Ranger Cookies

Pretty much every day is a cookie day at my house.  My freezer is (almost) always stocked with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  It's kinda my sanity treat and I need one everyday after lunch.  If I don't have them around, I end up snacking more until I can find that perfect something to get my sweet fix.  So, I pretty much just plan on a cookie every day.  It's much safer that way.  Of course, I have my fair share of 2 and 3+ cookie days too, but we won't go there.  For some reason, I never tire of cookies.  They are pretty much my all-time favorite dessert.  

Every once in a while, I go out on a limb and make a different kind of cookie besides oatmeal chocolate chip.  It's hard to mess with something that seems so perfect to me though.  This cookie was calling my name recently.  It's one that my mom made for us as kids that I probably haven't had since I was 12 years old.  My 4-year-old has been asking daily for me to make them again.  This is not your standard chocolate chip cookie.  It is unique, delectable, and in it's own class.  And the best part? It's pretty adaptable to your tastes.  In writing this post I did a little quick research on Ranger cookies.  They've been around for quite a while and there are lots of variations.  Some have raisins, some have chocolate chips, and some versions have neither.  They also have cereal in them.  You can use crisp rice, or cornflakes or a combination of the 2.  When my mom made them for us, she used crisp rice and raisins.  I decided to make them with half of each kind of cereal and no raisins or chocolate chips. As pictured here, Lu made them with rice krispies and chocolate chips.  Anyway, the point here is to use what you have or what suits your tastes.  I loved the crunchiness that the cereal adds to these cookies.  Coupled with the chewiness from the coconut and oatmeal, the combination is a hard one to beat...and resist!

Ranger Cookies

Printable Version

Ingredients:

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1 cup (6 1/4 ounces) vegetable shortening or butter (8 ounces)

1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar, firmly packed, light or dark

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup (2 1/2 ounces) shredded coconut

3 cups (2 3/8 ounces) crispy rice cereal or corn flakes*
1 cup chocolate chips or raisins (optional)

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 325.  Beat together the shortening and sugars, vanilla and salt until fluffy; add the eggs and beat until smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in the oats, coconut, and cereal, mixing just until blended.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, or until they're golden brown--keep a close eye on them.

Notes:

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I have found several variations of this kind of cookie.  Some have chocolate chips, some have raisins, and some don’t have either.  My mom used to make them with rice krispies and raisins.

You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut here. The sweetened coconut will lend a much sweeter end cookie, but both are still plenty sweet in my opinion.

*I used 2 cups of rice krispies and 1 cup of corn flakes.

Cooking time will vary greatly between ovens, so keep a close eye on them.

Recipe Source:

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King Arthur Flour