Monster Cookies

4.50 from 8 votes

Posted: 01/06/20 Updated: 07/30/23

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Monster Cookies are delicious, soft and chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies loaded with M&M’s and Chocolate Chips. Best part is there is no need to chill the dough. They are a childhood favorite of mine and I can’t wait for you to try them!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

I have a confession to make…I’ve been holding out on you. I realized recently that I haven’t shared one of my all-time favorite cookies with you – Monster Cookies! I’ve loved these since I was a kid and they’re still one of my favorites! Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of favorites like sugar cookies but these Monster Cookies have a very special place in my heart!

These sweet treats are out of this world in the way that you might have to ask someone to remove them from your reach or maybe even hide them. They are that good. I’m not lying. They are chewy, soft, loaded with M&Ms and chocolate chips – in other words, utterly perfect!

I love soft cookies and these are just that. Plus, they stay soft for several days. BONUS! I’ve tried different recipes over the years, but this particular version is my favorite. I got it from my dear friend, Derek, who I went to high school and college with. We started baking together once a week the summer after high school and it was then that he shared them with me. Yes, we might have been baking dorks, but we were okay with it and our friends loved all of the free desserts!

After we made this recipe I have never ever even thought of looking for another one. It would be like cheating on it. I’m not that type of girl – I just won’t go there! I mean, once you find the perfect cookie recipe why stray from it? The only thing I’ve done is adapted this recipe to make Monster Cookie Bars because you know I love a great dessert bar!

Contents show

Ingredients

So, fun fact: you don’t need any flour! They have all the other usual ingredients but instead of flour, they’re made with quick oatmeal not to be confused with old-fashioned oatmeal.

Quick oats are what you want for this recipe because they cook, well, quick! So double-check the label at the store.

Here’s everything you need:

Butter – You will want it to be softened, but not melted. This will help your cookies keep their shape.
Peanut Butter
Sugars – We will use a combination of white granulated and brown sugar in this recipe. The combination will give your cookie the perfect rich taste.
Eggs – The binder in the cookie.
Corn syrup – This helps keep your cookie “bendy and chewy” just like we want them.
Vanilla – You can use pure vanilla extract but get the good stuff because you can tell the difference.
Baking soda – The leavening agent in your monster cookies to make them tender.
Quick oatmeal – Make sure you grab the quick oatmeal and not regular oatmeal.
M&Ms and chocolate chips – I used semi sweet chocolate chips and regular M&Ms but feel free to switch them up.

Photo collage on how to make monster cookies

Cream the butter and peanut butter together.
Add both kinds of sugar, eggs, corn syrup, vanilla and baking soda and mix again
Add the oatmeal and mix one more time until the dough comes together.
Mix in all the M&Ms and chocolate chips – you want one cup of each. I told you these were fully-loaded!

Once you’ve added the mix-ins let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then scoop and bake them. Don’t forget these are Monster Cookies so do big o’ scoops of dough – like two to three tablespoons for each cookie!

Baking Tips

You will want to bake them at 325 degrees F (not 350!).
Space them two inches apart on the baking sheet – they’re big and need plenty of room to bake.
I recommend using parchment paper to line your baking sheets.
Let your baking sheets cool completely between batches so they don’t spread.
Mine are usually done in 12 minutes, but every oven is different so keep an eye on yours. You will want to take them out when they look a little underbaked – this is the key to getting a perfect chewy texture.
Once you pull them out of the oven leave them on the baking sheet for five minutes. They will continue to bake and set. After five minutes transfer them to a baking rack to cool completely.

How to Store Monster Cookies

Like I mentioned, they are soft! They stay soft for days, in fact, so they’re great for gifting, potlucks, and any other occasion you need an amazing cookie. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature and try to not sneak one every you time walk by. Trust me, they’re pretty hard to resist! Might need to have someone hide them for you so you aren’t tempted to eat the whole batch!

You can store them on the counter for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Another option is to freeze the cookie dough balls. Simply place them on a cookie sheet and then put the cookie sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until frozen. Pop them into a resealable freezer bag and freeze them. When you are ready to bake them just take them out and put on a baking sheet and bake as directed. They might take a few minutes longer because they are frozen.
If you prefer to bake the cookies, then freeze them you can do that too. Make sure to let them cool completely and then place in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I hope you love them as much as I do! I can’t believe I waited so long to share them, so I’m very sorry about that! Now, go bake a batch and let me know what you think!

Be sure to try Cool Whip Cookies where all you need is 4 ingredients to make these easy.

Meet Julie Evink

I'm here to help you win in the kitchen again! Life is Busy, Life is Crazy, but that doesn't mean you can't make your family dinner! Julie's goal is to provide you with easy, family, friendly recipes that use pantry staples. Dinnertime will be stress free again!