Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies are soft, chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies loaded with chocolate chips and M&M’s. Peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips and candy pretty much sums up a monster cookie recipe, and it happens to be one of my favorite cookies of all time. If you’ve never tried them, you have to give this fun and easy recipe a whirl!

Think of them as part oatmeal cookie and part peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, with candy mixed in. These are one bowl cookies, and one batch makes about 5 dozen. There's no separate bowl for the dry ingredients, either. That makes this the best monster cookie recipe I know for school parties, bake sales and holiday cookie trays.

Why You'll Love These Monster Cookies

When my kids were in elementary school, these cookies quickly became my go-to recipe for school parties and events. My kids loved them, and they're easy to make in a hurry. Not that I put everything off until the last minute or anything. Ahem.

I also like them because you really can't go wrong when making them. They always look a little thrown-together and messy, and I'm totally okay with that. That makes this a great first cookie recipe if you're new to baking. The most important thing is that they're full of good stuff on the inside. You know, I think the monster cookie is a metaphor for my messy life!

More monster cookie perks:

• Big batch: One bowl of dough makes about 60 cookies, so these are easy cookies for a crowd and great bake sale cookies.
• Budget friendly: It uses pantry staples like oats, peanut butter and brown sugar, and only ½ cup of flour.
• Soft and chewy: The quick oats and brown sugar give these chewy cookies a soft texture with lightly crisp edges.
• No chilling: The dough goes straight from the bowl to the cookie sheet. No chill cookies like these are perfect when I'm baking at the last minute.
• Crowd favorite: Kids and grown-ups both go for the bright candy and chocolate in every bite.

I've mentioned once or a dozen times before that I'm a pretty big fan of peanut butter. Any type of peanut butter cookie is a winner in my book, so if you love these, try the Best Peanut Butter Cookies and Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies too.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Creamy Peanut Butter: This gives peanut butter monster cookies their rich, nutty flavor. I use a regular creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter separates, so stir it really well before measuring if that's what you have.
• Butter: Use softened, room-temperature butter so it beats in smoothly.
• Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar adds moisture and that soft, chewy bite.
• Granulated Sugar: A little white sugar helps the edges turn golden brown.
• Baking Soda: This helps the cookies rise and spread just enough.
• Eggs: Three eggs hold this big batch of dough together.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla rounds out the peanut butter and chocolate flavors.
• All Purpose Flour: You only need ½ cup, because the oats make up most of the dough.
• Quick Oats: These are the heart of oatmeal monster cookies. Quick oats, also called quick-cooking oats, are rolled thinner and cut smaller than old-fashioned oats, so they blend right into the dough.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips add pockets of melty chocolate to every cookie.
• M&M's: These colorful chocolate candies are what make these cookies so fun. Regular milk chocolate M&M's are what I use.

How to Make Monster Cookies

You'll need a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Here's how I make them.

Step one: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step two: In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and the butter together until smooth and creamy.

Step three: Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and baking soda, then beat until well combined.

Step four: Beat in the eggs one at a time, just until combined. Next, beat in the vanilla, and then beat in the flour.

Step five: Using a large spoon, stir in the oats. Add the chocolate chips and stir, then add the M&M's and stir.

Step six: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet.

Step seven: Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown. The tops will look a little underbaked, and that's what keeps them chewy.

Step eight: Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. Then move them to a wire rack or cooling rack to cool completely.

Tips for Soft and Chewy Cookies

• Don't overbake: Pull them out when the edges are lightly brown, even if the centers look soft. They finish setting on the hot cookie sheet, so the short baking time is all they need.
• Stir by hand at the end: Mixing in the oats, chips and candy with a spoon keeps the M&M's from cracking.
• Use a cookie scoop: A medium cookie scoop makes every cookie the same size, so they all bake evenly.
• Line your pans: Parchment paper makes cleanup easy and helps the cookies slide right off.
• Add extra M&M's on top: For bakery-style looks, press a few extra M&M candies into the tops of the dough balls before baking.

Variations and Add-In Ideas

• Christmas Monster Cookies: Use red and green M&M's, and they'll look right at home on a Christmas cookie tray.
• Halloween Monster Cookies: Swap in orange and brown M&M's, or chop up leftover Halloween candy to use in place of some of the M&M's. It's an easy way to bake cookies with leftover Halloween candy.
• Change up the chips: Trade some of the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips.
• Peanut M&M's: Use peanut M&M's for an extra crunchy, extra peanutty cookie.
• Smaller cookies: Scoop level tablespoons instead of rounded ones for bite-size cookies, and start checking them a minute or two early.

How to Store Monster Cookies

Let the cookies cool completely before you put them away. Otherwise, steam gets trapped and makes them soggy.

• Room Temp: Keep the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. They taste best within 3 to 5 days, and after that they slowly dry out and lose their chewy texture.
• Refrigerator: There's no need to refrigerate them. They have no frosting or filling, so the counter works fine.
• Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then move them to a freezer bag. For the best taste, use them within 3 months. You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough balls the same way for up to 2 months.
• Thawing and Baking: Let frozen baked cookies thaw on the counter for about 30 minutes. Frozen dough balls can go straight onto the cookie sheet. They usually need a couple of extra minutes, so bake until the edges are lightly brown.

Monster Cookies FAQs

Why are they called monster cookies?

Nobody knows for sure where the name came from. Most people think it's because they're loaded with so many mix-ins, and the old-fashioned recipes made a monster-size batch.

Can I use old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats?

I always make this recipe with quick oats, so that's what I recommend. Old-fashioned oats are thicker, so they give you a more textured, oatier cookie. Instant oatmeal packets aren't a good swap.

Can I make monster cookies without peanut butter?

I haven't tested this recipe without peanut butter. Since peanut butter is a big part of what holds the dough together, I don't recommend just leaving it out. Other nut butters, like almond butter, might work, but I haven't tried them.

How many calories are in a monster cookie?

Based on the nutrition estimate in the recipe card below, each cookie has about 142 calories when you make 60 cookies. Bigger cookies will have more.

Is it safe to eat raw cookie dough?

No. The FDA advises against eating raw cookie dough, because the raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs that make people sick. Bake it first! Did we survive it in the 80's? Yes, but still... don't do it!

At school parties and on holiday cookie trays, these fresh-baked cookies always disappear fast. They're simple, delicious cookies that everyone seems to love. Are you a fan of the monster cookie? Let me know in the comments below!

More Cookie Recipes

• Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
• Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
• Hershey Kiss Cookies
• Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies