Just the Best Cookies

These are sometimes called ranger cookies or cowboy cookies, depending on whose grandmother taught the recipe. The genius is the four-way crunch combination: rolled oats give chew, crushed cornflakes deliver shattering crispness, shredded coconut adds tropical sweetness and chew, and chopped pecans round things out with toasty bite. Every cookie is a study in textures.

What separates this from a typical oatmeal cookie is the dual fat structure. A full cup of butter creams with the sugars to start, but a full cup of vegetable oil joins the party next. That liquid fat keeps the cookies tender and chewy in the middle even after they cool, while the butter handles flavor and the slight crisp edge. Most cookie recipes use one or the other; using both is what gives these their unusual staying power.

The flatten-with-a-wet-fork trick at the end is doing two jobs. It thins the dough balls so they bake through evenly, and the water on the fork prevents the dough from sticking. Bake at the lower 325°F (160°C) for 12 minutes for that signature pale, just-set look that takes powdered sugar so well.

Pro Tips

• Crush the cornflakes lightly, not into dust. You want pieces about the size of a pea so they keep their crunch through the bake.
• Use unsweetened shredded coconut for the best texture; sweetened can push these into too-sweet territory given the two cups of sugar.
• Toast the chopped pecans before adding for noticeably better flavor depth.
• Wait until the cookies are completely cool before dusting with powdered sugar, or it dissolves on contact and turns into a sticky glaze.

Variations

• Swap pecans for walnuts or chopped macadamia nuts.
• Add a cup of chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for an even more indulgent version.
• Stir in a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg for warmer, more spiced cookies.