Chewy Coconut Cowboy Cookies

If you've never heard of a 'Cowboy Cookie' before, you have probably never tried one, or perhaps you have and were completely unaware of their peculiar name. Cowboy cookies usually contain flour, oats, chocolate chips and sometimes nuts, they are a chewy cookie with a satisfying array of textures and flavours. The inspiration for these Coconut Cowboy cookies came to me when I was eating a Bounty bar recently and decided I would like to see a cookie that tasted similar yet contained oats and was chewy and sweet. Here's what I came up with..

The original recipe that I followed is here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oatmeal-Chocolate-Coconut-Chewy/Detail.aspx but check out my version below!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
  
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sweetened condesnsed milk
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar until smooth. Add the peanut or almond butter and sweetened condensed milk mixing until well incorperated. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips. walnuts and coconut until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes for chewy cookies, extend the baking time to 14 for crispy cookies.
   
4. Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet and then remove to wire rack. Cool completely and then store in tightly sealed container.