Ranch House Cookies
These hearty cookies are loaded up with peanut butter, old-fashioned oats, chopped walnut, and chocolate chips.
While visiting my Dad last month, I found an old recipe for these “Ranch House Cookies” on an old tattered piece of paper. My name was written across the top in my adolescent handwriting, and my guess is that it came from a middle school home-ec class. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I have no recollection of them.
So of course, I had to bake up a batch!
These cookies are pretty much just a standard drop-cookie recipe with peanut butter, oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips mixed in. They’re chewy in the middle and a little crisp on the edges. Nothing ground breaking, but still really tasty!
I’m not sure where the name “Ranch House Cookies” comes from. After doing some googling, it looks like they are similar to “Cowboy Cookies”, whose name may come from the fact that they’re loaded up with mix-ins and make for a nice hearty treat.
Maybe “Ranch House Cookies” came from the same origin— hearty enough for life on the ranch?
Wherever the name comes from, my whole family loved these loaded up cookies. And I’m so glad I found the recipe! I’m gonna have to make them a regular thing.
baking tip:How to bake perfect cookies every time
Over-baking cookies is one of the biggest cookie mistakes I see! Instead, pull cookies from the oven when the edges are golden brown and the tops are just starting to brown, but still look mostly pale. Once out of the oven, leave the cookies on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, where the heat from the pan will do a little carryover baking and set them up completely.
After 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely and you’ll have cookies with perfectly crisp edges and soft, chewy and moist centers.
Shop tools for this recipe
(Affiliate links below)
Ranch House Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (135 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 grams), softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar (105 grams)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (48 grams)
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (85 grams)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (56 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and sugar on high speed until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until just barely combined. Add oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts and mix on low just until combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to measure out cookie dough and place on prepared pan.
- Bake until they cookies appear set and just start to turn brown, 12-13 minutes.
- Let cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
