Tessa's Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Loads of peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and M&Ms make these cookies so much FUN!
TEXTURE: Delightfully chewy thanks to the oats and peanut butter, with a subtle crunch from the chocolate chips and M&Ms throughout.
EASE: So easy! These cookies are ready to enjoy in just 33 minutes.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: A family staple with no chilling required, but also freezer-friendly.
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I’ve written an entire cookbook about cookie baking, and my cookie science experiments have been featured on NPR and People magazine and have even been used in university curriculums!
Needless to say, I love cookies. And my Monster Cookie recipe is something special. Thick, chewy, and loaded with my favorite ingredient… nostalgia 😉
It’s the perfect recipe for back-to-school season, Halloween, Christmas, or just any time I’m craving peanut butter and chocolate…which is basically every day, ha!
Because it’s such an easy recipe, it’s a great one to make with kids. Oh, and it’s naturally gluten-free (if using certified GF ingredients)!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Amazing Monster Cookies
No Flour in This Monster Cookies Recipe?
Yes, these Monster Cookies are flourless cookies. The peanut butter, oats, and egg + egg yolk provide enough structure to hold everything together and bake into a chewy delight.
The lack of flour does change the texture of the dough. It will feel a bit loose and won’t hold together like a traditional cookie dough. This means that a few of the M&Ms and chocolate chips may fall out as you portion out the dough. That’s okay – simply add them back on top of each cookie dough ball! No biggie.
What Type of Peanut Butter is Best for Monster Cookies?
I recommend using natural peanut butter that’s been very well stirred (no oily pockets or dry bits).
My favorite is Kirkland Organic (high quality and a great price at Costco!). Natural peanut butter will yield a much bolder peanut butter flavor in these Monster Cookies. If you don’t have any, conventional peanut butter (Skippy / Jif) works well too.
What Type of Oats for Monster Cookies?
Use old-fashioned rolled oats for Monster Cookies. Don’t use quick oats, which can make the cookies mushier and less chewy. Be sure to measure correctly, as accidental over-measuring can cause dry, hard, crumbly cookies. Learn more about how to measure ingredients correctly here.
Do I Have to Use Dark Brown Sugar?
I recommend using dark brown sugar for its added flavor and moisture to achieve a rich and chewy cookie. You can use the same amount of light brown sugar instead, but note that your cookies may turn out lighter in color and slightly less moist.
Can I Use Almond Butter Instead?
We haven’t tested that in this Monster Cookie recipe, but a straight 1:1 swap of almond butter instead of peanut butter works perfectly in my Classic Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. Let me know if you give that a try here!
What Size Are These Monster Cookies?
I use a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to create perfectly chewy cookies. You can use a medium 1.5-tablespoon scoop instead and reduce the bake time by 1-2 minutes, but keep in mind that the smaller cookies won’t be as chewy.
Can I Mix up the Mix-Ins?
Yes! Feel free to use peanut butter chips, chopped Reese’s Pieces, or any other variety of mix-ins you like in these Monster Cookies – just keep them small in size and the total weight/volume the same amount for best results.
How to Prevent M&Ms From Cracking as They Bake
- Some bakers say that mini M&Ms are less likely to crack, and others claim that freezing your M&Ms prior to baking prevents cracking. I haven’t tested either theory, so I can’t say for sure how well they work.
- If the cracking bothers you, I recommend adding the additional M&Ms to the tops of each baked cookie as soon as they come out of the oven, before they have fully set.
- Be sure to press the M&Ms into each cookie thoroughly to ensure they adhere properly.
Can I Double This Recipe? Can I Halve This Recipe?
Yes! Double all ingredients to yield approximately 34 large cookies, or halve all ingredients to yield 8-9 large cookies. No other modifications needed.
Do I Have to Chill Monster Cookie Dough?
No, you can bake these Monster Cookies right after preparing the dough.
For extra chewy, ultra-flavorful cookies with a ton of PB flavor, I recommend chilling the cookie dough for 24 to 48 hours.
Avoid chilling any longer, as oats tend to zap moisture and these cookies will dry out. Learn more about how to chill cookie dough here.
How to Store Monster Cookies?
Monster Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store with a tortilla to keep the cookies softer for longer.
Can You Freeze Monster Cookies?
- Yes, Monster Cookies freeze well!
- If chilling the dough, do so before freezing.
- Place scoops of dough in a single layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer until solid. Remove scoops to a labeled and dated airtight container.
- Bake directly from the freezer by reducing the oven temperature to 325°F and adding a minute or two to the bake time.
