Cowboy Cookies

Had very good intentions of going to my yoga class, but unfortunately the car was not cooperating.  Dead batteries! 

So, on to plan B.  I went for a brisk walk, in the crisp cold weather, to purchase some eggs at our local Sobey's store.   Then I baked a batch of Cowboy Cookies.  Nothing like the aroma of freshly baked cookies!  Poor that souls who doesn't know what I'm talking about!  A friend of mine had mentioned that she made these cookies a few days ago, and I was very curious about them as I never heard of them before.  The recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart, and I assume they were good as they vanished very quickly.   A good friend stopped by for coffee and gave the cookies thumbs up, and my 13 year old son was certainly smiling when he realized that the aroma came from home baked cookies,,, what a treat!   

Today was a good day, I got to enjoy three of my simple pleasures; baking, friendship and the outdoors.  Life is Good!

Recipe
Makes about 5 dozen

• 3/4 cup pecans (3 ounces)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until darkened and fragrant, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until just combined. (Dough can be covered with plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
4. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray; line with parchment, and spray parchment. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared sheets, about 3 inches apart.
5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies begin to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Cowboy Cookies - Martha Stewart Recipes