The name, cowboy cookie, is a bit fantastical. I mean, I am fairly certain that there is only just the faintest hint of connection (if any) between actual cowboys and these cookies. My basic, modest research cannot find a reference anywhere stating that they were invented by cowboys, enjoyed by cowboys, or made in honor of cowboys. It seems the name is simply a sly reference to the rugged manliness implied by the cookie’s bigness and embrace-it-all ingredients.

Whatever their origins, they are delicious. The typical components of the cowboy cookie are oatmeal, chocolate chips, walnuts or pecans, crunchy exterior, and chewy interior. Ours is slightly different. I opted to do away with the nuts and added salty pretzels; we also tossed in some instant espresso powder to add a grown-up (maybe cowboyish) flavor.