Classic Ranger Cookies Recipe (with Coconut & Pecans) (2024)

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❤️ Why you'll love it

• One of the quickest cookie recipes (no chilling)
• Makes a big batch—great for bake sales, gifting, freezing, shipping
• Hearty cookies with crispy edges, chewy texture, and lots of chocolate and butterscotch chips

Best served with a glass of ice-cold milk, easy ranger cookies have a little bit of everything good—sweet, salty, nutty, and crunchy.

Plus, with nutritious ingredients like pecans, crispy rice cereal, and oats, this is one type of cookie you don't have to feel guilty about enjoying!

🥫 Storage

Store leftover ranger cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. A cookie jar will do the trick as long as the lid seals tightly on top.

To keep your delicious cookies a little longer, store them in a heavy-duty zip-top bag. Freeze for up to three months, thawing at room temperature when you're ready to snack.

My favorite thing about this ranger cookies recipe is how versatile it is. You can make (and freeze) the dough ahead of time to enjoy just a few freshly baked cookies with no prep!

To do so, portion out the cookie dough onto a baking tray and "flash" freeze until it's all solid. Then, toss the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag.

Frozen, the dough will last for one to two months. You can bake the old-fashioned ranger cookies straight from frozen—just add a minute or two of time in the oven.

📖Variations

• If you need to make gluten-free ranger cookies, this recipe works just fine with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
• Some ranger cookie recipes use corn flakes instead of rice krispies.
• Instead of butterscotch chips, try using peanut butter chips for even more nutty flavor.
• Alternatively, swap the regular chocolate chips for your favorite variety—dark, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips taste great, too.
• Can't find toffee bits? Use candied pecans to make up for the sweet, caramelized element.
• If you prefer an even chewier texture (think: oatmeal raisin cookies) add a handful of dried fruit, like cranberries, blueberries, or raisins.
• Use M&Ms instead of chocolate chips to make colorful, trail mix-style cookies.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: The best way to drop dough evenly and quickly onto the baking sheet is with a cookie scoop. An ice cream scoop works great, too!

They have oatmeal in them so you can even pretend they are health food. Nice, huh?

• For best results, beat the sugar and butter really well. It'll look fluffy and the color will lighten. Don't rush—the process can take a few minutes!
• Old-fashioned oats take longer to cook, so they'll have a firmer texture after baking. However, if you use quick oats, they'll be softer.
• Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, only mix until the dough comes together. Otherwise, the cookies can get tough.
• If you like chewy cookies, undercook them just a tad and let them firm up on the baking sheet. Add a few more minutes in the oven if you prefer cookies a little crisper.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

• There's nothing like a classic treat, and Quaker-Famous Oatmeal Cookies are the real, original deal—after all, why change a good thing?
• With pecans, toffee bits, and chewy oats, these Butterscotch Cookies taste just like everyone's childhood favorite, Buckaroons!
• Peanut Butter Molasses Crinkle Cookies are the perfect salty and sweet treat. Plus, they take less than 20 minutes from start to finish!
• Full of holiday flavor (but—to be honest—delicious all year 'round) Cranberry Pecan Cookies are fragrant, soft, and so chewy.

🍽️ Serve with...

One of our favorite summer treats is French Vanille Ice Cream sandwiched between two ranger cookies. It's a fun dessert treat for extra-special occasions.

📞 The last word

I used to love finding these chewy cookies in my school lunch box! They stay fresh for days - perfect for back to school.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published August 29, 2011. Last updated June 26, 2023, for editorial improvements.

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