Celebrate Star Wars Day (May 4th) with this simple recipe for deliciously “chewy” ranger cookies that are a little scruffy-looking…just like your favorite Wookiee. May the force be with you!
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Are you a Star Wars lover?
Star Wars day is coming up May 4th (you know…May the “4th” be with you). I’m not one for elaborate celebrations of obscure holidays, but I do think it’s fun on occasion to do something simple to make a random Tuesday feel a little special.
These cookies are just the ticket to a simple Star Wars Day celebration. After all, who doesn’t love Chewbacca?
And, if your family is anything like mine, your kids love baby Yoda and Chewy just as much as you do…regardless of whether they’ve actually seen the movies (mine have only seen heavily abridged versions that involve a lot of fast-forwarding when people die).
What ever your level of fandom, these Wookiee cookies are the perfect way to celebrate. Honestly, even if you HATE Star Wars, you still need these cookies. They’re a packed-full-of-extra-goodness adaptation of a delicious chocolate chip cookie, and you’re gonna love them.
I originally found the recipe in a Star Wars Cookbook my sister loaned me (the nerdiness runs deep in my family). They are basically old-fashioned ranger cookies…but it’s so much more fun to call them “Wookiee cookies.” Don’t you agree?
I’ve adapted this recipe over several tests (the original cookbook recipe yielded cookies that were a little too flat for my taste), and now the cookies are just how I like them…crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, and full of lots of flavor and textures. They’ve got everything going for them: oatmeal, chocolate, toffee bits, coconut flakes.
What’s not to love?
So grab the kids, tell Alexa to play the Star Wars Theme music, and practice your best blaster sound effects (Pew! Pew!) while you whip up a batch of these cookies.
May the force be with you!
Wookiee Cookies (AKA - Ranger Cookies)
These deliciously "chewy" ranger cookies are chocolatey, perfectly golden-brown, and a little scruffy-looking...just like your favorite Wookiee. May the force be with you!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 6 ounces chocolate chips , milk or semi-sweet
- 3 ounces Heath bites (optional)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 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, cinnamon, and oats and stir well to combine.
- Gently fold in rice cereal and chocolate chips. (Also add Heath Bits and coconut, if using.)
- Spoon large tablespoons of the dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just golden brown. Don't overbake or cookies will be too dry and crispy.
Notes
Butter should be a cool room temperature. The warmer the butter, the more your cookies will spread. If you find your first pan of cookies spreads too much, try chilling the dough for 15-20 minutes before baking.
For rice cereal, you can use either Rice Krispies or crushed Special K. Measurement should be 2 cups before crushing. Some other recipes use Corn Flakes. I liked the lighter texture of the rice cereal, but you can use whichever you like best!
Tips for perfectly thick & chewy ranger cookies:
If your cookies spread too much and/or are too crispy, try one or more of these troubleshooting tips:
1. Add 2 Tbsp more flour to your dough. Too much moisture will make cookies spread, so drying out the mixture with more flour helps.
2. Use half butter, half shortening. Shortening is 100% fat, whereas butter has some water in it, so shortening helps the cookies retain their shape better.
3. Allow pans to cool completely between batches. To speed up the process, once it’s just warm you can put the pan in the freezer for a few minutes to finish cooling faster.
4. Use parchment. Don’t grease. Grease will make cookies spread more (and it makes cookies greasier, too. Just say no.)
5. Make sure your butter is a COOL room temperature. Butter that is too warm will yield flat, crispy cookies instead of thick, chewy cookies. Avoid using the microwave if possible to soften butter.
6. Don’t overbake! You want to take these cookies out of the oven when they are just getting golden on the edges. Mine took right about 10-11 minutes. They are going to seem undercooked when you pull them out, but they will continue to cook on the pan as they cool. Leaving them in too long will lead to hard, dry cookies instead of chewy, perfect ones. When in doubt, take them OUT.
Want more simple recipes to make with your kids? Try one of these!
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