These Texas Ranger Cookies are thick, super chewy, and pack an irresistible crunch. With old fashioned oats, pools of melty chocolate, and a super addictive cinnamon cornflake crunch, these cookies are just what your next sweet tooth needs!!
If there is one cookie you need in your cookie jar rotation its this one!! This Texas Ranger Cookie recipe checks all the boxes and then some:
Super thick? Check
Chewy? Check
Chocolate pools? Check
Irresistible cinnamon cornflake crunch (yep, you heard that right)? SUPER CHECK
How can you go wrong with a cookie that is buttery, crunchy, chewy and oh so chocolatey all at the same time? You just can’t my friends, you just can’t!!
Why are they called Ranger Cookies?
When they taste as good as they do, one could argue does it matter why they are called Ranger Cookies?!! Just give me those insanely chewy gooey centers and slightly crisp edges. I mean that’s all we really care about right? But with a little digging, you may find that it shares many similarities to another cookie – the Cowboy Cookie. Ranger Cookies differ in that they often contain cereal such as cornflakes or puffed rice cereal and dried fruit. Ranger Cookies are also thought to be originally created as energy snacks for cowboys, hikers, campers, and yep you guessed it, rangers.
Ingredients for Texas Ranger Cookies
So, what exactly are Ranger Cookies made of? Let’s break down all the ingredients shall we?!!
- Muscovado – I know you are looking at your screen and asking yourself why muscovado? Why not just use brown sugar. If you wish to take that route, you totally could. Light brown sugar can be used in place of muscovado in this recipe. But my intention is to take this cookie from basic to out of this world. The rich, caramel notes that muscovoado imparts to baked goods transform them from ordinary to extraordinary. It works the same as regular brown sugar adding a rich, depth of flavor and moisture.
- Granulated Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness and absorbs the liquid in the dough which slows down gluten development and helps provide those crisp edges.
- Oatmeal – Old fashioned rolled oats not quick oats are the go to in this recipe and help give this cookie its chewy texture.
- Cinnamon Cornflake Crunch – I am going to tell you the secret to making the best cookies ever!! Add this cinnamon cornflake crunch to every cookie recipe you bake from here on out. Am i joking? Of course…maybe. You could definitely add just regular old cornflakes but I wanted to take it a step further and really jazz them up a bit. All you need is a little bit of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Even better? they stay crunchy even after the cookies are baked!!
- Chocolate – I love adding a bar of chopped chocolate to any baked good that requires it. There is just something about a chocolate pool I cannot resist. For this recipe, I used Valrhona 56 % cacao bittersweet chocolate bar and chopped it into medium sized chunks. You can also use a bag (12 oz) of mini chocolate chips. My favorite brands are Valhrona, Ghirardelli and Guittard.
Cream butter, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla 
Add oatmeal and cornflake crunch 
Mix in chopped chocolate Scoop and roll cookie dough into even sized balls
How to make Ranger Cookies
Now we know the ingredients, lets break down how to make these bad boys.
- In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and both sugars and mix until smooth.
- Add eggs and beat one at a time until combined. Beat in vanilla.
- Add in flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. After adding flour mixture, add oatmeal and cornflake crunch and mix for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the chopped chocolate and mix on low until just combined being careful not to over-mix dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.
- Scoop dough into balls (about 2 ½ tablespoons) and place 6 balls of dough onto a lined baking sheet, about two inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies have slightly gooey centers and golden brown edges.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies sit on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cinnamon Cornflake Crunch
The cinnamon cornflake crunch can be made a day ahead. Simply combine crushed cornflakes, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar to a medium size bowl. In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and immediately add it to the cornflake mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix cornflake mixture together until all the cornflakes are well coated. Spread onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until nice and toasty.
Tips for making Ranger Cookie Dough
- Chill the dough – Chilling the dough not only prevents the cookies from spreading too much but also helps the flavors to develop. More importantly, it allows the gluten to relax ensuring you have a tender cookie.
- Measure your flour accurately – It is important to measure your flour accurately and have your cold ingredients at room temperature. Using too much flour will change the texture of the cookies making them dense. Fluff your flour with a fork first before spooning it into your measuring cup. Use the back of a butter knife to then level off the excess flour.
- Don’t over-mix!! – Over mixing will result in a dense cookie as well. Mix your dough until all the ingredients are just combined. When scooping the cookie dough, I like to use a 2 1/2 inch scoop. If you have a scale, you can also weigh your dough!! The dough should equal approximately 1.7 ounces.
- Don’t overbake – Under-baking cookies are the best to ensure those gooey centers. These cookies will take anywhere between 9 to 11 minutes to bake. Mine were done at 11 minutes. After removing them from the oven, those gooey centers will harden as they cool.
Recipe Variations
These Texas Ranger Cookies are totally adaptable to whatever ingredients you may have on hand. Some other variations include:
- dried fruits (cranberries, raisins, blueberries)
- nuts (pecans, walnuts)
- or you can even use another crispy cereal such as crispy rice cereal
Can Ranger Cookie Dough be Frozen?
If you are not ready to bake your cookies, form cookie dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze until the dough is solid then place balls into a freezer friendly container until ready to use. Add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.
How to store Texas Ranger Cookies
These cookies should be stored in a airtight container for up to five days. If you only need to bake a small amount, bake what you need then freeze the rest. You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. This cookie dough can also be made a day in advanced and stored in the fridge. Just make sure the dough is covered tightly with plastic wrap until you are ready to bake.
Texas Ranger Cookies (With Cornflakes!!)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperture (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light muscovado sugar packed
- 2 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into large chunks (12 ounces)
Cinnamon Cornflake Crunch
- 2 cups cornflakes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, shift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla.
- Add flour and mix until mostly combined. Some flour streaks in dough are ok.
- Add oatmeal and cornflake crunch. Mix on low until just combined being careful not to overmix dough. Overmixing the dough will result in dense cookies. Dough will be thick. Stir in chopped chocolate.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough into balls (about 2 ½ tablespoons). If you have a food scale, dough should equal 1.7 ounces. Place 6 balls of dough onto the lined baking sheet, about two inches apart.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown (mine were done at 11 minutes). Cookies are better when they are slightly underbaked. They should look slightly gooey in the center and will harden as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies sit on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Cinnamon Cornflake Crunch
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place cornflakes into a medium size bowl and crush by hand until they are about half their size.
- Add cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar to cornflakes and mix to combine.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour butter over cornflake mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour the cornflake mixture onto a prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and toasty
- Allow the cornflake crunch to cool completely before using.
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