Cowboy Cookies

Finally I have something to post! I've been baking as much as a full-time teacher possibly can, but I never seem to take a picture. So, I enlisted Nate and his growing photography talent to take a picture of what I consider to be one of the most perfect chocolate chip cookies I've found so far. I'm always on a quest for a better something: a better sugar cookie or better lemon bar (I can't wait to try one with macadamia nuts Annie!) even though I have really great recipes already. But, that quest for perfection (in baking at least!) led me to a little something from our first lady, Laura Bush. It's got every good 'extra' a cookie should have: chocolate chips, oatmeal, pecans and coconut. I made really big ones using the directions for 1/4 cup sized dough and smaller ones. They were both delicious!
One caution: this recipe makes a LOT of dough. After adding the final ingredients, my KitchenAid was about to overflow. So, maybe half the recipe, even though it's tricky with 3 eggs. Enjoy!

Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 eggs1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.

2. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

3. In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla

5. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

6. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

7. Bake in oven for 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool.

Note: For 6 dozen small cookies, use 2 tablespoons dough for each. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 18 minutes.