Weather in Montreal has been quite divers over the past couple of weeks. We have beautiful days above 30°C and the very next day it’ll drop down to 10 or 13°C. We had a few of those colder days over the past week and personally I refuse to start turning back on the heaters.

I declared that summer has arrived, the winter stuff has been stored and it’s not coming back out until at least October! Until then, cooler days mean I need to bake something to warm up the house. There are worse things, right? So I decided to bake up a batch of cowboy cookies last week. It was my first day of vacations, and it was cold, damps, and raining. Freshly baked goods were mandatory, there was no avoiding it. It also hasn’t helped that I’ve been craving baked goods since my return from South Africa. South Africa is abundant in many things but sadly vegan sweets isn’t one of them.

So back to the cookies, it was decided, cowboy cookies it was. Although I’ve never made them before and had no idea what goes into them. A quick Google search revealed that there isn’t really any guidelines or restrictions. In fact, I couldn’t even find any info about the origin of the cookie or the significance behind their name. So in case you’re wondering, they’re basically oatmeal cookies with lots of extras. Extras usually include chocolate, pretzels, and nuts. I did find a few recipes that included coconut and dried fruits as well. My hubby says that cowboys are from the wild west and the cookies are wild because they’re so good and have a ton of things mixed in, hence their cowboy name… Whatever the logic behind their name, these really are good. Quite possible they best cookie to ever come out of my kitchen. One of the colleagues at my hubby’s office said “these are amazing, what’s the secret ingredient? Magic?” I don’t think compliments get much better than that, so go ahead, bake up some magic y’all. Yee haw!

Note: We’ve made three batches in two weeks, they’re that good! However, if it happens to be 32°C and you don’t have AC in your kitchen you might want to wait before throwing together a batch. The coconut oil in the dough begins to melt before they hit the oven and they tend to spread much more. They’re still delicious, but they aren’t as pretty. If you’re like me and you’ve got to make them no matter what the weather; chill the dough for about 20 minutes before baking and keep it in the fridge in between batches.

Cowboy Cookies

Makes about 34 cookies

1/2 cup non-dairy margarine (such as Earth Balance), at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut oil, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds, mixed with 2.5 tablespoons of warm water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips (or both)
1/2 cup large flaked coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup salted pretzels, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line to baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the non-dairy margarine, coconut oil, and brown sugar until creamy and light in color. Add the vanilla extract and flax seed mixture and continue to mix until incorporated.

Add the flour, oats and baking soda and continue to mix on low until almost completely combined. A few clumps of flour should still be visible. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula and add the remaining ingredients.

Continue to mix on low and completely combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a 2 tablespoon measure; scoop the dough and quickly form into a 1 1/2-inch balls using your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly spacing cookies about 2-inches apart.

Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are golden. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.