Ranger Cookies (also called Cowboy Cookies) are packed with all of the goodness of traditional chocolate chip cookies with added chewiness from oats and cornflakes.
If you are passionate about cookies the way we are then you’d also love these Chocolate Mint Cookies, S’more Cookies, or chewy M&M Cookies.
My favorite thing about Ranger Cookies is the crunch of the outer layer, while remaining soft and chewy inside. The addition of oats and cornflakes is winning and adds a twist of flavor and texture that makes these even better than chocolate chip cookies.
How to Make Ranger Cookies:
1. Cream: Add butter and sugars to a large bowl and cream with mixers. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
2. Combine Dry ingredients: Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats and stir well to combine.
3. Fold in corn flakes and chocolate chips.
4. Bake: Spoon large tablespoons of the dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes.
Possible Recipe Variations:
- Cereal substitutes: if you don’t have corn flakes, feel free to use rice krispies, lightly crushed Chex, or frosted flakes cereal.
- Coconut: add ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut.
- Nuts: add ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: Make the dough up to 1 day in advance and store in the fridge. Or make the cookies 1-2 days ahead of time.
To freeze: Freeze the dough or cookies (cooled completely) in a freeze safe container for up to 3 months. Allow a few extra minutes bake time if baking dough from frozen.
Consider trying these popular cookie recipes:
- Super Soft Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Triple Chocolate M&M Cookies
- S’More Cookies
- Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
![Five Ranger Cookies freshly baked, lined on a wood board.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Ranger-Cookies-6-500x500.jpg)
Ranger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup butter , softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups corn flakes cereal (*see note below)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces chocolate chips , milk or semi-sweet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats and stir well to combine. Stir in corn flakes and chocolate chips.
- Spoon large tablespoons of the dough onto prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until set on the top.
Notes
- Cereal: if you don't have corn flakes, feel free to use rice krispies, lightly crushed Chex, or frosted flakes cereal.
- Coconut: add ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut.
- Nuts: add ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
Nutrition
Create a FREE Account to save your favorite recipes and create meal plans
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe August 2014. Updated September 2020.
This post contains affiliate links.
This cookie could not have come out more perfect. I used what I had on hand….coconut, semisweet chocolate chips and some white chocolate chips. I also added about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Perfecto!!!
I made these for a tandem bicycle rally. Mine were more spread out, but tasted very good. I made some without nuts and chocolate and the rest with coconut, pecans and chocolate. I used Wheaties because my original recipe used them. I’ll have to try them with Cornflakes and Rice Krispies.
I have made this recipe twice already and my cookies come out flat as pancakes! They taste good but they’re flat. I have even bought new baking soda and baking powder and used cool butter with the same result. Frustrating. It also helps when the ingredients are listed in the order they are going to be used in the recipe.
I’m sorry to hear about the flat cookies. A couple of tips that might help: try chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking and ensure your baking sheet isn’t too warm when placing the dough on it.
I just made these, tasted great! It was a good way to use ingredients left from Christmas baking. I added the pecans, coconut, and corn flakes. Better when baked a bit under done.
Yummy cookies! Makes way more than 24 if you’re doing the tablespoon sized scoops like the recipe says. I made about 48. When they come out they’ll be a little soft but will harden up as they cool so don’t over cook them. I used a stand mixer since the dough was quite think and that helped a lot.
I’m assuming this would work using shortening instead of butter?
Can quick oats be used instead of rolled oats?
That would be fine.
This recipe is quite different from the Ranger Cookie handed down from my mom… Hers was with rolled oats and rice krispies for a cheaper and firm cookie…She would make 13 dozen at a time for church and school functions…Being a firm cookie, it was great for us kids to carry them in our pocket w/o a wrapper!! In Hawaii, soft cookies didn’t far well. I have several of my own cookie recipes I willingly share… Some have been openly published for charity fund-raising. I.e., “Stone Cookie” (Mea’ono Pohaku) – looks like a brown lava rock when done and firm (recipe helped raise over $6K for charity back in 2011.
Also “Banzai” cookie with Japanese arare and Nori Komi furukake as ingredients.. At 81 years of age, Iwould like to pass these on… Let me know if you would want them and I will mail them to you….Not too swift with modern stuffs!
I would love some of your cookie recipes.
I would also love to have some of your recipes:) how sweet and kind of you to offer!
How interesting…I would very much love to see those recipes!
Thank you