Cowboy Cookies

Let’s Leave the Baking to the Experts

Words by Hannah Hudson Photos by Hannah Hudson

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First, an admission. I am not a baker. In fact, I avoid it altogether because it so thoroughly irritates me. The required precision is unforgiving. I much prefer the art of cooking. So, (un)naturally and with the goal of personal development, I decided to dedicate multiple days to a baking challenge. The question at this project’s heart: What happens when you take the same cookie recipe and make minor or major changes? The idea isn’t novel, but this cowboy cookie effort has a bit of an Oklahoma twist. The results were a bit surprising.

I consulted Trisha O’Donoghue, owner of Quincy Bake Shop, who was kind enough to walk me through some of my variables and results even though she was in the middle of Valentine’s Day rush at the bakery. “So much can mess with what you’re doing. Your sugar could be at a different temperature. How long did you leave your eggs out? How cold was your flour, how long did you keep the dough in the fridge? How long did you let your oven warm up? Did you scoop from the top of your bowl or the bottom? It’s exhausting!”

I settled on the variables laid out below. What’s the difference with room temperature, refrigerated, and frozen dough? What happens when you take the same ingredients and dump them all together with no order? “Oh, like a crazy person?” Trisha asks.

I had expected greater differences, but the results were primarily aesthetic, save the browned butter varieties which seemed to rise more. The frozen cookies were consistently flatter, the browned butter cookies were consistently lighter in color. All of them were consistently delicious. So, what are my takeaways? 1. Our family liked the browned butter/refrigerated dough best. 2. Leave baking to the Type A, Enneagram 1 afflicted in your family, I’m getting my next cookie from Trisha at Quincy Bake Shop.

Ingredients

2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinammon

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup semi sweet chocolates

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup pecans

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METHOD

We used virtually the same ingredients nine ways: 1. “As Is” means everything is in the recipe’s prescribed order and temperature, 2. Swapping room temperature butter for browned butter, and 3. Dumping all the ingredients into the same bowl with no order. Then, all three of the approaches above were cooked with dough that was either room temperature, chilled, or frozen. Scan the QR code for the recipe.

1. Cream Butter & Sugars
   In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with an electric or stand mixer until light and fluffy.

2. Add Wet Ingredients
   Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined.

3. Mix Dry Ingredients
   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon until evenly blended.

4. Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients
   Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, using a mixer on low speed or stirring by hand until just combined.

5. Stir in Mix-Ins
   Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and pecans until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

6. Portion the Dough
   Drop dough by heaping 2-tablespoon scoops onto a lined or greased baking sheet. If you want more uniform cookies, gently roll the dough into balls. Leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie.

7. Bake
   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may look slightly underbaked—that’s okay! Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet to finish setting while staying soft and chewy.