Coconut Ranger Cookies {And My Caribbean Vacay Recap!}

Coconut Ranger Cookies {And My Caribbean Vacay Recap!}

So if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know I went on a blog-related Caribbean cruise a couple weeks ago. And it was amazing.

It was my first time cruising, so I was a little *teensy* bit skeptical. I mean, what if we encountered a rogue iceberg? Or killer pirates? Or sharks with laser beams on their heads, Austin Powers-style? It could happen.

But none of it did (that I know of, anyway) and I lived to tell the tale. And truth be told, it was one of the most amazing weeks of my life. I learned so much, I met so many new, fabulous friends, and I ate my freakin’ weight in food. Like, the laser-beam sharks would surely eat me first since I was filled to the brim with cookies.

We traveled on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, which is actually one of the largest cruise ships on the ocean. It’s taller than the Golden Gate Bridge and what seems like miles upon miles long, and is packed with plenty of things to see and do at any given time. Want to see a Broadway show? They were performing Cats. Want to ride on a surf simulator? Yep, they have that, too (and watching people biff may be my new favorite pasttime). Want to eat free Coconut Ranger Cookies all the live long day? I do, and I did. Oh man, I did.

Thankgodforleggings.

As I mentioned before, it was a blog-related cruise called the Click Retreat. The Click Retreat is a photography based conference that focuses on all things click-y to do with your camera. Not only did I meet some amazing photographers, but I was surrounded by some of the best bloggers you could think of. I felt beyond blessed to be sailing in the middle of the teal blue Caribbean learning about F-stops and ISO, taking pictures of sunsets while drinking champagne. It was seriously like I was a socialite, except with less fancy clothes.

We traveled and toured Nassau, Bahamas; Magen’s Bay, St. Thomas; and Marigot and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, which turned out to be my favorite island by far… and I’ll have pictures of my experience at the end of the post if you’re interested 

Overall, it was a phenomenal experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. And before I forget, let’s go back to those aforementioned all-I-can-eat cookies. The cookies I could not get enough of where Coconut Ranger Cookies… have you heard of them? They’re kind of like Kitchen Sink Cookies in that they have a little bit of everything in them: coconut, cornflakes, oats. The kind on the ship didn’t have chocolate chips, but you could totally throw those in there, or even butterscotch or peanut butter chips. But they’re the perfect balance of sweet and salty, crunchy and ultra chewy, with great texture and this wonderful deep, toffee flavor. I fell in love with them, and Joan and I could not stop sneaking them back to our rooms. I vowed that when I returned home, I’d recreate this dreamy cookie … and lucky for me, it’s pretty identical to Royal Caribbean’s!

It’s kinda like I’m on a cruise… except I’m not seasick and I’m not being served champagne. Also, no one makes my bed and there’s dog hair everywhere. Okay, so it isn’t like a cruise at all, but if I can’t live on a ship forever, at least I’ll have ship cookies 

*recipe adapted from All-Recipes

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Coconut Ranger Cookies {And My Caribbean Vacay Recap!}

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Cookies

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  12 mins

Total time:  22 mins

Serves: 24

Chewy, crisp and loaded with delicious toffee and coconut flavors, these fabulous cookies are one of my favorites! Feel free to sub in chocolate, butterscotch or even peanut butter chips for an added touch if you'd like!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 & ½ tsps baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp dried nonfat milk powder
• 1 & ¾ cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
• 1 & ¾ cup crushed cornflakes cereal
• ½ cup shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners, or mist baking sheets lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Lastly, add in the baking soda, baking powder, milk powder, salt, and flour until a soft dough forms. Stir in the oats, cornflakes cereal and coconut by hand, (and if using chips, stir those in now, too).
3. Drop rounded, Tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the baking sheets, keeping about 2" apart. Bake for approx. 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cookies are done when the edges are light golden brown. The cookies may appear slightly undone; this is okay - just do not over bake. Allow the cookies to cool for about 15 minutes on the sheets before transferring carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Store cookies airtight, at room temperature, up to a week. Cookies are best served warm or at room temperature.

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These are so chewy, with buttery-crisp edges and a scrumptious texture thanks to the chewy, nutty coconut and the crushed cornflakes! The brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and milk powder help create that deep, rich toffee undertone to these cookies that pairs beautifully with the shredded coconut, old fashioned oats and the crunchy cornflakes cereal. As I said before, feel free to add in chopped nuts or chocolate chips for a different flavor or texture! 

Article source:thedomesticrebel.com/2015/02/01/coconut-ranger-cookies-and-my-caribbean-va