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Hi Bold Bakers!
If you’re anything like me you’re always tempted to add everything but the kitchen sink into your cookie recipes. Well, for this one I actually encourage you to go for it! Why? Because these are my Cowboy Cookies!
These cookies are a classic, known for having oats, chocolate, dried fruit, coconut, AND nuts! My Gluten Free Cowboy cookies are jam-packed with delicious and nutritious goodies making them more than just a tasty cookie. They’re so wholesome you could have them for breakfast — and they will be sure to satisfy that sweet tooth, without any added sugar!
How to Make Sugar Free Cowboy Cookies
As you all know my specialty is making sweets without sugar. I don’t just mean without refined sugar, I mean with no added sugar at all.
This means I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with different alternative sweeteners. For my Gluten Free Cowboy Cookies, I decided to use Confectioners Swerve, as it is so fine it melts right into the cookies and is sweeter than normal sugar which means you need less. There is NO detectable flavor or texture difference between the Swerve in these cookies and normal sugar.
If you’ve never tried baking without sugar, these are a no-brainer.
What are Cowboy Cookies?
Cowboy cookies are jam-packed, stick to your ribs, everything but the kitchen sink, kind of cookie. My version is especially hearty and packed with extra nutrition thanks to the gluten-free almond flour and coconut flour that make up these cookies.
This new take on the classic has all the good stuff: oats, dark chocolate, dried cherries, shredded coconut, AND nuts. They really do have the entire cupboard and that’s what makes them so tasty. Every bite has loads of texture and flavor, making these super a satisfying treat for any time of day or season.
What Other Things Can I Add Them?
When it comes to Cowboy Cookies, more is more! If you want to add different nuts, types of chocolate, or dried fruit, by all means, go for it. Another combination that would be really nice would be white chocolate, pistachio, and dried apricot… YUM!
Can I Make Them In Advance?
You can make my Gluten-Free Cookie Dough up to 2 days in advance. This cookie dough is actually best made ahead of time since the coconut flour in the cookies needs time to absorb the liquid in the dough. I actually suggest you make it and then let it rest for a minimum of 1o minutes. This will ensure the cowboy cookies come out soft and chewy!
Can You Make Vegan Cowboy Cookies?
If you are vegan or you cannot eat eggs you can always use a flax egg or chia instead of the eggs in this recipe. Since this recipe calls for one egg and one egg white I would suggest substituting with 2 flax or chia eggs.
Tips and Tricks to Making Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies:
- Instead of almond flour, you can use any ground nut meal
- Instead of Swerve, you can use a monkfruit sweetener in the same amount
- Always toast nuts before adding into your baked goods
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls and freezer for up to one month in advance — to bake, thaw at room temperature then bake as directed
- Add in 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder or collagen for an even more nutritious cookie
Try These Other Alternative Recipes!
And don’t forget to follow Bigger Bolder Baking on Pinterest!
Try These Recipes!
Gluten Free Cowboy Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg + 1 egg white*
- 1/2 cup (2oz /57g) confectioners swerve*
- 1/4 cup (2½ oz/71g) unsweetened almond butter, cashew butter or tahini
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (3oz/85g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (1¼oz/35g) coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2oz /57g) rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (4½ oz/128g) chopped sugar free chocolate, or chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup (1½oz/43g) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1/3 cup (1oz/28g) shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1/3 cup (1½oz/43g) dried cherries, or any other dried fruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, swerve, nut butter, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix until a thick dough comes together.
- Lastly, fold in the oats, chocolate chunks, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit then allow the dough to sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature.
- Roll the dough into heaped tablespoon sized balls and place them on the prepared cookies sheet about 1 1/2 inches. Gently press them down into 1 inch thick discs.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until edges are just slightly golden.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the raw dough scooped for up to 4 weeks.
You know, if you replaced the oats with hemp hearts and the dried cherries with dried berries, this would even be keto!!! WOOHOOHOO!!! GOTTA TRY IT NOW!!!
Hi Gemma,
Sending love from Kenya. Im a huge fun of your recipes especially the crazy dough ones.
I would like to try out this recipe this week. can i substitute the swerve for honey?
I have it a go, I left out the coconut flour, I just felt with the tapioca flour it wasn’t necessary. . I used your almond flour/ tapioca mix. I just took them out of the oven. They smell wonderful, the cookie dough tastes great, so I anticipate the cookies will be delightful. I’ll come back and let you know how they taste.
Can I use the almond flour/ tapioca flour mixture in this recipe? What needs to be changed as far as the rest of recipe if I use this new mixture
Hi Gemma, Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. My kids are loving it. But I am having some adverse reaction to the baking soda 🙁 Is there something I could substitute this with or can I add lemon juice to neutralize it a bit? I do like it crispy but I am unable to enjoy it with the baking soda. Thanks!
Hi! Just made this recipe and they turned out fabulous – thank you for the great instructions. Quick q: I wasn’t able to find swerve… so I used honey which I had at home… do you have any recommendations for substitutes for swerve that work better? Honey worked but it was still quite hard to create the balls on the pan. I also want to limit the amount of additive sweetener!
Thnx!
Hey , hope u r doing fine . As per ur receipe notes u said u can use brown sugar or coconut sugar in 1:1 ratio. I didn’t understand that . Can u tell me in grams . Can I use same 57 grams of brown sugar . 😊
My newest favorite cookie! I used ingredients I had at home and they were great
Gemma, I don’t have coconut flour and spelt flour. What other alternative do you suggest?
Hi, I’m dairy free and I’m wondering if I can make my own choclate bits because most choclate , dark chocolate chips and bits have dairy.