Easy Keto Cowboy Cookie Bars - Adapted from the Popular NY Times Recipe

These Keto Cowboy Cookie Bars is an adaptation of a 5/5 star NY Times recipe. These easy low-carb cowboy cookies which have been made into bars taste as they came from a fancy bakery! They are thick and chewy and full of nutty goodness!   Simply combining coconut, pecans, cinnamon and chocolate, these cookie bars make the most flavourful gluten-free and sugar-free keto cookie bars!

New York Times Recipe gone Keto!

So when a friend introduced me to Cowboy Cookies a few weeks ago, I was instantly intrigued. And a little embarrassed. I mean seriously, at the ripe old age of 44, how have I never heard of these incredible cookies before?

When I started looking into making a sugar-free, gluten-free and keto version of Cowboy Cookies, the first google search recipe was by the New York Times. The recipe received a 5/5 star review from over 2400 people!!!

What I would give to have a recipe with 2400 reviews and getting 5/5 stars at that!!!

According to the NY Times, this recipe came to The Times in 2000 during the Bush-Gore presidential campaign when Family Circle magazine ran cookie recipes from each of the candidates' wives and asked readers to vote. Laura Bush's cowboy cookies, a classic chocolate chip cookie that's been beefed up with oats, pecans, coconut and cinnamon, beat Tipper Gore's ginger snaps by a mile.

Intrigued, I decided to modify this highly popular New York Times Cowboy Cookie recipe and turn create a keto cowboy cookie bar recipe that was worthy of a 5 out of 5 stars!

Why are they called Cowboy cookies?

Some claim cowboy cookies hail from Texas, a state many cowboys call home. Others say the treats were named for their ability to withstand long days in saddlebags. Whatever its origin, the classic combination of flour, oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut is what defines a cowboy cookie.

Changes for a Sugar-free and Gluten-free Recipe

To make these into easy low carb cowboy cookies, there were only a couple of modifications that needed to happen.

First, I replaced the all-purpose flour with super-fine almond flour to keep these cookies keto and gluten-free. Next, sugar substitutes and sugar-free chocolate chips were used instead of sugar and regular chocolate chips to keep these keto cowboy cookie bars sugar-free.

Lastly, and this ingredient is PURELY OPTIONAL, to keep these keto cowboy cookie bars as low in carbs as possible, the oats can either be eliminated or replaced with Lupin Flakes.

Lupin Flakes look like slightly yellow-coloured oats. They are an ancient superfood that is rich in dietary fibre, protein and minerals including Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, and Vitamin C! This low-carb food is extremely high in protein while being low calorie.

I bought mine on Amazon and they are by no means cheap so I created this recipe without them as I am sure the vast majority of my readers don't readily have them on hand.

However, if you have lupin flakes, feel free to reduce the coconut flakes by ¼ cup as well as the chopped pecans and add ½ cup of lupin flakes instead.

Another small modification is that I decided to change this cookie recipe into keto cookie bars. Although I love cookies, making Keto Cowboy Cookie Bars made this easy recipe even easier! Plus, you can always cut these bars into any size serving to help keep you within your daily macros!

Ingredients for Keto Cowboy Cookie Bars

Coconut Oil - I swapped out coconut oil for the butter in the original recipe as I wanted these bars to be nice and gooey. I typically use coconut oil when I make keto cookie bars and butter when I make cookies so if you want to make these Keto Cowboy Cookie Bars into cookies, use butter instead of coconut oil.

Sweeteners - A combination of white sweetener and brown sugar substitutes is used in this recipe. I used Lakanto Golden and Lakanto Classic in these keto cookie bars but I am pretty sure that Swerve would work just as well. As for Allulose, it should work also but your cookies may be slightly darker as allulose causes baked goods to brown quickly.

Egg - Make sure your egg is at room temperature and that it is a large egg. Using different size eggs can really change a recipe so if you buy eggs from a farmer, weigh your egg once it has been cracked. A large egg should weigh about 50 grams.

Vanilla extract - I never really measure my vanilla but you will use 1 teaspoon. I LOVE vanilla so I tend to use a very generous dash!

Almond flour: This is to replace regular flour and will help hold all the ingredients together. Use super-fine almond flour, for best results.

Pea Protein Powder - I first made this recipe using Collagen Peptide powder and to be honest, as much as I LOVE the idea of adding collagen as a supplement, I have to admit that I really don't like the taste. I have tried two different brands and still can't get over the flavour. So, instead, I opted for my tried and true Orgain Vanilla Pea protein powder. Feel free to replace this will equal amounts of collagen powder or replace the pea protein powder with an additional ¼ cup almond flour with ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum.

Baking soda and Baking Powder- These ingredients will help the cookies to rise ever so slightly.

Cinnamon - Adds a delightful cinnamon flavour signature to these easy low-carb cowboy cookies.

Salt: Balances and enhances all the wonderful flavours and ensures the cookies won’t be overly sweet. Skipping salt or adding too much salt in baking recipes is a big mistake so make sure you use a measuring spoon for this ingredient.

Shredded coconut - Make sure that you use unsweetened that is shredded. If you use flakes, the cookies may fall apart as they are too large and will inhibit the cookies from binding together.

Pecans - Traditionally, cowboy cookies use pecans but you can use walnuts or any other type of nut. I like to chop my pecans and then add some whole ones on top. Also, I like to quickly toast my pecans but you can skip this if you are in a hurry.

