Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies
Ranger Cookies are flavored with pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips, and there are endless variations of this popular recipe. These Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies are delicious for a more carb-conscious version of this classic cookie!
PIN Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies to try them later!
We’re heading into the time of year when there are cookies and other sweet treats everywhere you look. I doubt many people are religiously dieting during December, but even for those of us who are just trying to limit our consumption of holiday sweets, it can be a challenge.
For a few years now I’ve been experimenting with recipes for sugar-free or low-sugar cookies for the holidays, and this recipe for Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies is my version of a classic cookie where I’m switching out some ingredients to make a more carb-conscious version.
These Ranger Cookies are full of flavor from pecans, oatmeal, unsweetened coconut, Lily’s Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (affiliate link), and whole wheat pastry flour, and I make them with Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), which is my favorite sweetener for sugar-free or low-sugar cookies.
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- pecan halves or pieces
- bran cereal
- rolled oats or Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (affiliate link)
- unsweetened coconut
- Lily’s Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (affiliate link)
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (affiliate link)
- baking powder
- salt
- butter
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link)
- egg
- vanilla
What are Ranger Cookies?
Some people say that Ranger Cookies are named for forest rangers who like these cookies for their energy-boosting ingredients. Other say the cookie originated in Texas and was originally called the ‘Texas Ranger Cookie’ or ‘The Lone Ranger Cookie. But for sure these are intended to be a cookie filled with nuts, chocolate, coconut, oatmeal and fiber cereal that will give you energy when you need it.
What sweetener did I use?
I’m a huge fan of Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) and my preferred brand is Lakanto Monkfruit Zero Calorie Sweetener. You can use either Classic Monkfruit or Golden Monkfruit for this recipe, but for recipes where there isn’t much liquid I find the Classic Monkfruit will dissolve a little better.
What if you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour?
I haven’t tried making the Ranger Cookies with other types of flour, but I did find a few places online that said all-purpose flour can be substituted for whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat flour is more coarsely ground and might not work as well. I am intrigued by the idea of substituting Almond Flour for the whole wheat pastry flour, but I haven’t tried that.
More Tasty Sugar-Free Cookies:
Check out My Favorite Flourless Sugar-Free Cookies for more cookies ideas without sugar.
How to make Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Whole wheat pastry flour is a type of whole wheat flour that’s more finely ground than traditional whole wheat flour, and it’s a great ingredient for baking.
- Toasting the pecans on a small cookie sheet placed in the oven really brings out their flavor in these cookies.
- Then process together the bran cereal, oatmeal, coconut, and chocolate chips until it’s a coarsely ground mixture. (It took a bit longer than I expected to get the chocolate chips ground up.)
- In a small bowl, mix together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Use a small hand beater to cream together the margarine (or butter), Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, egg, and vanilla.
- Then add the flour mixture and beat on low until it’s all combined.
- Stir in the oatmeal-pecan mixture and mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out heaping balls of dough and arrange 2 inches apart on cookie sheet that’s been sprayed with non-stick spray. (The recipe said 16 cookies, but I only got 12.)
- Bake cookies at 375F/190C for 16-20 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and the top of the cookies feels dry.
Want more ideas for sugar-free desserts?
Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies
These Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies have whole wheat pastry flour, pecans, coconut, and sugar-free chocolate chips and they're delicious for a healthier cookie option!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pecan halves or pieces
- 1/4 cup bran cereal
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup Lily's Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (see notes)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter (see notes)
- 1/4 cup Monkfruit Sweetener, or sweetener of your choice
- 1 egg
- 1 T vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Put pecans on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 6 minutes, or until they are becoming fragrant and lightly toasted. Let pecans cool for 2-3 minutes.
- While pecans are toasting add bran cereal (I used Fiber One, which has no added sugar), rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats), unsweetened coconut, and chocolate chips to food processor.
- Add pecans as soon as they are cool, then process until the mixture is coarsely ground. (It took about a minute for me to get the chocolate chips ground.)
- In a small bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a larger bowl, use a hand beater on high speed to cream together the butter (or margarine), Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), egg, and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and use a low speed to mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Remove beaters and use a spoon or rubber scraper to mix in the oatmeal-pecan mixture, stirring until it’s well blended into the batter.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out heaping spoonfuls of batter and place them 2 inches apart. (Original recipe said 16 cookies, but I only got 12.)
- Bake cookies 16-20 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and the top of the cookies feel dry. (Cookies in the photo were baked for 18 minutes.)
- Let cool 20-30 minutes. These cookies freeze well.
Notes
I prefer Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for baking but use any sweetener you like. I'd make these with Lily's Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (affiliate link) but use any chocolate chips that are low in sugar.
Since this recipe came from an old South Beach Diet cookbook it recommended making the cookies with margarine. I am not a margarine fan, but you can definitely use it if you prefer!
Recipe adapted slightly from The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 227Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 39mgSodium 154mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies made with an approved sweetener and using margarine would be approved for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. Sugar-free chocolate chips would be the best choice for South Beach or low-glycemic diets. These Ranger Cookies are too high in carbs for traditional low-carb diet plans, even with the carb-conscious changes I made.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Desserts and Baking Recipes for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan.You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for a more carb-conscious Ranger Cookie was posted in 2010. It was last updated with more information in 2023.