- Learn more about How to Freeze Cookie Dough (& Bake From Frozen) here.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup (203 grams) natural peanut butter, very well stirred*
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar**
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at cool room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (198 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, plus extra for garnish
- 1 cup (200 grams) M&M candies, plus extra for garnish
- Flaky sea salt, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add the oats, baking soda, and salt, mixing on low speed until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms with a rubber spatula.
- Using a large spring-loaded scoop, measure out 3 tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Press the dough firmly into the scoop before placing it onto prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Dough will be loose. Dot the tops of cookies with a few M&Ms and/or chocolate chips before baking for picture-perfect cookies.
- If time permits: wrap the cookie dough balls very well in plastic wrap and allow to “marinate” in the fridge for 24-48 hours to enhance flavor and texture.
- Bake for about 13 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies, if desired. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. For best texture and to allow the peanut butter flavor to fully develop, let cookies cool completely before serving.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Photos by Joanie Simon.
I love how chewy and loaded with chocolate these monster cookies are. Perfect treat for my sweet cravings!
These cookies were a hit with my family. I doubled the batch, and all cookies were consumed within 24 hours.
I did have some frustration when I scooped the dough into balls. The dough was very oily because of the natural peanut butter, I assume. The M&Ms and chocolate chips would not stick to the dough since they were vey greasy. Because of this, it took over an hour to bake the cookies. What recommendation can you offer to make the baking process less challenging?
Thanks for your feedback, Theresa! I’m so glad your family loved the cookies. I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the dough being oily—natural peanut butter can sometimes separate, which may have caused that issue. Did you stir it thoroughly before measuring? I’m also curious about the baking time—these cookies should only take about 13 minutes, so over an hour sounds unusual. Did you make any ingredient substitutions? Also, do you use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is reaching the correct temperature? I’d love to help troubleshoot further!
Oops, the cookie didn’t take an hour to bake, the whole process of scooping the dough to prepare them for baking took over an hour. Baking time was the same as the recipe called for, 13 minutes.
When I began making the dough balls, I struggled with getting the chips and m & ms to stick to the dough because of how greasy the dough was. Would refrigerating the dough for a bit help hold the dough and chips together? What about half natural peanut butter and half Skippy PB?
Sorry for the confusion!
Thanks for your help
Gotcha! Phew, glad they didn’t actually take an hour to bake! 🙂 Since this dough doesn’t contain flour, it is a bit looser, so it’s normal for some of the candies and chocolate chips to fall out while portioning. We found that firmly pressing the dough into the scoop before placing it onto the baking sheet helped them stick better. Any that fell out, we just manually pressed onto the cookies before baking.
We didn’t find a need to use half natural and half conventional PB (and actually preferred natural for the flavor!), but feel free to give it a try! The most important thing with natural peanut butter is that it MUST be well-stirred; otherwise, the excess oil will lead to an inconsistent, greasy texture. I hope that helps! Let us know how your next batch goes.
These are delicious and fun to make. Will be a regular in my house now.
I made these Monster Cookies for 2 different groups of people and they absolutely loved them and couldn’t beieve they were gluten free. I have a friend who can only eat gluten free treats and I was wondering if Tessa has any other gluten free cookie recipes?
So happy to hear these cookies were such a hit, Linda! While readers have successfully made hundreds of our recipes gluten free, we don’t typically bake gluten-free recipes and instead refer people to Tessa’s friend Kat over at The Loopy Whisk 🙂
My nieces and nephews loved them. Put them out for Halloween and everyone gobbled them up!
My cookies came out flatter than those pictured in other bakers’ reviews (maybe my butter was too warm) but they were soft and chewy and delicious!
Cookies are delicious! Very easy to make. Would definitely make these again.
Love these monster cookies, and they’re perfect for the Halloween season! I added small candy “eyes” and Halloween sprinkles to the top of the cookies. After my husband and I enjoyed a few, I froze the rest for my grandsons when they visit. I’m sure they will be a huge hit!
I absolutely love this recipe! The cookies are moist and delicious and can’t wait to make these again!
Delicious!!!
This was an easy recipe to follow and so much fun to make for this time of the year. I added Eyes to some cookies and Bloody Bones to others to get into the Halloween Spirit. My family enjoyed these yummy treats! I’m thinking of making Grinch Cookies with this recipe next.
Wonderful! Easy, reliable recipe with the usual, expected, and appreciated science to back up & inform this great bake. Thanks to the Handle the Heat team!