(These Sugar-Free Ranger Cookies have whole wheat pastry flour, pecans, coconut, bran cereal, and sugar-free chocolate chips and they’re a healthier cookie option! However in 2024 I developed a version of Ranger Cookies that are sugar free and gluten-free and much lower in carbs, so I am archiving this recipe on the site. Use that link to see the new recipe.)

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

  1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)
  5. In a small bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. 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.
  7. Add the flour mixture and use a low speed to mix until all ingredients are combined.
  8. 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.
  9. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
  10. 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.)
  11. 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.)
  12. 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’m 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.

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