A soft and chewy peanut butter-oatmeal cookie studded with chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolate pieces. These Monster Cookies are gluten-free, made all in one bowl, and truly the best!
A longtime family favorite recipe
Why I’m JUST now sharing this recipe after 4 years of this blog’s existence beats me! But lucky for you, because today is the day. These Monster Cookies have been a favorite in my family since I started making them back in high school (a long time ago). Over the years, I’ve tweaked the recipe that I first started with (likely found on allrecipes.com) several times which evolved into what I’m sharing today. My Monster Cookies are a recipe I make all year round – especially during the holidays. They come together quickly and can be made all in one bowl. All you have to do is add the ingredients to a bowl, give them a stir, transfer to a cookie sheet, and bake them. In no time at all, you’ll be sinking your teeth into warm, peanut butter-y, oatmeal cookie goodness!
These Monster Cookies can be made peanut- or nut-free with one simple substitution.
Now if you’re looking for a cookie option that’s peanut-free, you can simply substitute almond butter or cashew butter for the peanut butter. Both of these nut butters have a neutral flavor and will work well in this recipe. If you want to make the cookies completely nut-free, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter. This will change the flavor of the cookies a bit, but they’ll still be totally delicious!
A quick note about candy-coated chocolate pieces
If you’re looking for a dye-free, better-for-you alternative that’s similar to M&M’s, we recommend these candy-coated milk chocolate gems made without artificial colors or sweeteners. They’re naturally-dyed and certified fair trade.
Add a stash to your freezer
A cookie stash in your freezer is always a good idea! For many reasons:
- Something delicious to offer to a surprise (or planned) guest.
- The perfect treat to bring to a new mom, a neighbor, or a special someone “just because.”
- Something to have on hand for those last-minute situations – a treat to bring to a holiday gathering, birthday party, work potluck, etc.
- You just never know when you’ll have a mad craving for a cookie!
If you plan to add a stash of these scrumptious Monster Cookies to your freezer, I recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe.
It’s time to whip up a batch of The Best Monster Cookies! Who’s with me?
Other recipes made with rolled oats!
- Monster Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
- Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
- Berry Crumble Bars
The Best Monster Cookies
A soft and chewy peanut butter-oatmeal cookie that’s studded with chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolate pieces. These Monster Cookies are gluten-free and made all in one bowl! They’re truly the best.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed (may substitute coconut sugar)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¾ cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter* (or nut or seed butter of choice)
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter (may substitute coconut oil for dairy-free)
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ⅓–½ cup candy-coated chocolate pieces
- ⅓–½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the candy-coated pieces and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
- Once combined, fold in candy-coated chocolate pieces and chocolate chips.
- With a small cookie scoop, spoon a heaping amount of dough and place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat until dough is gone. You will end up with about 18 cookies.
- Oil hands and press dough down to flatten slightly (about 3/4-inch thick).
- Bake in the oven for 11-13 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Leave on baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to one week. May also freezer for later.
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Notes
For a nut-free option: Substitute sunflower seed butter for peanut butter
For a peanut-free option: Substitute cashew or almond butter for peanut butter
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Fat: 10 g
- Sodium: 145 mg
- Carbohydrate: 20 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 11 g)
- Protein: 5 g
Dietary
Pin now to make later!
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
This is one of our FAVORITE cookie recipes! My toddlers and I love to make it together. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and we always have everything on hand for it! You need to make these ASAP!
★★★★★
Thank you for that wonderful feedback, Tveen. We love that you get your toddlers involved in the kitchen!
Fantastic blending of all my favorites! Love the cookie without flour- oatmeal makes me think it’s healthier. Love the peanut butter- I added peanut butter chips too YUMMY
★★★★★
So so easy to make! Anything I can make with one bowl is a winner and I love how soft they turned out. I added some chia seeds (maybe about 2tbls worth or so?) just since I had some on hand and it didn’t affect the recipe quality at all and it felt good to sneak in some extra nutrition.
I made these for a friend and she’s already asked for the recipe!
★★★★★
Awwww! We love hearing this, Haley. Thanks for sharing!!
These are so easy to make and delicious! A good recipe to let kiddos help with too. We used unreal candies for my dairy free son.
★★★★★
The candy pieces contain soy. Do you have any other recommendations that are healthier?
Thank you
A quick internet search reveals that Choco No No’s from No Whey foods are top 8 allergen-free so they would not contain soy lecthin as most other candy-coated pieces do.