Monster Cookies
Truly the best monster cookie recipe! These peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies are so delicious. They're gluten free, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 19, 2024
“What are monster cookies, though?” I asked recently, with vague recollections of cookies with M&M’s in them.
“Peanut butter, chocolate, and oat cookies.”
“Well, I’m sold.”
This monster cookie recipe took me about eight tries (nine?) to get right, but they are just right.
I almost gave up on them, to tell you the truth. My fella took a batch to work and overheard his coworker say, “This is the best cookie I’ve ever had,” so I knew I was close.
Here they are, in time for a fun weekend baking project or holiday treat. Let’s make some cookies!
These monster cookies are made with more wholesome ingredients than most. They have a classic bakery look and taste, and the sugar content that goes along with that. (If you’re looking for lightened-up, lower-sugar cookies, check these out, or just make half-sized cookies.)
These cookies are essentially made with peanut butter, eggs, coconut sugar or brown sugar, melted coconut oil or butter, and chocolate. They’re flourless and gluten free, as long as your oats are certified gluten free. I like to think that the nut butter and oats make them a little more redeeming.
How to Make Monster Cookies
These cookies are seriously easy to make with basic ingredients. You don’t even need to remember to soften your butter! Here’s the rundown:
- Combine your peanut butter, sugar and melted oil or butter in a large mixing bowl, and mix well. You could do this in a stand mixer, but I hate lugging mine out. I use my beloved hand mixer (affiliate link). You can also mix these cookies with a big spoon by hand, which will take some muscle but it’s totally doable.
- Add eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix again. This is so easy, you might as well turn on some music and dance around while you’re working on these.
- Add your oats and chocolate. Mix again. La lalalala.
- Scoop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. These are big cookies that expand while baking, so I can fit six per half-sheet pan.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they’re just starting to turn golden on the edges, then let them cool while you put the next batch in the oven. Repeat one more time and you’re done. (If you’re in a hurry, I think you could bake two sets of six cookies at the same time, with racks in the upper and bottom thirds of the oven.)
Monster Cookie Ingredient Considerations
Quick-cooking oats vs. old-fashioned oats
Quick oats disappear more into the cookies, whereas old-fashioned oats offer a more hearty and discernible texture. Did you know that quick-cooking and old-fashioned oats have nearly identical nutrition properties? Quick-cooking oats are just cut up a little more.
Coconut oil (and other oils) vs. butter
I love using unrefined (virgin) coconut oil in this recipe because it lends a very subtle layer of complexity. I can’t really pick out the coconut flavor, but the cookies taste a little more interesting. You could use a mild extra-virgin olive oil (like California Olive Ranch Everyday) or neutral oil, such as sunflower seed oil, but those tend to be more refined.
Butter works great, too, if you’re going for a super classic monster cookie.
Coconut sugar vs. brown sugar
I like to use coconut sugar since it’s a less refined, more natural sweetener made from evaporated coconut nectar. It doesn’t taste like coconut; it’s similar to brown sugar in flavor. It has been gaining popularity over the past few years. I buy it at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
Brown sugar works, too, and costs less. You might be wondering why the recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups coconut sugar or 2 cups brown sugar—they actually are about the same by weight. Coconut sugar just weighs less per cup.
Chocolate chips vs. chocolate-coated candies
Most monster cookies are made with an equal mix of chocolate chips and chocolate-coated candies (think M&M’s). The candies are fun because you can buy colors that match the seasons or holidays (red and pink for Valentine’s Day, pastels for Easter, red and green for Christmas, multi-colored for Halloween, etc.). I bought my naturally colored candies at Whole Foods, near the bulk bins.
However, I also love these cookies with all chocolate chips. I buy bittersweet chocolate chips, so they satisfy my craving for dark chocolate that way.
Watch How to Make Monster Cookies
Change It Up
Mix up your mix-ins.
Like I said, I love these cookies with all chocolate chips (no candy-coated chocolate). You could even substitute some chopped nuts, raisins or other dried fruit for some or all of the chocolate.
Substitute other nut butters.
I can’t get enough of the peanut butter version, but you could substitute almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
Make smaller cookies.
This recipe yields 18 large cookies, which use 1/4 cup dough each. You could easily make 36 smaller cookies by using scoops of 2 tablespoons each. You cookies will bake up faster, somewhere between 6 to 9 minutes. They’re done when they’re just starting to turn golden around the edges.
Craving more peanut butter and chocolate cookies and desserts?
- Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Peppermint Cups
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
- Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Please let me know how your cookies turn out in the comments! They’re a real treat and I hope they become your new favorite cookie recipe.
Monster Cookies
Truly the best monster cookie recipe! These peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies are perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Recipe yields 18 cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups creamy or chunky peanut butter (that’s one full 16-ounce jar minus ¼ cup)
- 2 ½ cups packed coconut sugar or 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups quick-cooking oats or old-fashioned oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup candy-coated chocolates (like M&M’s) or additional chocolate chips
- Optional: flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line tw0 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats for easy clean-up.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugar and coconut oil. Use an electric mixer or a large spoon to mix until well combined. Add the eggs, baking soda and vanilla, and mix well. Add the oats and chocolate chips and mix until they’re evenly incorporated.
