Chewy Monster Cookies with Peanut Butter and M&M’s
Can’t decide between a peanut butter cookie, an oatmeal cookie and a chocolate chip cookie? These chewy monster cookies are all three in one, with chunky peanut butter and oats loaded up with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and mini M&M’s. They’re flourless, they mix up in one bowl and they bake in about 10 minutes.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Monster Cookies
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: + 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter, dark brown sugar, white sugar, softened butter, eggs, vanilla, oats quick, baking soda
- Why You'll Love It: These are The Monster Cookies Everyone Loves because they have just the right ingredient for each and every person yet they are also easy to make!
They’re called the monster cookies everyone loves in our house because there’s a little something for every person in each bite. Swap in orange and brown M&M’s and they’re right at home on a Halloween party platter next to big chewy Halloween candy cookies.
Why These Monster Cookies Are So Chewy
Oats stand in for flour here, so the cookies bake up thick and chewy, and a full cup and a half of chunky peanut butter adds richness plus a little crunch. Using both dark brown and white sugar gives them crisp edges and soft centers, and letting them rest on the pan for 5 minutes lets the middles finish setting.
Ingredients for Monster Cookies
Chunky peanut butter: It adds texture, but creamy works if that’s what you have.
Quick oats: They hold the dough together in place of flour and keep the cookies chewy.
Mix-ins: Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and mini M&M’s are the classic trio. Nuts, butterscotch chips or chopped candy bars work too.
You’ll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Use a cookie scoop or roll golf ball-size portions so the cookies bake evenly.
- Press a few extra M&M’s on top of each dough ball before baking so they look bakery-pretty.
- Grease your cookie sheets well. If yours are worn out, I love these Caraway baking sheets.
- Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them, since they’re soft when they first come out.
How to Make Monster Cookies
1Mix the Dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the peanut butter, sugars, butter, eggs, oats, baking soda, vanilla and salt to a large bowl.
2Add the Mix-Ins
Mix well with an electric mixer, then add the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and M&M’s and mix until blended.
3Scoop the Cookies
Roll the dough into golf ball-size rounds and set them 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets.
4Top with M&M’s
Press a few extra M&M’s on top of each cookie.
5Bake and Cool
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack.
Serving and Storing
Pack them in lunchboxes, take a plate to a bake sale, or set them out for a Halloween party with white chocolate candy corn cookies and ghost meringue cookies. You’ll find more ideas in our list of easy Halloween treats and desserts, and a glass of cold milk is all you need on the side.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Monster Cookies FAQs
Are monster cookies gluten-free?
There’s no flour in them, so they can be, as long as you use oats labeled gluten-free and check your candy and chips.
Can I use old-fashioned oats?
Quick oats give the softest, most even texture. Old-fashioned oats work but make the cookies a little chunkier.
Why are they called monster cookies?
They’re loaded with a little bit of everything, from peanut butter and oats to chocolate chips and candy, which makes them big, hearty “monster” cookies.
Chewy Monster Cookies with Peanut Butter and M&M’s
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups quick oats
- 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini M&M’s plus extra for topping
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine peanut butter, sugars, butter, eggs, oats, baking soda, vanilla and salt. Mix well with an electric mixer.
- Add in all other ingredients and mix again until well blended.
- Form dough into golfball size cookies and place two inches apart on greased cookie sheets.
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy!
Hi Christy! I haven’t baked home made cookies in years but I can’t wait to try these!
I have a question and I’m not trying to be a smart aleck. I’m curious about why we use baking soda if there is no flour in the recipe. I’m sure there is a reason; I just can’t figure it out, lol. Thanks!
Yours is my favorite recipe site. I get such a kick out of your stories and some have even brought me to tears.
Hey Marcia! GREAT question! Baking soda acts as a leavening agent to cause these little gems to puff up a bit, or “rise”. Although we are accustomed to seeing it paired with flour, it does all the work on its own by giving off little bubbles of carbon dioxide. Those little bubbles do work great when they happen in flour, but also work great in these ingredients, too. Here, they just add a wee bit of oomph:). Hope this helps and thank you!
I made these yesterday too and they are soooo good! And a little “healthier” right? Oats, peanut butter…?
I am so glad to hear that you liked them Kristen!!
Made these yesterday and they were crazy delicious. I used old fashioned oats, which I loved, and creamy peanut butter, which is what I had. They were such a fun cookie to look at with the pop of the m&m candies. I love how it made a big batch, but I did use a smaller cookie scoop for mine. Thanks for a great winter pick-me-up!!!
I am so glad to hear that you liked them Teresa!!
These look so delicious. Can’t wait to try these. Thanks! I enjoy your recipes and your stories and words of inspiration. God bless you always.
I hope you get the chance to try them soon Regina!!! Blessings to you as well!!
I read the recipe yesterday morning and made them in the afternoon. I substituted regular M & Ms (couldn’t find minis at the store), used creamy peanut butter (that is what I already had), and made heaping teaspoon size cookies rather than golf ball size. They are delicious. We are planning a wedding this summer and going to have a cookie table at it – these are going on the table! I am not a good “cookie maker” but even I succeeded with these. 🙂
I am so glad you liked them JC!!! Congrats on the wedding and I hope you will share a picture of the cookie table with us, I LOVE that idea!!!
Barbara I bought mine at a local grocer but I have seen them in Wal-Mart. I think they are packed 6 half-gallon size for around $11.
Where can I purchase these larger Mason Jars. Live in Iowa.
I can usually find them at Walmart and in some grocery stores.