Cowboy Cookies

Way back when the world was a simpler place,  and when Presidential elections weren't as dramatic as they are today, the potential First Ladies engaged in a cookie recipe contest.   In 2000, Laura Bush vied for cookie fame with her Cowboy Cookie recipe vs. Tipper Gore's Gingersnap Cookie.   Of course, the chocolate chip cookie won by a landslide.   It takes a pretty refined palate to appreciate a gingersnap, which most people don't have.   I do love a ginger cookie a lot of the time, but when cowboy cookie recipes started populating my corner of the internet, I had to try my hand at some.   I found a NYT recipe for Laura' Bush's cookie, and I thought I would give it a try.  I modified it a bit because it made a TON of cookies and I like bittersweet chocolate.    The end result is quite possibly the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever made in my life.   This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Cowboy Cookies

1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1/2  tablespoon baking powder
1/2  tablespoon baking soda

1/2  tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon salt
1 1/2  sticks butter, at room temperature
3/4  cups granulated sugar
3/4  cups packed light-brown sugar
2  eggs
1/2  tablespoon vanilla
1 10 oz pkg  Ghirardelli  bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2  cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1  cups unsweetened flake coconut
1  cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugars, and combine thoroughly.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla. By hand, stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool.