore your website! I actually made this for a christmas gift one year and totally packed the jar wrong! I am glad you wrote it the correct way. I guess everyone has to mess up their first time! Those are so adorable! Can't wait to try them.
Thank you for this post. I love the idea for gifts. Wonderful!
Thanks bunches for sharing this one. I love making cookie jars.
WOW! Thanks for this great idea…I can't wait to make some and give them as gifts!!!!
What beautiful cookies, I absolutely love them!! Thanks for the great idea.
I've been looking for cute crafty things i can do this year for Christmas gifts, and totally had forgotten jar ensembles. Too cute! (And keeping to my diet is soooo hard when I have your site at the top of my bookmarked list…..YUM!!)
As always, simply adorable. Wouldn't these make great gifts for kids too! I know my boys don't need any more toys. Cookies would be a welcomed gift that's for sure. Thanks for sharing with us!
I've been keeping this recipe a secret from my friends for years! ;-) Mine also has cinnamon! Yum!
Love your stuff!
Your jar is adorable! I too make cookies in a jar, and they last a very long time, if they are sealed tight. I keep them on hand for my boys to do. Some of mine are over a year old, and everything is fine. However, we do not mix the baking soda/powder with the flour first. We either seperate it by placing it in a little well in the brown sugar/white sugar, or in a very tiny ziplock bag. You can get 1 and a half ziplocks from the candy center of your craft store.
I love the Pink in your jars!
I've never commented before, but I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I know the perfect person to give this too =)
Thanks so much for sharing, and even sharing the labels too! such creativity! thank you!
Sooooo stinkn' cute! Thanks for all the hard work and sharing the the fruits or jars of your labor. great gift ideas for Christmas…Thanks again! Many Blessings.
so creative and beautiful! and I bet they taste great!
This is one of the cutest gift ideas I've ever seen! Thank you.
The pink m&ms make me think of October. Which is Breast Cancer Awareness month! These cookies would be great as a reminder to do a self exam monthly , and if needed, have a yearly mamogram!
amazing cookies and photography!!
I liked the look of the one on the far left, but honestly, they ALL look great!
I would give her the one with the most oats! and I wouldn't trust those pecans for more than one month at room temperature.
Those labels are darling! Avery sells fabulous labels: #5353. It is beautiful, crisp, thin white paper with adhesive that you simply peel off and affix your labels to whatever you desire. They come in full sheets so you can keep your own customized design! And they stick like water to rice!
Ah! You are just soo creative! I love it! The cookies, the packaging (oh, the packaging is just too cute/awesome/cool!) =:D I just love your blog!!!!!!!! =:) You're the best! I wish my girlfriends lived closer so I could give them some of these, but I'd be afraid to mail it! =:(
Blessings!
~Miss Rachel~
So cute! I love love love it! Can't wait to give some away!
Beautiful! I think you should give your friend the 3rd one over (second to last). I can't wait to try these out!
ach me something new all the time! Never heard of these…but I am from NY what can I say! LOL!!
These look great! I was wondering if you used old-fashioned or quick oats, or if it made a difference.
Thanks!
Liz Lovely, a vegan bakery in Vermont, makes the best Cowgirl and Cowboy cookies I've ever had. Yours look good, but I can't imagine they compare to Liz Lovely's.
Thank you for including your lovely labels! I've been wanting to try Cowboy Cookies! They look delicious!
I've never had cowgirl/cowboy cookies I can't wait to try them.
What an awesome post!!! Like you said, I can see how these could (will) be used over and over again in a variety of ways. Thank you!
LOVE these! I make these but have to omit the nuts for my husband. I was looking for a good jar mix for Christmas gifts and as usual you have come through!
They are adorable!
Awesome! I'd take a gift like that if you missed my birthday! ;)
Pretty in pink….thanks for the gift idea!
These are so fun and I especially love the pink! What a fabulous gift idea!
Super cute! Thanks for the PDF.
helena~ I looked back on the site…they are 1 Quart jars! :)
You so inpspire me…I'm going to make similar jars for my daughters to give to their teachers the first day of school. I can't wait to pick out fabric for the tops of the jars! Now if I can only figure out how to make labels…not very tech savvy here…any sugestions out there???? thanks so much!
How big is the jars?
Thank you so much for sharing…what a cute idea! You are so talented, that's why I love dropping by your site to see what you've come up with.
Thanks again for all you do :)
OMG!!! this is a great gift idea..love it :)
These look delicious! I especially love the idea of giving the ingredients as a gift. You are always out-doing yourself Bakerella! Thanks for the inspiration!
My husband's grandmother makes these, but she calls them "Cow Chips" hee hee
these are ADORABLE!
i love visiting your site……..the cutest ideas ever !
thanx from australia
Funny, I've been thinking about making mixes in jars lately. And here, you've done it! Thanks, Bakerella!
Adorable and so versatile!
Adorable photos and recipe! Thanks!