36 Comments on “Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies”
Can you make the batter the night before and bake the following day ?
I can’t say for sure; I definitely haven’t done it that way. But if you let the dough come to room temperature before you bake I’m guessing it might work.
Thank you for this recipes. I made a few adjustments, based on what I had on hand and my tastes.
I used walnuts in place of pecans, which worked out really well.
Left out the coconut (don't care for it), added in a bit of chopped candied ginger, and just a small amount of candied fennel seeds (store this idea from a local cafe).
They turned out great, and how love the low sweetness level.
Thanks again.
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is more finely ground than other whole wheat flours. I'm guessing you could make these cookies with white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour, but I haven’t tried it.
Hi Kalyn!
Love your blog! I stock both red wheat and white wheat flour, not the pastry flour. Any reason the pastry flour would be better than white wheat?
Cindy, that's fun to hear how you're adapting it! Glad you're enjoying the blog.
I'm having fun playing around with this recipe. Since I'm following Weight Watchers and not South Beach, I made a batch replacing the margarine with unsweetened applesauce. However, I had to double the flour in order to make the batter stiff enough for the cookies to hold their shape. They came out a bit chewier than the original recipe, but OK. Just for fun, I also added some dried cherries for a little zing of flavor. Even with the extra flour and cherries, the cookies are only 2 points each(as opposed to 4 points with the original recipe. It's not quite right yet, but I'll have fun tweaking it!
I really do enjoy your blog Kalyn – keep up the great work!
Marsha, thanks for letting me know you liked them. They were a huge hit with my friends too.
Kalyn, I made a double batch using Bran Buds, white whole wheat flour and agave nectar. These cookies are so good! Even folks who normally do not like whole wheat baked goods, kept going back for more. My cookies were moist and held together perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
I don't honestly know how it will work with those flours; whole wheat pastry flour is more finely ground.
I'm curious, I have both whole wheat flour and white whole wheat, can I just use one of those without making an extra purchase of whole wheat pastry flour? I just can't imagine what else I'd use it for and I hate to buy, use a bit, then let it sit.
Andi, so glad I could help and that you enjoyed the cookies!
I've been looking for this recipe online for a very long time, so thank you for posting it! And as expected, the cookies were delicious 🙂
Low sugar and whole grain allow me to "cheat" on my diet. Thanks for sharing this goodness!
any combination of coconut and chocolate instantly makes my mouth water, great job!
Yum, Can't wait to try these.
I think I'll prepare with sweetened coconut for now because I don't want to wait, it looks so delicious!
Denise, I'm impressed! I think even maintaining your weight during December is an achievement.
I'm not sure about substituting for the coconut but personally I'd be inclined to double the pecans since they're a flavorful ingredient.
The cookies sound yummy, but my husband is allergic to coconut. Has anyone tried making it w/o or substituting anything else for it? Thanks, M
These look just right–nice and substantial, and low on sugar!
Low sugar! Just what I need… Thanks for sharing.
A few years ago I set a goal to lose five pounds during the month of December. My husband thought it was a crazy idea with all the temptations of the holidays – but I ended up losing four pounds. Hey, I figured four out of five was 80 percent and that was pretty good. Having a few treats like these Ranger Cookies that aren't off the chain with sugar and fat is a big help.
So glad people are liking this. I agree about preferring the hearty taste of this to sweeter cookies. It's just sweet enough for me.
I've never used whole wheat pastry flour but I keep meaning to!
I love the rustic and hearty taste of ranger cookies made with whole wheat flour; this cookie is one I would make year round!
Kalyn, low sugar and whole grain sound sweet to my ear. Wonderful recipe!
Thanks Paula!
Shirley I was skeptical about the toasting step, but after I tasted the pecans I tasted a plain one vs. a toasted one and there was a big difference in the flavor.
Love the heartiness of these cookies, Kalyn! I bet I could convert the recipe to gluten free, too. I've never heard of Ranger Cookies, but I love the concept. I've never toasted pecans before for a recipe, but I'm developing a new cookie recipe and plan to try toasting some for that.
Thanks!
Shirley
what a great recipe! such cookies sounds great!
have a nice time,
Paula
Monica, I have Bob's Red Mill brand which I bought at Whole Foods. I think any health food store will have it, or you can order online: http://www.bobsredmill.com/coconut-flakes.html
(They're a little pricey, but I keep them in the freezer in a plastic jar with a screw-on lid, so they last forever.)
These sound great, but I can never find unsweetened coconut. I even asked once at the grocery store and they thought I was crazy. Any suggestions?
Joanne, that sounds like a good plan. (I'm working on that extra exercise mojo myself!)
Yes, moderation. That's exactly what I'm going for. And if I lose a few pounds by trying to add in some extra exercise…then I won't argue. 😛
Love the sound of these cookies! A treat that I can indulge in without any guilt!
Paula, I also like the Whole Foods brand (365 Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.)
Soma, thanks! They really are good, and just sweet enough.
A cookie! Even without the thought of dieting, I would prefer these cookies anytime to the regular sugar ones. So much texture and flavors here.
Ranger cookies are one of my favorites. I always have Fiber One in the house but not the Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Will have to keep my eye open for the Hodgson brand.