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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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 Cookies. No Bake Monster Cookie Bars, M&M Shortbread Cookies and Kit Kat Cake are good recipes to try too!
Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups creamy or chunky peanut butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4½ cups quick cooking oats
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&M's plain chocolate candies
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was originally introduced to these cookies b my ex-mother-in-law. She mixed up enough cookies at one time she used the large Jif jar. They were always terrific. I did not have any M&Ms so I threw in raisins and coconut. I also use crunchy peanut butter. My other half says they are really good. I agree. Thanks for having them to remind me to bake them.
Used almond butter in case there were peanut allergies where I was taking them and they turned out awesome!!
I first made this recipe (or one very similar) when I was visiting my grandmother as a preteen; that was some 40 years ago! Definitely used an ice cream scoop and I’m sure the recipe that was in the newspaper made a ridiculous amount of cookies – lots for the freezer (and for us to sneak). These things hold up well for travel too. I brought a batch to an orphanage in India and there wasn’t a single one broken in the travels.
How do the cookies turn out with natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)?
I don’t recommend it. But you can certainly try!
My go to Gluten-Free Cookie Recipe. You will forget that it is GF. Just have Old Fashion Oats, pulse them in a food processor and you are good to go.
These are so yummy! All my my friends and family love them!
This is my favorite monster cookie recipe. I make up excuses to eat them for breakfast. I bake at high altitude and the only accommodation I do, is add an extra egg and they turn out perfect!
These are excellent; remind me of my childhood. I have gotten so many compliments, and have made them twice within about 2 weeks. I like to add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the batter, and sprinkle sea salt on top.
These couldn’t have turned out better! Excellent recipe! Planning to use this time and time again!
Great cookies. Just felt like they needed a little salt after I tasted my first batch. I added salt to the rest of the cookie dough, and they were perfect after that!