Chocolate - I love a gooey chocolate center in my keto cookie bars so I added broken chunks from a sugar-free chocolate bar. I reserved about ½ cup of the keto cowboy cookie bars batter and crumbled the chocolate bar over the bars. Then, I sprinkled the reserved dough over the chocolate. Using a sugar-free chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips gives you big chunks of melted chocolate throughout the bar which I really like. However, if all you have are sugar-free chocolate chips, feel free to replace the chocolate bar with the chips (you will need about ½-3/4 cup of chips).

Making Keto Cookie Bars

These bars are really easy to make and only require a bowl and a spoon!

• Melt the coconut - In a large bowl, melt the coconut in the microwave (this only takes about 30 seconds). Stir in the sweeteners until they have somewhat dissolved (the sweeteners will not totally dissolve and that's ok!).
• Whisk in the egg - Make sure the coconut oil is not too hot and whisk in the egg. Add in the vanilla and salt and whisk again.
• Whisk in the almond flour - Add the almond flour first, then the cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder and mix until no clumps remain. Add in the pea protein powder and stir it into the mix. If using collagen powder, your dough will come together and form a large ball of dough
• Fold in the pecans, coconut and ⅔ of the chocolate - Due to the collagen, folding in the ingredients will take a little work. You are only using ⅔rds of the chocolate so that you can layer the reserved chocolate on top.
• Press and chill - Take about ¾ of the mixture and press it into your baking pan. Add the reserved chocolate and then dollop the remaining dough over the chocolate. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for 30 minutes. Chilling the dough is not necessary but it helps to create the extra gooey factor that I LOVE!

• Bake the Bars - Bake the bars at 350 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes. If you use a small loaf pan, your bars will be thicker and will require about 18-20 minutes. If you chose thinner bars, your bars will be done in about 15 minutes.

Let's Talk Sugar-Free Chocolate!

Now I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth saying again: I take my chocolate very seriously. Because life is just too short for ordinary chocolate!

Recently, I was introduced to The Good Chocolate.

The Good Chocolate is a unique producer of sugar-free chocolate that actually is one of the only companies that does not use soy in their products. Also, they are (as far as I know!) producing the LOWEST net carb chocolate bar on the market!

Here is a list of other unique qualities of The Good Chocolate company:

• Unlike other brands, our chocolate is made with 100% organic ingredients, and they control the entire production process in their San Francisco factory
• The Good Chocolate has up to 45% fewer calories compared to other similar 65% dark chocolates
• Our chocolate is sugar-free, keto-friendly, paleo-friendly, low carb (2 net carbs per bar), vegan, soy-free, low glycemic index, and metabolism-friendly
• The Good Chocolate is sweetened with plant-based sweeteners found in fruits and plants including Erythritol, Mesquite Powder, and Stevia
• It is a FODMAP friendly sugar-free chocolate
• They are actually lower in net carbs than more popular sugar-free brands like Lily's and Lakanto

Here is a little excerpt from their website:

We challenged ourselves to come up with a bean-to-bar chocolate that could stand up to our own high standards. We roasted a lot of cacao. We received feedback from family, friends & experts – some who didn’t believe it could be done. After a few months of trial and error, we came up with a sweet-blend of organic sweeteners all found in fruits & plants. The result was an exquisite, 100% organic bean-to-bar chocolate that’s as delicious as it is healthy.

Ben and Miki

And let me tell you, it is so very good!

Thanks to the chocolate from The Good Chocolate company, these bars have an amazingly smooth, creamy, high-quality cookie bar center!

The only downside with this company is that they do not yet make sugar-free chocolate chips as well I could not find them in my grocery store. However, since most of us are doing a TON of online grocery stores, you can simply order the sugar-free chocolate from their website. They offer 15% off your first order when you sign up with your email address and free shipping on orders over $45.

Should I toast the nuts?

Toasting the pecans is not necessary, but can improve their texture and flavour, making them richer and crispier. You can easily toast them by placing them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a single layer for about 5 to 10 minutes.

DO I NEED A STAND MIXER TO these Keto COWBOY COOKIE Bars?

These cookies can be made without a stand mixer or even an electric mixer. Since the coconut oil is melted, the ingredients come together using a basic spoon!

Can I make these in a large baking dish?

Of course! Since there are only 2 of us in our house, I tend to make smaller portion sizes when it comes to desserts. This keto cowboy cookie bar recipe makes 10 squares.

If you want to make more, simply double the recipe for an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. You can also make thinner bars by simply using the recipe listed in the recipe card below and placing it in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan instead. If you choose to make thinner bars, the baking time will be less so start checking the bars at the 8-10 minute mark.

Can I make these Keto Cookie Bars into cookies?

Yes! Use the exact same recipe but replace the coconut oil with butter and finely chop the chocolate bar into chunks. Also, allow the dough to cool before adding the chocolate as the chocolate will melt if the dough is hot.

If you want to make super thick and tall cookies, these easy low carb cowboy cookies, shape the dough into balls and then refrigerate or freeze. This will help slow the spreading that occurs when baking. Baking the dough straight from the freezer will produce the tallest cookie.

More Sugar-free and Gluten-free Recipes

• Keto Peanut Butter Bars - Copycat Perfect Keto Recipe
• The BEST Keto Strawberry Cream Bars - Under 100 calories each!
• Keto Pumpkin Caramel Magic Bars
• Homemade Keto Ice Cream Sandwich Bars with No-Churn Ice Cream
• Keto Banana Bars Recipe With Brown Butter Frosting - Gluten-Free

Today’s post is sponsored by The Good Chocolate Company! Their high-quality, super delicious sugar-free chocolate makes life – and my recipes – extra delicious! 

Print