LAURA BUSH'S TEXAS COWBOY COOKIES!

A friend recently sent this recipe to me, and I mean really, how can you NOT try a Texas Cowboy Cookie? And while I think Laura Bush is a lovely, gracious woman and was a fabulous first lady, politically I hang this way (shhhh, don't tell!).......

(I was SO excited that I found this t-shirt in my closet, and cannot wait to wear it , or maybe a new one that doesn't say, "2008", proudly next year--I mean C'MON, have the Republicans come up with even ONE candidate any of us can take seriously?)

Because I am an open minded person, I am willing to cross those party lines and whip up Laura Bush's Texas Cowboy Cookies, all for the sake of my blog and my loyal readers! And I am the first to admit it:  these cookies are really DA BOMB--each cookie is as big as your head, and just chock FULL of yummy ingredients! So let's get started.....First thing to do is to mix dry ingredients in a bowl...............

Then beat THREE sticks of butter (LAURA, LAURA, LAURA! Tsk Tsk...No WONDER everything is bigger in Texas--sheesh!) on medium speed in your mixer until creamy...........

Beat in sugars, then eggs, then vanilla (I used my hand mixer, because this recipe makes so much cookie dough I was afraid it wouldn't all fit in my stand-mixer bowl)........

Add in flour mixture, then gently fold in all of the goodies.....oats, chocolate chips, coconut and pecans....yum!............

Drop dough by 1 / 4 cups onto ungreased baking sheets--I used my ice cream scoop, and only had 6 cookies on each baking sheet. They're THAT big....., but you could probably cram another 2 or 3 on there.....

Bake for about 20 minutes, then ooooh and aaaaaah at your Texas-sized creations......

So crispy and buttery and delicious...you are going to LOVE these cookies! So are my Cookie-Palooza 2011 girls! Thank you, Mrs. Laura Bush! Here's the recipe.....

LAURA BUSH'S TEXAS COWBOY COOKIES

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tblsp. baking powder

1 tblsp. baking soda

1 tblsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

3 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 and 1 / 2 cups granulated sugar

1 and 1 / 2 cups packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tblsp. vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened flake coconut

2 cups chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. In an 8 quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1 / 4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake in 350 degree oven 16 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR....

***10 days and counting until Little Miss Thing flies home for Christmas! Yee Haw!

***Our fun Northwood's Women's Club  holiday party I'm looking forward to next week, and my husband's office party. (Sigh...I have NUTTIN' to wear!)

***The fun I've been having at the gym with my husband lately...he always makes me laugh, and makes my time on the Eliptical trainer go by so quickly!