Hi-ho, Silver! I’ve got a vintage favorite for you this week: High Altitude Ranger Cookies. Ranger status not required.
Have you guys ever had Ranger Cookies? Equally chewy and crispy, they’re lightly sweet, buttery, and studded with coconut, crisped rice, and oats. You like chewy? And your BFF likes crispy? These are for both of you!
Most people I’ve asked have never heard of Ranger Cookies, but they were a huge childhood favorite of mine. (This was the 70’s, though, so perhaps they fell out favor along with polyester leisure suits and extra-frizzy hair?)
My Grandma LuLu used to make them for us kids, storing them in the Mrs. Squirrel cookie jar she kept on a corner of her kitchen counter. I’ve been told that Mrs. Squirrel, with her giant eyes and super-toothy smile, is vaguely creepy-looking. But to me, she’s always represented grandma love. She now sits on my kitchen counter – and still makes me happy.
I don’t recall ever actually making Ranger Cookies with my grandma, so I’m not actually 100 percent sure what was in them, and her recipe, sadly, is long gone. An online search yielded lots of different results, some with chocolate chips, some with nuts, some with corn flakes. This recipe is closest to what I remember: crispy rice, coconut, and lots of warm vanilla flavor. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
I made two batches, one with the fine flaked coconut you see above, and one with the larger-flaked variety, below. Which you choose is a matter of preference, but I preferred the larger flakes, which added a little more chew to the cookies.
This dough is a slightly tricky one. Both times I made them, I dished out scoops of nice moist dough for the first batch and popped them in the oven. By the time I got to scooping the second batch (a matter of minutes), the dough had become a little drier and a bit crumbly. This is probably due partly to the moisture-sucking dry ingredients in the dough – flour, oats, crispy rice, and coconut – and partly to my moisture-sucking environment at 9,600 feet.
But happily, although I had to work the dough balls together with my hands a bit, there was no discernible difference in the cookies. All of them ended up nice and chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside.
These provide a great base for any add-ins you like. For an even richer vanilla flavor, try white chocolate chips. Or maybe chop up a good bar of good dark chocolate into tiny shards and throw those in. Nuts – maybe salted peanuts? – would be delicious as well.
Even my coconut-hating husband liked these so much that he asked me, as he does, to hide them from him. I’m running out of hiding places, friends.
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High Altitude Ranger Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 27 mins
- Yield: about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies 1x
Description
These buttery vanilla cookies are chewy yet crisp, delicate yet hearty, stuffed with coconut, crispy rice cereal, and oats.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs + 1 yolk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
2 cups quick oats
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
2 cups crispy rice cereal
(optional) 1 cup total add-ins: chocolate chips or chunks, dried cherries, chopped peanuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter with the brown and white sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, until each is incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.
Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the oats, crispy rice, coconut, and any other add-ins.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 2-TB balls of dough and place them on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. The longer the dough sits, the more it will dry out; if this happens, press the dough balls together with your fingers and flatten slightly on the baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown. Let cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
… Since these cookies don’t spread much, you can easily make larger, bakery-size ones if you prefer
Thanks so much for sharing. I love love cookies. This sounds incredible. I am at 7000 feet and my cookies spread too much. I will gimp every these a try. Love your blog and recipes.
Those look amazing! I’ll be making the larger coconut faked cookies, for sure!
I was not aware that “D” was not a fan of the coconut!!! He’s weird but handsome.
I love these cookies so much. I’ve made them at 6000 feet several times. They were perfect every time. I’m now at sea level and want to make them again. Is it possible to adapt the recipe? If so do you have any suggestions? Thank you
I would start with increasing the baking powder to 1/2 tsp and the baking soda to 1 tsp. You may or may not need that extra egg yolk at sea level, so try a test batch and if the dough is too wet or the cookies spread, just use two large eggs next time. Fingers crossed they work for you!