Ever since the mind-blowing success using aquafaba as an egg substitute in the eggless chocolate chip cookies, I'm motivated more than ever to try new baking recipes with aquafaba.
From my extensive research about aquafaba I understand that it works as the perfect egg substitute in a variety of desserts. Being a novice, I'm feeling comfortable trying it as an egg replacement in eggless cookie recipes because I think that cookies are pretty low-maintenance.
Unlike cakes, cupcakes, meringues, and macaroons, where eggs play a vital role in producing a light and fluffy textured end product, I don't have to worry about the structural issues of a cookie. With my years of experience in baking I can fix any cookie by tweaking here and there. The same cannot be done with cake/cupcake recipes. Some problems cannot be fixed, be it in life or baking.
Until I discovered aquafaba, my go-to egg substitute for eggless cookies was Ener-G egg replacer. I'm confident it will be replaced with aquafaba more often.
Recently I had to bake a big batch of cookies for a gathering and while looking for recipes I stumbled upon "ranger cookies recipe". It was interesting because these cookies had a variety of ingredients all that I had in my pantry and looked simple to bake and I needed a reason to bake using aquafaba.
What are Ranger Cookies?
From the various Ranger cookie recipes I browsed, I gathered that it's a classical American cookie that blends the crunchiness of cornflakes, the sweetness of coconut, and the heartiness of oats into one delicious cookie. But I decided to use rice krispies cereal for my recipe because that's what I had at home and I also saw few recipes that used the same.
And of course like any other cookie recipe the usual ingredients like eggs, butter, flour and sugar are also used. Now here comes the interesting part. I wanted to replace the eggs with our miracle ingredient aquafaba.
Why are they called Ranger Cookies?
The exact origin of the name is quite a debate. Some believed it was named after the famous Texas Rangers law enforcement agency. At the same time, others believe that these cookies are so wholesome that they could provide sustained energy for such rangers or any outdoorsmen who go for long treks.
When you take a look at the ingredients of a ranger cookie recipe, you can't but notice that it closely resembles the Texas Cowboy cookies as well.
Where did Ranger Cookies originate?
The exact origin of Ranger Cookies needs to be clarified. Some culinary historians believe they emerged in the Southern parts of the US, where many ingredients like coconut, pecans, and oats were readily available and commonly used in baked goods.
When you take a look at the ingredients, you will notice that these ranger cookies look like a variation of the oatmeal cookie, incorporating additional ingredients to make them richer and more textured.
What makes Ranger Cookies distinct from other cookies?
Usually most of the cookies focus on a single flavor or texture. Ranger cookies are a medley of ingredients that offer a unique combination of textures and tastes. The inclusion of crunchy cereal like cornflakes or rice krispies gives them a delightful crunch, the oats provide a wholesome chewiness, and the coconut lends a sweet, tropical note.
Can I add other ingredients to my Ranger Cookies?
Absolutely! One of the joys of baking is experimenting with flavors and textures. Some popular variations include adding chocolate chips, raisins, or various nuts like pecans or walnuts. Depending on your preferences, you can tweak the classic Ranger Cookie recipe to suit your taste.
Now that we have the history of Ranger cookies in check let's proceed to my version. I used this recipe as a base for mine.
Usually, the replacement of aquafaba for one egg is 3 tablespoons. You can tweak it depending on the consistency of the dough/batter you will bake. From my experience, 4 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg works fine in cookies because, usually, cookie recipes have fewer liquid ingredients.
Cookie dough gets its moisture from the creaming of butter, sugar, and eggs. Sometimes even though the butter is soft enough, when you cream the butter and sugar you may notice that it's giving out little moisture once you add the eggs.
So, the dough is stiff when I use the standard 3 tablespoons of aquafaba for each egg. This happened 3 out of 3 times when I baked cookies using aquafaba as the egg substitute. That's when I decided to use 4 tablespoons for each egg instead. It has worked out fine until now.
Even with the above minor variation, these eggless ranger cookies were perfect and delicious. They spread beautifully, were crisp around the edges and had just the right texture from the oats, rice krispies and coconut.
If I were baking it for my family I would have chosen to add some nuts too. Coarsely chopped pecans, slightly toasted and added to the dough, would have been too good. I will be trying it the next time for sure.
Step-by-Step Instructions
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Recipe
Eggless Ranger Cookies
Ingredients
Part 1:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons aquafaba
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Part 2:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Part 3:
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 cup sweetened coconut shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then beat in the aquafaba and vanilla extract.
- To this add the dry ingredients listed in Part 2 and mix well.
- Stir in the Part 3 ingredients and combine everything to form the cookie dough. At this stage, you may choose to add nuts or chocolate chips, if you choose to use. Remember that this dough is stiff.
- Drop tablespoonful of dough for each cookie and lightly flatten it onto a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges around the cookies turn golden brown (See Tips below). These cookies are quite pale compared to usual cookies so watch out for the change of color on the edges.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. The cookies continue to bake in the heat while on the rack. Later remove the cookies from the pan and place them on the wire racks to cool completely before storing them in an air-tight container.
Taste & Texture
- These ranger cookies looked just perfect. It had spread beautifully because of the butter and the aroma from the same, and the coconut filled the kitchen making it heavenly. The cookies were sweeter for me, although others who tasted them didn't notice. They were all praises. I would cut down the sugar a wee bit when I bake it just for us the next time or might even substitute unsweetened coconut for the sweetened. As always, cookies made with butter start with a nice crispy texture but lose their crunch after a day or two. The original recipe is made with shortening. Shortening has much lesser water content than butter, so cookies made using shortening retain their crunch longer.
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