Pride of Iowa Cookies. Come and see what makes these cookies so special. Delicious coconut, black walnuts and oats make these cookies a perfect snack

Pride of Iowa cookies are certainly famous in Iowa! Having done a little research, it would seem, given the ingredients, it becomes apparent why these would be so famous in that region.
This cookie dates back to around the 1950's, and the use of oatmeal is because the Quaker Oats Company was situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the region was heavily populated with oat fields. The use of coconut in the cookie was most likely due to the Mississippi River trade and the nuts used would have been black walnuts, which grew everywhere in the region. So that might explain why these are called the Pride of Iowa Cookies.
These cookies are certainly a delicious treat, and together with a glass of milk or a lovely cup of tea, imagine the flavor and texture you get from the coconut, chocolate or walnuts and the chewy oats inside. yummy!
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Here, Libby has kindly shared her family recipe, passed down from her mother and now that you have a little history along with these cookies, please do enjoy!
Recipe by Libby Myrick
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
Approx 9 minutes
Yield
Makes 6 dozen
Ingredients you'll need
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Shortening
- Eggs
- Coconut
- Rolled oats (quick)
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Chopped nuts or chocolate chips
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
1. Cream sugars and shortening, add eggs and beat well. Add coconut, nuts, or chocolate chips and vanilla.

2. Sift and measure flour, add salt, soda and baking powder and sift again.
3. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and then add oatmeal. Mix well.
4. Roll in small balls the size of a walnut. Place on baking sheet and press down with a fork.

5. Bake at 375 F for 9 minutes or until lightly browned
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Pride Of Iowa Cookie recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Pride of Iowa Cookies. Come and see what makes these cookies so special. Delicious coconut, black walnuts and oats make these cookies a perfect snack
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup coconut
- 3 cups rolled oats, quick
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream sugars and shortening, add eggs and beat well. Add coconut, nuts and vanilla.
- Sift and measure flour, add salt, soda and baking powder and sift again.
- Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and then add oatmeal. Mix well.
- Roll in small balls the size of a walnut. Place on baking sheet and press down with fork.
- Bake at 375 F for 9 minutes or until lightly browned
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 72 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 93Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Sweet Snacks
Here's a selection of delicious sweet snacks, ideal for Thanksgiving and Christmas time
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so you can use your favorite chocolate, like milk, dark, white and also use whatever nuts you love!
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Linda Franey
says:My cookies seemed a bit dry, but still delicious! I cut the recipe in half but that shouldn’t matter…I will make them again.
Jay
says:I got this recipe out my mother’s recipe box in the early 70’s when she first started teaching me to bake. I haven’t made these cookies in about 25 years! Have my first batch in the oven now. I don’t know where she got the recipe. I just know that my Dad loved these cookies. They’ve both been gone now for about 14 years. I happened to think about this recipe the other day and decided to make them this weekend. As I was looking through the recipes I gathered from my mother, I remembered many of them that I haven’t made for a long time. I will have to remedy that! Was curious as to where the recipe initially came from. Loved reading these reviews/comments about these wonderful cookies.
Lovefoodies
says:That’s lovely Jay! I can imagine your mother’s recipe box if full of delicious things and what wonderful memories you will have when you start making many of her recipes again!
Lovely!
Elora Trumper
says:My mother-in-law gave me this recipe many, many years ago, so I have been making these delicious cookies forever. They have been a bestseller at bake sells. My family has always enjoyed them.
Missy
says:The reason they are called Pride of Iowa Cookies is because girls in 4-H compete in a cooking demonstration category – Pride of Iowa. It is called that because the recipe has to contain a certain number of ingredients that come from Iowa. In this case it would be the oats, butter/shortening, eggs, and the nuts (most commonly walnuts).
Mary
says:These cookies were delicious! I added a cup each of walnuts, chocolate chips and coconut. I chilled the dough 24 hours before baking. Thanks for a great recipe!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Mary! So glad you enjoyed the cookies. It’s also useful to know you can chill the dough the day before. Great tip!
Thanks so much for taking the time to write in and let us know how the recipe went. Have a lovely weekend!
Mary
says:What do you use for shortening ~ butter, Crisco? Thanks!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Mary, either will be fine. Just use what you prefer. They will taste delicious with either!