I’m (Amelia) a muesli lover, and Mom and I both love nutty, seedy, oaty and delicious desserts. I feel the best desserts have oats in them. When our friend Saydi Shumway told us about Ranger Cookies, called Cowboy Cookies in the Eastern United States, and that they included not only oats but puffed rice and coconut, we knew we had to try them. We’ve been tinkering with this recipe ever since.
Mom often describes these as more than a cookie. They’re heartier and, in my opinion, more delcious. The ingredients add a toastiness and texture that a plain old chocolate chip cookie can’t match. They’re wonderful fresh out of the oven, cooled, and frozen. They are somehow both lumpy and pretty. Mom likes them overbaked and crunchy, underbaked and gooey, and baked just right—Goldilocks would be overwhelmed.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups puffed rice (Rice Krispies work well)
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup coconut
1 heaping cup chocolate chips
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white/granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and heat the oven to 350° F.
Line pans with silpat liners or parchment paper or whatever you usually use for cookies.
Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk
to blend.
Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
With the mixer on low speed, mix until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2
minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs one at a time,
beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl,
and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and
bottom of the bowl. Add the oats, puffed rice, and coconut and stir. Then add the
chocolate chips. Usually at this point recipes say to mix on low speed until thoroughly
combined. But I have found that mixing on high speed for just a second or two
combines the ingredients more thoroughly with less wear and tear on the dough. The
idea is that you don’t want to mix any longer than you have to, but you do need to make
sure that all of the flour is mixed in. If there’s a question, you might want to scrape down
the sides and bottom of the bowl one more time.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches
between each cookie. (We like to use a cookie scoop, some people use two spoons,
you should do whatever you like.)
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the
cookies are evenly browned. Out of the oven, let them sit on the pans for another five
minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with the
remaining dough.