Thanks for the PDF file so we can make the cute tags too!!! You Rock!
Thanks! You really know how to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. What a great twist on an old favorite!
These look so wonderfully pinkalicious…I just want to bite into my computer screen. Yum! I'll have to try it with purple m&m's!
That is BY far the cutest idea I have seen all year!
I think you outdo yourself every time. LOVE!! These would make fantastic party favours!
No wonder you have sooo many followers. You come up with such creative ideas and your pictures and instructions are so clear. I absolutely love this idea and will be using it in various versions for party favors in my business. Thank you so much!
I am so printing this out!
What a great looking gift idea…and the cookies look delicious too!!!
thanks for the great recipe and the ideas! I think I might use these as favors for a baby shower, and for some Christmas gifts for my son's nurses and therapists.
I've had Cowboy Cookies a million times and they are one of my favorites along with Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal.
Thanks again!
English rosie lea, one quart is just under a liter I believe. It's 32 ounces, imperial.
wonderful and fun! wishing I had known about this before so many of our little friends went off to college this week! I can still mail them though, if I get ambitious!
thanks for sharing
Love this!!
Who wouldn't want a cute gift like this – love the pink!! Thanks for another fabulous idea Bakerella! You are the best!
These are just too cute – what a great idea! I'm always looking for cute gifts for the moms & cheerleaders for my kids' teams…I'm thinking I might just try some "COUGAR cookies", hmmm…. Thanks for the great idea!
How cute! I love to make jar cookies for gifts, and these are very cute. Thanks for sharing!
I love this idea – thanks for sharing!
This look so yummy! I love cookies! I also wanted to tell you that I made your banana cupcakes and they were PERFECT! Light and fluffy, with just a hint of banana! I loved them and so did my family! I used a peanut butter frosting though (which was really good but definitely overpowering with that particular cupcake). I think I'll try your cream cheese frosting next time. Thank you SO much for such a great recipe! I will absolutely make them again!
These are absolutely adorable! I think I've found my Christmas gifts for teachers, etc. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great post! I'm going to have to try this!
Adorable! Takes cookies mixes to the next level!
These are so cute – thank you for sharing!
Baktastic as usual! I'll bet Pioneer Woman makes some of these!
Awesome! You come up with the cutest things!!!
Found Xmas presents! lOl
These are brilliant! We made "jar crafts" as a fund raiser one year for our ladies group at church and they were a huge hit! I love them, and they are perfect for pantry gifts. The cookie mixes should last about a year if stored in a cool, dry place. Things like soup mixes and beans/lentil mixes should last 2-3 years if stored properly.
dear bakerella,
you are the best!! so creative…you always have such great reads & baking ideas!
& YOUR BAKED GOODS ARE SO YUMMIE!
YOU TRULY ROCK!!
SO CUTE! I will totally be making these and giving them as gifts. I'm always looking for ideas for homemade/handmade gifts. I hate giving store-bought items. They're just so impersonal!
You are so creative! Thank you for another beautifully presented idea.
These look delicious!!!!
I have a recipe that is similar, except it uses rice krispies instead of nuts. They are delicious!
I love the brown suede bow…too cute!
Great gift idea! I will definitely try it!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE Cowboy Cookies and I love that you switched it up and made them pink! Your packaging is just too cute – absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing – esp. the labels!
These are so ADORABLE!(:
These are so lovely! Just wondered – can anyone tell me the British size for a 1 quart jar? How many oz's or grams?
And does anyone know of a supplier in the UK?
Thanks : )
Wow…they are so great…thank you very much..I would trie to make them…
My kids love cowboy cookies. My daughter will be thrilled with Cowgirl cookies. The cookies look delicious.
My kids are allergic to nuts. Any suggestions for substitutions?
Absolutely adorable! Your creativity constanly amazes me.
this is a great idea for a baby shower favor! thanks!
I love your pictures!!!! Very nice idea… I think i try too!!!! Thank you for sharng!!!
looks pretty :) you are very brainy! great idea:)
SO CUTE!!!
Fabulous!!! I love this idea! Thanks for sharing! : )
those look so good!
thanks for sharing
These are amazing! It's such a simple idea, it looks beautiful. I'm thinking of Christmas already! xxx
Awesome, I am so excited to use these as gifts! =)
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
oh those are adorable! and thanks for sharing the label PDF – you are just so creative clever, my dear
i was already thinking of xmas gifts!
oh yum these are my absolute favorite cookies.. and the first batch of cowboy cookies i ever made came from a jar just like yours! absolutely adorable :)
what a great idea… you are so creative :) i`ll try them sometime ;)
these look awsome. never thought of gifting cookie "kits". about the shelf-life of this lovely jar, here's a website i found you could use:
still tasty.com
love them!!! I look forward to your blog updates!
Amazing idea. Once again I must say you're a genius.
