Then I let about 20 years or so lapse before I decided to make those cookies again. I had to dig out the recipe by that time, as other items of great import had elbowed it out of my memory. I mixed the ingredients with great anticipation, having previously ensured that I did, indeed, "got milk". The timer went off, I pulled them out of the oven, and...they were flat. They had spread out all over the cookie sheet, melding into each other, overdone. Wha'??? I had followed the recipe exactly!
I tried to make those cookies several times over the next 20 years or so, getting the same result every time. I had lost the touch. I was disappointed, discouraged and depressed. Woe was me. Perhaps I had made my life's quota of those cookies when I was a teen and I wasn't supposed to make any more.
I made many other kinds of cookies with great success, but the Ranger cookie remained elusive. I stored the recipe away and didn't look at it for a really long time.
But then, a few weeks ago, right after my Dad got here for a visit, we were all looking through the old recipe boxes and remembering the dishes Mom used to make. As I thumbed through the "Desserts", I ran across...Chocolate Chip Ranger Cookies! Could I? Should I? I did!
I put on my apron and got to work. Batch One was...
flat. Flat Flat Flat. But they tasted pretty good.
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| My willing guinea pig |
I sought Peggy's advice, and she said that butter makes cookies spread. She said I should try butter-flavored Crisco. She also said I should increase the amount of baking powder from 1/2 t. to 1 T. if I wanted them thicker. On to Batch Two.
They seemed to keep their height in the oven as they baked. We were getting excited.
Hey, they looked pretty close to what I remember as a teen!
A little crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle. Perfect consistency. BUT, they just didn't have that decadent buttery taste. Even though I used butter-flavored Crisco, I missed that butter goodness.
But we had another full load of chocolate chip cookies to keep us going until I could do some more research. (P.S. By the next day, the cookies had a dried-out, bland taste to them).
Peggy and Gay both gave me some more suggestions. For Batch Three, I decided to use 5 oz. butter to 3 oz. butter-flavored Crisco, and again use the increased amount of baking powder. I also added some chopped up dark chocolate along with the milk chocolate chips.
As you can see, Dad never strayed too far from the kitchen during my experiments!
Teddy was out of doggie biscuits, so I made some of those before starting on the cookies.
Flatter and lacier than EVER! What the heck? I also decreased the temperature from 350 to 325 after the first two sheets came out, because they were spreading and browning so fast. Peggy told me later that I should never bake cookies at less than 350 degrees, otherwise they will spread. Well, they're already spreading! But OK. "Hot and fast" is how you bake cookies, she said.
Bruce's advice during all of this was "add more oats". I laughed at him. But, at this point, I thought "why not"?
So last night, I made Batch Four. I added 1/4 c. more oats, 2 T. more flour, used all butter, included the chopped dark chocolate (because it was heavenly) and baked at 350 for nine minutes.
Thinner and flatter and lacier than ever!!!! But, the taste was out of this world good. Bruce decided to make the best of the situation. Introducing the Ice Cream Cookie Taco.
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| Put spoonful of ice cream on cookie and fold in half. Remember to stick out pinkie. |
Bruce seems pretty happy with these.
So, what is my recipe after all of these experiments? I'm not even sure. I'm just happy I didn't gain 20 pounds trying to fine-tune it.
If anyone has a suggestion or two for me, feel free to share. Otherwise, I'll just keep experimenting and Bruce and Dad will keep helping me empty the cookie tub.
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