Classic Ranger Cookies Recipe (with Coconut & Pecans)

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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

📚 Related recipes

• 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

4 from 3 votes

Ranger Cookies

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Chewy cookies that travel well - to school or overseas. Recipe is full of oatmeal, coconut, pecans and other good things for a hearty snack anytime.

Course Dessert - Cookies

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings:48 cookies

Calories:170

Author:Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

• ▢
  Stand mixer
• ▢
  Silpat

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup butter
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 cups flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 pinch salt
• ▢ 2 cups Rice Krispies
• ▢ 2 cups oats
• ▢ 1 cup coconut
• ▢ ½ cup butterscotch chips
• ▢ ½ cup chocolate chips
• ▢ 1 cup chopped pecans
• ▢ 1 cup toffee pieces

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Lightly grease cookie sheets or use silpat.
• Cream sugars and butter until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
• Add vanilla.
• Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
• Add to butter mixture.
• Fold in remaining ingredients.
• Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or 10-12 minutes for crispier cookies.
• Remove from oven and allow to firm up on cookie sheet about 5 minutes.
• Cool completely.

Notes

Freeze well and travel well.

Storage:

Store leftover ranger cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. 

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.

Tips:

• • Use a cookie scoop to keep the cookies all the same size. They'll cook more evenly.
  • 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.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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