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    Home Β» Sourdough Recipes Β» Sourdough Discard Ideas

    Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies [full of rolled oats, pecans + coconut]

    Published: Mar 29, 2023 Β· Modified: May 1, 2023 by The Pantry Mama This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies - Pinterest Image

    Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies are crispy on the outer edges, chewy in the middle and bursting with pecans, coconut flakes, rolled oats and chocolate chips.

    Use 100g of sourdough starter discard to create these delicious cowboy cookies. The dough ferments in the fridge for a few hours to ensure you get a great flavor, texture and sourdough goodness!

    If you love baking and eating sourdough cookies, you might also enjoy these soft sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough jam drops, sourdough snickerdoodles, sourdough peanut butter cookies or these sourdough Anzac biscuits.

    4 sourdough discard cowboy cookies on a blue stoneware plate. There is a glass of milk in the background and some cookie crumbs around the edges of the plate.

    What are Cowboy Cookies?

    Cowboy cookies are a type of cookie that is similar to chocolate chip cookies but with a twist. They are typically made with oatmeal or rolled oats, chocolate chips and pecans.

    Cowboy cookies have a different texture to chocolate chip cookies because they have less flour. The added rolled oats and pecans give them crunch, but they're still a little chewy in the centre.

    These cookies tend to be a little less uniform in shape than traditional chocolate chip cookies.

    Black wire cooling rack with 12 sourdough discard cowboy cookies sitting on it.

    How To Make Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies

    These sourdough discard cowboy cookies are really easy to mix and bake. You literally mix wet and dry ingredients together! How simple is that? I think the hardest part of this recipe is actually creating the balls of dough because after it's been the in the fridge, the cookie dough is very stiff.

    I recommend using a good quality cookie scoop to form uniform balls of dough. I have used 30g balls of dough for the sourdough cowboy cookies in these photos. After testing a few different sizes, this size consistently baked up well and had a good texture compared to larger and smaller weights.

    Here's how to make sourdough discard cowboy cookies:

    1. Place all of the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, baking powder, corn starch, white and brown sugar, pecans, rolled oats, sweetened coconut, salt and chocolate chips) into a large mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.
    2. Now in a separate bowl, combine sourdough starter, melted butter, egg + egg yolk and vanilla extract. Stir together until they are well combined.
    3. Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to form the cookie dough. It will be quite stiff - that's ok!
    4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
    5. The next day, when you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 165C (330F) and line two cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    6. Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop out balls of dough. I have used 30g dough balls for this recipe. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets. You can flatten them a little if you want to, but it's not necessary.
    7. Place the cookies into the oven for 13 to 16 minutes at 165C (330F) or until they are golden brown on top but still molten in the centre (see notes on this).
    8. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes after they are removed from the oven and will firm up as they cool.
    Process photos for making sourdough discard cowboy cookies including mixing the wet and dry ingredients, scooping cookie dough and placing onto a baking tray.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Sourdough Discard - you can use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter. It's better not to use older sourdough discard as it will give the cookies an unpleasant sour flavor.
    • Baking Powder - use Baking Powder NOT Baking Soda or Bicarb Soda.
    • Corn Starch is a fine, white processed corn flour used for thickening sauces and gravies. Do NOT use corn meal! The corn starch is added to give you a softer cookie. Corn starch is called corn flour in Ausralia.
    • Sweetened Coconut Flakes - I've used sweetened coconut flakes - you can use shredded coconut or unsweetened flakes if you prefer.
    • Butter - Make sure you melt the butter for this recipe before you start. Letting it cool just slightly before you add it to the other ingredients will give you the best result. You don't want it to have cooled too much - it should still be slightly warm. I use salted butter in this recipe, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
    • Nuts - You can use any type of nuts you like - pecans, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts all work really well.
    close up of the milk chocolate chips, pecans, shredded coconut, sourdough discard and rolled oats used in sourdough cowboy cookies.

    Tips for Baking Sourdough Cowboy Cookies

    • Refrigerating the dough will give you the best sourdough cowboy cookies. You'll get a chewier texture to the cooled cookies. I also love that refrigerating them overnight means that the dough ferments and the sourdough bacteria get to work their magic on your cookie dough! While you won't reap the same health benefits as eating sourdough bread, they're still doing lots of good!
    • For thicker cowboy cookies, don't flatten the balls of dough before putting them in the oven. For thinner, crispier cookies, flatten the little balls down a little first.
    • Don't over cook these cookies. Remove them from the oven when the centre still looks wet or they will be too dry when they cool. The temperature of 165C (330F) might seem low, but it will give you a chewy centred cookie with crispy edges.
    sourdough cowboy cookies cooling on a black wire rack.

    Storage + Freezing

    I find these sourdough discard cowboy cookies are better stored in a glass cookie jar or cookie tin. Storing them in plastic makes them go soft (and we love the crispy edges!).

    They freeze really well. I have frozen them once they're baked and they defrost really well.

    The best way to freeze them is to scoop out the cookie dough balls and then snap freeze those on a baking tray. Once frozen, transfer them to a ziploc bag. Then you can grab out a handful whenever you want fresh baked sourdough cowboy cookies.

    You can bake these cookies from frozen - just add 5 minutes to the baking time.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How are cowboy cookies different from chocolate chip cookies?

    Cowboy cookies are a type of cookie that is similar to chocolate chip cookies but with a twist. They are typically made with oatmeal or rolled oats, chocolate chips and pecans.

