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.
Can you leave out the peanut butter. Have allergies to eat at my house?
Just made these and they turned out great! I made them about golf ball sized….ate some of the batter and still got 22 cookies.
Just an update: I tried it with vanilla almond butter (http://www.naturallynutty.com), 1/4c butter and 1/4c olive oil, white chocolate chips (instead of chocolate) and added 2TBSP flax seeds. And like another reader, put just a few m&ms on top. Really delicious, but a little gooey. I don’t think more time in the oven would have helped; they were just too moist. Still learning, I guess. But luckily, I have another batch of dough following your instructions to the letter, ready to go in the oven. This recipe is such a great one, full of possibilities.
I’ve been making these for the past 22 years. My son didn’t like chocolate so I used peanut butter chips and resees pieces instead of the m and m’s and chocolate chips.
Has anyone tried using almond butter with this recipe? Just wanted to know how it turned out if you did. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it. I would think it would be okay if you tried it with a really creamy almond butter- like the Barney Butter brand.
When I tell my kids I am going to make cookies, MONSTER COOKIES is what comes out of their mouths! I cut the chocolate chips in half, and once left them out completely, and only put 4-5 M&Ms on top (none in the cookie itself) to cut out some of the calories and sugar and I don’t find we are losing any flavor. I usually use a 1/4 dry measuring cup to scoop them so they are truely monster sized. Takes a few extra minutes to cook but they are amazing. And put in the freezer? We never have left overs!!
My boyfriends favorite cookie is a monster cookie so I decided to try this recipe for hips Christmas stocking.. They lasted maybe 12 hours at the most so I’d say they were a hit! My family got a taste of the first batch and I’ve been asked to make 3 other batches of these yummy cookies! Love them, thank you for the recipe!
Ummm…, my kiddo is allergic to peanuts. Do you think that if I left out the peanut butter they would be o.k.? If not, it’s o.k.
Thanks.
Made these today and really liked them. I did add 2 T. of light corn syrup like someone suggested in the comments as I like a soft cookie. I also did a mixture of chocolate chips & butterscotch chips. They are earning a spot on the holiday tray this year! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Worst cookies i’ve ever made. Sorry. Not the recipes fault, it was my fault. I substituted butter for margarine. M&Ms for Smarties. And 50% large oats instead of quick oats.
Turned into a flat sticky mess. Most recipes are forgiving enough to allow for substitutes like this more suitable to unique tastes. Not these ones.
Will probably not try again because it was that big of a disaster. Sorry.
Sounds like your substitutions were not a success. Try the recipe as is and you might like it!