Oh thank you! I love these…
I wanted to do it a few month ago, but didn´t. now this labels are lovely…
this is such an awesome idea!!! love it :)
So simple, so cute. A perfect example of how brilliant you are!@!!
These are too stinkin' cute! My family loves when I make cowboy cookies during the holidays. These would make excellent gifts- thanks for the idea to package them up in jars.
it's a funny pink cookie!and a very good idea for a gift for example…
I love this idea, Thanks Bakerella! I might just use it for my son's upcoming birthday party. How cute for a Cowboy Birthday theme.
You are so great to share the labels too. Thank you!!!
You come up with the best ideas! I love the jars, and the cookes look delicious.
So sweet of you to share the lables with us :)
Rose
these are so girly and cute! <3
such a great gift idea!!!
Oh my gosh. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
oh my god, these are just adorable.
Those are the cutest freakin' gifts ever! If I received that as a gift, I don't think I'd ever open it to try it.. I'd just put it on a shelf as decoration. Too cute! I gotta try that recipe soon, sounds delish!
OMGosh! I am always totally inspired by what I read on your blog and this is just an awesome idea!!!! You are definitely one clever cookie – pardon the pun!!
going to have to remember this for christmas!!
Super cute idea!! I love you blog dear!!
It's official.
You're a genius.
And my bathroom scales, hate you.
Boss O xxxx
I absolutely love this idea! Thanks for sharing the recipe as well as the tags for it. I'm excited to try and make this as gifts as well. And of course I'll save some for me. :)
divine!
Love this! Thanks so much for sharing it. It's a really cute gift!
These would make great shower gifts as well! I love it!
What a great gift idea! Love it!! Also love, love, love your blog! Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!
A fabulous idea and thanks for all the tips! What a great gift!
So adorable! Totally going to use these for a gift idea.
We always call these cookie jars "Emergency Cookies". I've baked up a jar that had been sitting on the shelf for over a year, and they came out just fine.
I LOVE this! I am hooked on your blog! I am making a file for Christmas goodies and this is a winner in my book! Thanks for including the labels! Makes my job faster and easier!
Yum! I love your site and your fresh ideas! A friend and I were just drooling over cake pops earlier, trying to work up the bravery to try them out! I might just try this first, though!
I am so totally in love with the idea of these as a gift! I am going to have to make up an occasion just so I can give these out!
wow… LOVE it.. =D
I ALSO! <3
very nice, i love it
Very good cookies. I want it!
Wow,
These look great…:)
I've made a few variations of these and yours look FABULOUS! Thanks for the labels!
I love these! This is one of the better recipes for cowboy cookies I've seen out there! :)
Adorable and delicious! I love Cowboy Cookies.
How many cookies does one jar yield?
Thanks for sharing this! A great idea for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).
Hey I was wondering if you have any ideas on how to make a Care Bear head cake pop…doing a birthday party this weekend and thought it would be a cute addition! Would love to hear any suggestions you can make….oh great one! Thanks!
wow oh wow – that is awesome
I think I am going to have to try this one out for Christmas! They are so adorable!
That is so freakin' cute. Thank you.
I am thinking this would be a good girlie party favor for a girls bday party perhaps with milk choc chips. Thanks for the idea. Love cowboy cookies. :)
Thanks Bakerella! I've been trying to find a nice fit-to-jar recipe to do exactly this! A friend gave me some cookie mixes like this a few years ago, and it was so cool :)
Another good additive is coconut and Rice Krispies…but I like the M&M's better!
These are adorable! Thanks for the great idea for Christmas gifts:)
I was wondering if you have run across a great cookie recipe that is gluten free?
A-dorable!! :)
These are absolutely fan-trippin-tastic!!! Thank you for the recipe, the labels, everything! Can't wait to make some of these jars up.
These turned out great. :)
LOVE these! I am so doing it,,, right after vacation. Thank you thank you!
They look great! The mixes don't last long. Something about the baking soda mixed in the flour. I have received this as a gift once, and she had made it a while back and the cookies didn't turn out, which was sad. I'd give them to her right away!
Are you just crazy talented, or what!?
LOVE these!!
And the stickers? Well, it's good to know you aren't perfect ;)
Such an adorable idea! The jars look great, and the cookies sound yummy!
so fun! can't wait to make these as fun gifts :)
What a great idea- and your jars are SO cute!!
Those are sooooo cute! I love the colors! Where did you find the smooth ball jars???
You make the cutest things! So clever! Does thinking of these things keep you awake at night?
Just wondering in Nebraska
So cute! And look yummy too!
What a great idea! I think I'll have to try this out! Thanks!
Those cookies look great, the gift jars are a fantastic idea!
I love jar cookies and soup mixes. They're always great family gifts!
I also :)
brilliant as always, miss b! xx
That is just awesome! =D
yummm, these look so delicious & so pretty at the same time! what a fantastic little gift idea too :)
These are adorable. I really want to try them but I'm afraid I'll eat them all in one go.