Ranger Cookies are chewy and sweet, with a hint of crunchiness. These cookies are loaded with oats, rice krispies, pecans, and coconut - they're like a sweet granola bar cookie.
If you've never had a ranger cookie before, your're in for a treat. These hearty, chewy cookies are filled to the brim with . Oats, rice krispies cereal, shredded coconut, and pecans are all mixed into this cookie dough to make a chewy, flavorful cookie.
I like to think of Ranger Cookies as a sweet granola bar in cookie form. You know, those "not really healthy" granola bars that are chewy and sweet? They remind me of ranger cookies.
If you want to switch things up, feel free to substitute your ingredients. Don't like pecans? You can leave them out entirely, or use walnuts, cashews, peanuts, or even chocolate chips instead.
Adding chocolate chips would make this cookie more like a Cowboy Cookie instead. Cowboy cookies also use oats and coconut, along with chocolate chips, to make a chewy and irresistible cookie.
Ingredients and substitutions
I do not recommend many substitutions in baking, because each ingredient has a purpose in the recipe.
Pecans can be substituted with walnuts, peanuts, or almonds.
I used quick cook oats for this recipe, but old fashioned oats can be substituted. Old fashioned oats will give you a thicker, heartier cookie with more texture.
Quick cook oats are thinner and cook into the batter to make a softer cookie. You can also use a combination of both - I've done this with success.
Tips and Tricks
Here are my favorite tips and tricks for successful cookie baking.
Room temperature ingredients - Using room temperature ingredients, like butter and eggs, will help your dough mix together evenly. Room temperature butter mixed with sugar forms an emulsion that traps air into the dough, which makes your cookies soft and light when baked.
Forgot to bring your butter to room temperature? Slice your cold butter into ½ inch slivers, then allow to warm up on the counter. Your butter will warm up faster than leaving it whole.
Cold eggs? Place your eggs in a bowl and fill it with hot water. You'll have room temperature eggs in less than 10 minutes.
Properly measured flour - One very common issue I see in baking is the improper measuring of flour. To properly measure flour using measuring cups, spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level off with a knife.
If you scoop your flour using a measuring cup, this compacts the flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra flour to your dough. Cookies with too much flour will turn out thick and won't spread much while baking. They may also turn out dry or crumbly.
Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat instead of greasing your pan. Adding grease to your pan will cause your cookies to spread more while baking.
Ranger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups quick cook oats
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup rice krispies cereal
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, about a minute.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined.
- Add oats, pecans, rice krispies cereal, and shredded coconut. Stir until just combined.
- Cover bowl or wrap dough in wax paper. Chill for at 1 hour (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator. Refrigerating will help the flavors meld and also create a firmer dough to roll into balls.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Scoop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls.
- Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Your cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, you can place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed. You can keep raw cookie dough in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- Cookie dough balls (and baked cookies) freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen balls to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
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