    Cowboy cookies have a different texture to chocolate chip cookies because they have less flour. The added rolled oats and pecans give them crunch, but they're still a little chewy in the centre.

    These cookies tend to be a little less uniform in shape than traditional chocolate chip cookies.

    Can I use active sourdough starter in these cookies?

    Yes, you can use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for these cookies with no change to the process.

    How long can I leave the cookie dough in the fridge?

    The sourdough cowboy cookie dough is fine in the fridge for up to 2 days. The cookies bake up just fine, even after this time.

    Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies - Pinterest Image
    Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies - Recipe Feature Image

    Sourdough Discard Cowboy Cookies

    Sourdough discard cowboy cookies are crunchy on the outside, with a chewy inside - bursting with chocolate chips, pecans, coconut and rolled oats, they are the perfect, anytime snack that will keep you coming back for more!
    3.92 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 16 minutes mins
    Fermentation Time 12 hours hrs
    Total Time 12 hours hrs 46 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 42 cookies
    Calories 160 kcal

    Equipment

    • Baking Tray
    • Cookie Dough Scoop

    Ingredients
      

    • 200 g All Purpose Flour
    • 8 g Baking Powder
    • 6 g Corn Starch (see notes for definition)
    • 2 g Salt
    • 200 g Chocolate Chips
    • 150 g Pecans
    • 80 g Sweetened Coconut Flakes
    • 100 g Rolled Oats
    • 100 g Sourdough Starter or Sourdough Discard
    • 180 g Salted Butter Melted
    • 160 g Brown Sugar
    • 100 g White Sugar
    • 1 Egg + Egg Yolk
    • 5 g Vanilla Extract

    Instructions
     

    • Place all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, corn starch, white and brown sugar, pecans, rolled oats, sweetened coconut, salt and chocolate chips) into a large mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.
    • Now in a separate bowl, combine sourdough starter, melted butter, egg + egg yolk and vanilla extract. Stir together until they are well combined.
    • Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to form the cookie dough. It will be quite wet - that's ok!
    • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
    • The next day, when you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 165C (330F) and line two cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    • Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop out balls of dough. I have used 30g dough balls for this recipe. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets. You can flatten them a little if you want to, but it's not necessary.
    • Place the cookies into the oven for 13 to 16 minutes at 165C (330F) or until they are golden brown on top but still molten in the centre (see notes on this).
    • Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes after they are removed from the oven and will firm up as they cool.

    Notes

    Ingredient Notes:
    • Use Baking Powder NOT Baking Soda or Bicarb Soda
    • Corn Starch is a fine, white processed corn flour used for thickening sauces and gravies. Do NOT use corn meal! The corn starch is added to give you a softer cookie. Corn starch is called corn flour in Ausralia.
    • Sweetened Coconut Flakes - I've used sweetened coconut flakes - you can use shredded coconut or unsweetened flakes if you prefer.
    • Make sure you melt the butter for this recipe before you start. Letting it cool just slightly before you add it to the other ingredients will give you the best result. You don't want it to have cooled too much - it should still be slightly warm. I use salted butter in this recipe, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
    Β 
    Refrigerating the dough will give you the best sourdough cowboy cookies. It means they won't spread so much in the oven and you'll get a chewier texture to the cooled cookies. I also love that refrigerating them overnight means that the dough ferments and the sourdough bacteria get to work their magic on your cookie dough! While you won't reap the same health benefits as eating sourdough bread, they're still doing lots of good!
    Β 
    Don't over cook these cookies. Remove them from the oven when the centre still looks wet or they will be too dry when they cool. The temperature of 165C (330F) might seem low, but it will give you a chewy centred cookie with crispy edges.
    Β 
    I've used pecans in these cookies - you can use any nuts you prefer. Peanuts and walnuts work really well too.
    Β 
    Β 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 30gCalories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 121IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Sourdough Discard
    Tried this recipe?Share your creation with us @ThePantryMama or tag #thepantrymama!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chantal

      March 29, 2023 at 10:31 pm

      Can you put the dough into a 9x9 pan and cook right away to make cowboy squares?
      (No refrigeration)

      Reply
      • The Pantry Mama

        March 30, 2023 at 9:41 am

        I haven't tried to do this - but it would definitely work, just allow the pan to cool before you slice them up so that they set πŸ™‚ Great idea!

        Reply
    2. GARRY

      March 30, 2023 at 10:43 am

      I love your recipes but is it possible to have a print tab so we can easily print of the entire recipe?
      Thank you:-)

      Reply
      • GARRY

        March 30, 2023 at 10:44 am

        Silly me I should have known you would already have thought of this:-)

        Reply
    3. Sally

      April 24, 2023 at 12:02 pm

      5 stars
      Very tasty! I love the chewiness of the coconut in these cookies. Next time, I will probably form the cookie blobs prior to refrigerating, as it was really difficult to scoop the cold dough.

      Reply
    4. Liliet Cardoso

      April 28, 2023 at 5:41 am

      Do you ever post recipes with measurements like cups and teaspoons instead of grams?

      Reply
      • The Pantry Mama

        April 30, 2023 at 11:02 am

        No, I only bake in grams because it's much more accurate πŸ™‚

        Reply
    5. Kim Waller

      May 05, 2023 at 1:03 am

      Do you have to let these sit or can you just bake them after mixing.

      Reply
      • The Pantry Mama

        May 06, 2023 at 1:35 pm

        It is better if you let them sit in the fridge before baking πŸ™‚ But if you don't, they will just spread a bit more πŸ™‚

        Reply

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