Ranger Cookies
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By Alyssa Rivers
on Jan 17, 2024, Updated Nov 13, 2024 |
Delicious Ranger Cookies (Cowboy Cookies) have slightly crisp edges with soft and chewy centers and the most wonderful texture. They are filled with hearty oats, crunchy cornflakes, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips. You will be blown away by how amazing these cookies taste!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: These cookies come together quickly and easily. You will need to let the dough chill but for only 30 minutes.
- Crowd Pleaser: Not only are ranger cookies irresistible, but they fit any occasion! These are great for holiday cookie tins, the perfect after-school snack, a game-day treat, or for when you’re craving something sweet.
- Flavor and Texture: This recipe takes our everyday oatmeal chocolate chip cookie to the next level. We’re mixing in cornflake cereal and shredded sweetened coconut, giving these cookies the best chew texture and flavor.
Ingredients Needed for Ranger Cookies
There’s a new favorite cookie in the house! This ranger cookie recipe is a fabulous spin on classic chocolate chip cookies. They’re made with simple baking ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Rolled Oats: Provides a wonderful, chewy, hearty texture.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour to ensure a tender crumb.
- Baking Essentials: Combining baking soda and baking powder helps these rise and bake properly.
- Salt: Enhances and brings together all of the flavors.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the recipe. Soften your butter to room temperature to ensure it combines properly with the sugars.
- Brown Sugar: Combine dark or light brown sugar with granulated sugar for a moist cookie with rich flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Gives the cookies a sweet flavor and helps the crunchy texture.
- Egg: Helps to bind the ingredients.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds subtle sweetness and extra flavor.
- Cornflake Cereal: You will love the delicious crunchy contrast to the cookie’s softness.
- Coconut: I love adding shredded coconut to cookies for an addicting flavor and texture.
- Chocolate Chips: We typically add milk chocolate chips, but semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips would work.
How to Make Ranger Cookies
Ranger cookies are as easy to make as your average chocolate chip cookie. Just be sure to plan ahead. You’ll need to chill the dough for a thicker, chewier, and more incredible cookie overall!
- Blend: Add the oats to a blender or food processor and pulse 3-4 times to break up the oats. Do not grind them to flour.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the blended oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then, set aside.
- Mix: In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Stir in the cereal, coconut, and chocolate chips by hand.
- Chill: Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 30-45 minutes. About 15 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop Dough Balls: Use a large cookie scoop to scoop roughly three tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between them.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. The centers of the cookies will look quite underbaked, but they will continue to cook as they cool.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Ranger Cookies Tips and Variations
Check out these simple tips to ensure your cookies are perfectly baked every time. I’ve also included some fun variations for you to try!
- Change Out the Chips: Swap the milk chocolate chips for semi-sweet, butterscotch, peanut butter, and white chocolate chips. Or you could add some dried cranberries or raisins to make these different every time!
- Coconut: Ranger cookies typically have shredded coconut in them. If you do not like coconut, you may omit it from the recipe.
- Cereal: Swap the cornflake cereal out for a different kind! The most popular choice is Rice Krispies, but you could try Special K, Chex, or whatever crispy, crunchy cereal you prefer.
- Chill: Don’t skip this step! Letting the dough chill is important so the cookies don’t spread.
- Oatmeal: Don’t over-blend the rolled oats! Pulsing just 3-4 times will yield a great mixture of bigger and finer pieces of oats. This way, you’ll still have a chewy cookie without being overwhelmed by the size of the rolled oats. You can use rolled oats instead of quick oats, but they tend to absorb more moisture while baking. This may alter the texture.
- Cool On Baking Sheet: Before taking the cookies off, let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes. They will finish baking on it!
Ranger Cookies Storing Tips
Here are tips for freezing the cookie dough for later. You can also store leftovers if you somehow have some that didn’t get eaten.
- Freeze the Dough: Scoop unbaked cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once the dough scoops freeze solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen as directed in the recipe card, although they may need 1-2 additional minutes. Alternatively, set them out on a cookie sheet or plate for an hour or so until they thaw. Then bake them just as you would fresh cookie dough.
- Storing Baked Cookies: Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Adding a slice of bread to the container will help keep the cookies soft and moist.
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Add the oats to a blender or food processor and pulse 3-4 times to break up the oats but not grind them to flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the blended oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Stir in the cereal, coconut, and chocolate chips by hand.
Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 30-45 minutes. About 15 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a large cookie scoop to scoop roughly 3 tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between them.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. The centers of the cookies will look quite underbaked, but they will continue to cook as they cool.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Calories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 87mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 156IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.