Mama's Ranger Cookies

I'm about to eat the Ranger Cookie!

Mention Ranger Cookies in my family and you can get varied responses: pure joy, anger because you might not have any on you, childhood, skiing....

I grew up taking a few trips to Sun Valley, Idaho to ski.  [Great skiing by the way.]  There was a place in Ketchum, Idaho (the town) that made these amazing cookies called Ranger Cookies.  We would get them anytime we went -- and usually take a few packages home with us.  But the cookies would eventually be gone.

My dad then found a way to order them to our house!  We would get a box in the mail piled high with Ranger Cookies.  There would be eight in a package -- two piles of four saran wrapped with a Styrofoam bottom.  Nothing fancy, but they were yummy!  We would freeze them and eat them straight out of the freezer.  Amazing!  The best was when you found a lost package buried in the freezer long after the cookies were considered gone. 

I am not sure why the cookies stopped -- I think because the company went out of business or something.  But somewhere along the line my mom ended up with a recipe.  And I adapted it so I could eat Ranger Cookies again!

Mama's Ranger Cookies (taken straight from my mom)

1 C palm oil shortening
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C gluten-free flour blend
¾ tsp xanthum gum
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
2 C oats
2 C corn flakes cereal [I used gluten-free corn flakes
½ C sweetened shredded coconut

Heat oven to 350
Whip shortening and sugars
Add eggs and vanilla
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder (and xanthum gum!) and mix well.
Add oats, corn flakes and coconut and mix well
Greased cookie sheet [I used a silpat sheet]

Bake 10-12 minutes

These taste amazing frozen, warmed up -- or with vanilla "ice cream" :)

Challenge Update

I am sad to admit that no, I did not enter the Betty Crocker Challenge.

Things got just a little insane at the end of my school year which happened to be right around the time of the challenge due date. We had a few suspensions, a kid go to jail (yikes!) and an investigation -- all within the last 3 weeks of school. Entering a challenge was far, far from my mind!

But I did at least try and make a few different things: Apple Cinnamon Cake and Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes* (recipe coming soon -- I promise)!









*Plus, if I am going to enter a contest, then I need to try out the recipes a few times -- right? And STUPID Betty Crocker decided to change their chocolate cake mix and added SOY flour! NOT cool Betty Crocker, not cool. So I am no longer able to eat the chocolate cake mix. Therefore, I am not going to post the Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes -- since I can't eat the mix anymore, I won't be making it again. Maybe instead I should write Betty Crocker and ask why they changed the mix? Probably should calm down a bit before writing a not so nice email/letter.....