Cowgirl Cookies

  A friend of mine's daughter was turning 10, and wanted a Taylor Swift theme for her birthday party.  Her request of me was to bring cookies.   I wanted to come up with a cookie that would somehow fit the theme, without taking too much effort, since I would be short on time to make them.  I decided on these cookies, which pretty much have that "everything thrown in" feel, and Smore's Cookies.   Both make me think of cowboys and cowgirls,  of sitting on hay bales around a bonfire in cowboy boots and skirts, of lightly strummed guitars while the stars twinkle overhead.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips
1 cup broken pretzel pieces

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the butter and sugars.  Beat until smooth.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Dissolve baking soda in hot water. 
Add baking soda water and salt to butter mixture and stir until blended.
Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing well between additions. 
Fold in the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and pretzel pieces.
Drop by tablespoons onto prepared pan and bake for about 10 minutes.