This is my favorite recipe for Cowboy Cookies that I got from my Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts, one of my favorite dessert cookbooks.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached white pastry flour (I substitute 2 cups minus 2 T. all-purpose flour)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, thoroughly cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.   Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and blend well.  Mix in the oats.  Using a large spoon or your hands, fold in the chocolate chips.  The dough will be fairly stiff.

On unoiled baking sheets, drop generous rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 4 inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden.  Cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

Variation:  Add 1 cup of raisins and/or 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped toasted walnuts.