Christmas Cookie Idea: Ranger Cookies Recipe
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As a child, my mother and I would spend one or two days each holiday season baking hundreds of Christmas cookies with my grandmother. These days were filled with endless trips to the grocery store, far too many calories, and an abundance of smiles and laughter. As I grew older, the tradition continued and expanded. Each year, we’d add a new recipe or two and vow to improve each and everyone of our signature cookie recipes. I’ll never forget these special days with the two most important women in my life. This year is the first year that I’ll be completing this holiday tradition by myself, and I am absolutely determined to continue my mother and grandmother’s quest to perfect each of our family’s recipes. This week, I was inspired to put a new twist on my grandmother’s classic Ranger cookies after seeing a limited edition Planter’s nut display at Walmart, and the new recipe would definitely make my grandmother proud. Keep reading to learn an easy cookie recipe that’s perfect for any holiday party!
Baking is an art and a science, so it’s important to pre-measure all of your ingredients before mixing up the dough. Ranger cookies incorporate two kinds of sugar to create the most delicious cookie dough you’ve ever tasted, and the combination of flour, oatmeal, and cornflakes keeps the cookies soft and chewy for days. These cookies are so flavorful, and I just know that your family and friends will absolutely love them. Once you have all of your ingredients assembled, you’ll want to create your wet and dry mixtures. Slowly adding the dry mixture to the wet ingredients will keep your cookies soft and crumbly and help you look like a total domestic goddess when your friends eat the cookies!
Once the basic dough is completed, it’s time to add the good stuff. My family always adds chopped nuts and chocolate chips, but I’d also recommend substituting the chocolate chips for coconut, dried fruit, or toffee bits for a different flavor! This year, I’m using the Planter’s Winter Spice Mix nuts from Walmart instead of normal nuts. The flavorful mix of honey roasted peanuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, and sesame sticks adds a festive flavor to the cookies, but it’s also amazing on its own as a holiday snack! If you’re not sure which toppings you’d like to use in your recipe, try splitting the dough in half and making two different varieties of Ranger cookies for your next holiday party!
Are you getting hungry yet? These cookies are just so yummy, and they couldn’t be easier to make. They may be called Ranger cookies, but they might as well be called Foolproof Cookies because the dough is extremely forgiving. While you’re waiting for the cookies to bake, try playing with Planter’s Blippar app on your smartphone. I spent nearly an hour browsing through the delicious Planter’s recipes, and I may have even take a selfie or two with Mr. Peanut himself! It’s actually a really fun free app, so give it a try!
My husband and I couldn’t resist pairing the freshly baked cookies with some homemade peppermint hot chocolate (recipe coming soon!), but I was a good girl and saved the majority of the cookies to give to my friends and family!
Ranger Cookies
Adapted from my grandmother’s recipe.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/2 cup margarine 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1.5 cups rolled oats 3 cups cornflake cereal 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Planter’s Winter Spice Mix nuts (coarsely chopped) 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions: Cream vegetable shortening, butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Once the flour is absorbed into the wet mixture, slowly add the rolled oats and cornflakes. The mixture will be somewhat dry, but just keep slowly adding the dry ingredients. Slowly add the chopped Planter’s Winter Spice Mix nuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the cookies 2 inches apart for 10-15 minutes (depending on size of cookies and type of cookie sheet used) or until the cookies are lightly browned.
What is your favorite Christmas cookie recipe?
