These Monster Cookies are seriously the best recipe for Monster Cookies on the internet.  Watch short video showing you how to make them, then scroll to the end of this post to print out the recipe so you can bake them at home.

stack of monster cookies with the cookie on top split in half to show the inside

Monster Cookies are basically a peanut butter- oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips and M&M candies mixed in.  There is no flour at all in the recipe!

Monster cookies aren’t anything new.  They’ve been around a very long time, and this recipe was tucked into my collection sometime way back in my pre-teen years.

Someone… somewhere made them up- Betty Crocker, I’m guessing.  They are indeed a cookie recipe worth keeping around for decades.

I bake cookies and put them in little ziploc baggies and place them in the freezer for instant munching for the boys in my house. I tell myself that since they’re in the freezer, they’re totally safe. I try to tell myself that frozen cookies aren’t any good.  But guess what?  They’re good.  They’re actually better than un-frozen cookies.

close up shot of a stack of monster cookies

Is there a difference between using old-fashioned oats versus baking with quick oats?

With this recipe, quick oats are preferred for a softer taste. With old fashioned oats, the cookies can turn up chewier and not as tasty.

stack of monster cookies on a white plate with a yellow and black background

Why mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately?

With baking, it is a good idea to mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately in order to assure a proper mixing for the food. If you don’t take the time to do this, then chances of you grabbing a cookie with no sugar in one and another with way too much sugar is much higher.

I dot extra M&M’s and chocolate chips on top of each blob of cookie dough on the baking sheet.  This ensures that they will be extra pretty when they are all baked up and ready to eat.

monster cookies piled haphazardly on a cooling rack

Alternative ingredients to spice things up and make new recipes:

Not only is this an easy recipe that can be more exciting than your traditional chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies, but the options for new and fun ways to make them are endless!

  • white chocolate chips
  • pieces of oreo cookie
  • different types of m&m candies (peanut, crispy… anything!)
  • butterscotch chips
  • Instead of peanut butter, try adding in natural peanut butter or almond butter
  • any other chocolate candies that you can find at the store!

overhead shot of a stack of monster cookies on a white plate with a teal blue background

Sometimes I bake GIANT Monster Cookies (using an ice cream scoop to dole out the dough). If you go the giant route, you’ll end up with 22 fabulously large cookies.  If you’d like to make a normal-sized cookie, you’ll get 36 cookies.

Tips and Tricks for making the best monster cookies

This recipe is fast, easy and always a crowd pleaser. I have been making them for years and here are a few tricks that I have picked up along the way to turn this treat from amazing to legendary: 

  • Mix the cookie dough with a stand mixer and the paddle attachment at a low speed for best results (a hand mixer works, too)
  • Take around 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into cookie dough balls with your palms before placing it on the parchment paper on the baking sheet for normal-sized cookies
  • For giant cookies, use a medium cookie scoop and place on the cookie sheet with enough room to spread and 1-2 extra minutes of baking time
  • Let the eggs sit on the counter at room temperature before adding them to your large bowl (this will make nice and thick cookies)
  • Quality vanilla extract can make a world of difference
  • To make blue monster cookies, add in blue food coloring for the best cookie that kids will love (keep this in mind for a bake sale- blue cookie monster cookies always sell out)
  • If there are sensory issues with oats, blend them in a food processor before

stack of monster cookies on a white plate with a yellow and black background

Bake some Monster Cookies today, and keep them in the freezer… where they’ll be safe!

How do you store Monster Cookies?

If you have any cookies leftover, there are a few ways for you to store them. 

The first is to let these chewy monster cookies cool on a wire rack and keep them on the counter in an airtight container. They will stay good for up to a week.

The second is to put the cookies in an airtight container and place them in the freezer. This is great for school snacks or emergency cookie needs like a last minute sleepover or you need to bring a treat to the next PTA meeting. If you freeze these cookies, they should last for up to two months.

If you’re looking for more recipes using M&M’s, you might like to try my M&M Pretzel Blondies or these Super Soft Peanut Butter- M&M CookiesNo Bake Monster Cookie Bars, M&M Shortbread Cookies and Kit Kat Cake are good recipes to try too!

stack of monster cookies with the cookie on top split in half to show the inside
4.66 from 66 votes

Monster Cookies

This is the absolute best recipe for Monster Cookies!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silpat mats.
  • In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the oats and baking soda. Then stir in the chips and M&M's.
  • Drop the cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. If you'd like your cookies to look pretty (like the photos), dot a few extra M&M's and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.
  • Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

  • If you are preparing this cookie as gluten-free, just be sure to make sure you are using brands of the following items that are known to be GF: peanut butter, vanilla, oats, chocolate chips and M&M's.
  • If you'd prefer to make giant cookies, use an ice cream scoop instead to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. They'll need to bake for 18 to 20 minutes, and you'll end up with about 22 cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 215kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 129mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 245IU, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 2.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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276 Comments

  1. molly says:

    I am wanting to use cookie cutters, do you think I could roll these out between wax paper & use cutters?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      No, it is not a cut-out sort of cookie. It would likely just spread out.

  2. Cassie DeFreee says:

    Is the batter suppose to be sticky?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      It should be a lot like regular cookie dough.

  3. Jessie says:

    I am planning on making these but I only have steel cut oats versus the quick baking oats. I was wondering if anyone knew whether or not the cookies would come out different or if I would need to adjust the cook time. Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I’m not sure steel cut oats will work out in this recipe. They are awfully rough, and they are not meant for baking!

  4. Kelly says:

    These are amazing!! I have made them twice, and for me, they make so many more than 36. And I make a batch of large ones, and then have several batches of smaller ones. This time I rolled them into balls and put them in the freezer to have ready to bake later. They are SO addictive!! Thanks for the recipe!

  5. Hannah says:

    These cookies are delicious! I made them last night & can’t stop eating them. I baked each batch for 10 minutes & they turned out perfectly soft & slightly chewy.

  6. Dawn says:

    These turned out amazing!! One of my favorite cookie recipes now 🙂

  7. cookie says:

    Too flat, greasy and thin awful!!! Batter was thick like stated what happened?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I’m not sure! Did you try to use margarine in place of butter?

  8. Cherie says:

    I just finished making a triple batch, yes, a triple batch of these for gifts. I used a very large scoop for them. The size of the scoop was 3.25 oz. and I leveled it off with the dough. Here is the scoop I used: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/ice-cream-scooper-green-handle-3-25-oz/121005.ip To give you an idea of the size of these things, only 6 can fit on a standard size cookie sheet. 🙂 I cooked them 15-16 minutes. They weren’t overdone, but were still just a tad crisp on the outside, but soft, if that makes sense. Perfect for holding together, but they aren’t brittle. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

  9. Sarah says:

    I have never made monster cookies before but my boyfriend had them for the first time over thanksgiving and told me about them. I went searching for a recipe and found yours. Thank you for sharing!

    They turned out great! I followed the recipe exactly. I think they needed to bake a tad longer than suggested (19 minutes vs. 12 minutes for the small to medium size cookies) but otherwise these were perfect. Thank you again!

  10. Tara says:

    Can I make them without the peanut butter? Just wondering if they would cook the same? We have a cookie exchange at work and cookies have to be nut free because of food allergy.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Peanut butter holds them all together!