Finding Ranger Cookies
We are a divided family. Hubby likes chewy oatmeal cookies and ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies. Me? I love shortbread, crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a hint of sweetness, and decidedly not chewy. Perhaps, cookie preference is a dominant gene trait? ALL my kids love chewy cookies just like Wes. I thought it was a kid thing (I consider the hubs a kid). I assumed when they got older their palates would become more refined, sophisticated m. Surely, they would come around.
Nope
Even now, when I make cookies that aren’t chewy the response is “They’re ok” or “I like chewy cookies better” or “Wonder if Dad can make some Good Cookies.” The only rational explanation? Mendelian Genetics. Yep, a predisposition to chewy cookies. Ooh, did you just have an involuntary flashback to high school biology? I concede, in our house, chewy cookies reign supreme.
I Went to a Garden Party
For a summer fundraiser, I volunteered to make Mexican Wedding Cookies. My partner at the dessert table, Emily, brought an unassuming looking oatmeal cookie, They disappeared in a flash which caught my attention. I grabbed one and took a bite. Yum! This cookie was CHEWY, sweet, buttery, with a bit of crunch. It definitely fell into the Wes and kids’ cookie camp. I snuck a couple (ok, more than a couple) onto my cookie plate to take home.
As soon as I got home, Jordan grabbed one of the cookies and gobbled it down, then he grabbed another and exclaimed: “This might be the best cookie yet!”
Determined to make them asap, I Googled cookies, coconut, Rice Krispies, and oatmeal, the ingredients Emily had rattled off to me. Instantly, a bunch of recipes popped up for Ranger Cookies. Some had chocolate or butterscotch chips, and some had different cereals. The blog, Let’s Dish, contained all the ingredients Emily mentioned so this became my starting point. I hit the jackpot, these were just like hers.
Ranger Cookie Tips
Start by creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy should take about 2-3 minutes tops. Then add eggs and vanilla, mix until well combined. The recipe calls for gradually adding dry ingredients. My detour, add it all at once and combine at low speed just until dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Finally, stir cereal, coconut, and oatmeal in by hand.
Chilling the dough before baking prevents spreading. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. Bake cookies on parchment paper. With 3-4 minutes left to bake, rap the pan on the wire rack to get the cookies to fall, this helps create those cool crevices.
If your cookies aren’t perfectly round, after taking the cookies out of the oven, quickly invert a glass over each cookie and swirl it around. This will shape cookies into perfect little circles. Or skip it, they’ll be gone before anyone besides you notices.
Feel free to add chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for a twist. You can replace the Rice Krispies with partially crushed Corn Flakes, they’rrrrre great! All you Tony the Tiger fans.
Ok, maybe chewy is not a genetic thing…maybe chewy cookies are just really, really delicious (don’t tell my kids I said that). Either way, they belong on your gotta bake cookie list.
RANGER COOKIES
Ingredients
Creaming Mixture
- 1 cup butter softened, this is an old recipe, before unsalted butter was so widely available. I would guess folks normally used salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase salt in recipe to 1 teaspoon.
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar light or dark
The Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
The Dry Ingredients-Combine and set aside
- 2 cups all-purpose flour I use King Arthur Flour and it worked fine. Once again an old recipe, Gold Medal was probably the standard, which has slightly less protein than KA.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
The Adds
- 2 cups quick cooking oats NO instant oatmeal please
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut you could probably use unsweetened coconut too.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. (2-3 min) Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well (do not overmix though). Stir in oats, cereal, and coconut.
- Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. If you have a #40 ice cream scoop (1.75 Tablespoons) use that to create uniform dough balls.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on pan for 3-5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.