- Working with an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup, drop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. These cookies spread while baking, so leave several inches around each (I can bake six at a time). If they are irregularly shaped at the base, gently shape them into a more rounded mound. If you’d like your cookies to look extra pretty, dot a few extra M&M’s and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until they’re just starting to turn golden around the edges. Do not overbake. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. In the meantime, bake your next six cookies, and so on.
- If desired, sprinkle the cookies lightly with flaky sea salt. Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Cookies will keep well for several days at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I adore your recipes and have successfully made many of them. Wish that you would use grams as well as cups for those followers of you that live overseas x
YES! I second this.
I third it!! I love your recipes but as a Brit, I am flummoxed by cups and Fahrenheit. I do have a chart, but in a hurry, I do like my good-ole metric! x
make that 4! measurements in grams or ounces would be great, I have bought several “measuring cups” but they differ so much in size, it’s hard to know!
Me also! Please! Hate having to convert cups & ounces into grams! Love your blog.
Thanks for the feedback! I know this is something that has been requested, but as you know can be difficult to get the exact measurements just right. For now, I recommend using an online converter that you can trust. Thanks again for the input!
Thanks for replying Kate x
These look great. I hope you can add weight measures some day, it is far more accurate (and easier) to bake using weight.
Even though I haven’t tried this recipe yet I am giving it five stars.
Does the type of peanut butter matter? I’ve seen recipes that say not to use the natural kinds that separate?
I’ve found I’m usually okay using the natural kind as long as I stir it well before use.
As long as it is creamy, you should be fine! I used natural for this one. Just make sure it is mixed well before using.
Please list the recipe ingredients in grams if possible.
Hi Jill! I’m sorry, but that is not something I am providing at the moment. I appreciate the understanding!
Hi Katie. You mention sunflower seed butter (SFSB) would be a good substitute for the peanut butter (PB) — something I appreciate since I have a peanut allergy.
However, once I replaced PB with SFSB in a peanut butter cookie recipe and my cookies had a green tinge to them and were quite green when split in half!!!!!
I vaguely remember reading online that the leaving agents react with a key component of the SFSB and that’s why the cookies turn green. (A google search just now led me to some great info about this “phenomenon” in the FAQ section of the SunButter website)
Were you able to test this new recipe with SFSB to make sure the cookies don’t turn out green?
Hi Beth! I didn’t test with these, but did for a cookie recipe in my cookbook and didn’t have any issues when them turning green. I say if they still taste good, even if they turn green, I say go for it. :)
I’ve made many “Paleo” cookies that use SFSB and they all turn green – and the author always warns that it will usually happen, so it’s definitely a common occurrence. They still taste good, though!
I love these at my co-op and cannot wait to try your recipe. I want to comment that the broccoli salad from last week was the best ever! I thoroughly dislike broccoli salad with bacon, and I don’t particularly like tough, raw broccoli, so even trying your recipe was a stretch for me. I am so glad I did try it. Delicious, healthy, kept well, and I’ll probably make it often. Thanks for a great website.
I’m so glad you tried it too, Karen! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your recipes, Kate! I’m excited to try your version of monster cookies :-D I’m wondering if you used natural or conventional peanut butter.
You’re welcome, Patricia! I used natural.
So I tweaked this recipe a little. Instead of chocolate chips I added 1/2 cup raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts. They were amazing!!!
Great to heat that worked for you! Thanks for the review, Debbie.
I made this recipe using coconut oil and coconut sugar and mixed quick cooking oats and gluten-free large flake oats. It turned out quite sticky. The taste is very good (family loved them) but it was hard to get the cookies off (I have silicon sheets) and even after 10 minutes cooling was a little hard to get off. So, some of the monster cookies didn’t survive. I made the last two sheets of smaller cookies and they were still sticky. Maybe I needed to add in more oats… but very tasty and hard to believe it’s just the wet ingredients and oats! thanks for another great recipe to try!
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out perfect for you! It could be that the addition of the other oats soaked up too much of the oil as to why they stuck. Thanks for sharing, Angela!
Folks need to know that substituting sunflower seed butter won’t work and will actually turn the cookies green because the chlorophyll in the seeds reacts with the baking soda and/or baking powder.
Thank you for sharing! I didn’t have this issue when I tried it for a recipe in my cookbook. If the cookie turns green but still tastes good, I say go for it!
I wouldn’t recommend omitting the eggs entirely as 3 eggs is a lot of moisture. However I have great luck making cookie recipes vegan by subbing the eggs for non dairy milk. So I recommend anyone who wants to make this vegan try using 1/2-3/4 cup non dairy milk instead of the eggs.
Thanks for sharing, Hayley!
Success! These look good and taste great – and the recipe makes a LOT of cookies! Mine came out a little chewy which I like very much. I knew I’d be making a lot of substitutions, because of what I had on hand. But you’d already suggested lots of change-ups in the recipe so I thought I’d be fine.
I used cashew butter this time, and I dumped in the tail end of a bag of ground hazelnuts (in place of about 1/2C oats). Instead of chocolate I used dried apricots and sliced almonds – a pantry clean out. It did occur to me that I might have too many nut flavors going on but, well, I like it. I added some salt to the dough, and sprinkled them with flaky salt before baking – so good. A keeper for sure!
PS…how’s Cookie?
Thank you for making these right away! Yes, it is a big batch. Cookie is good! Thank you for asking, Becki.
I saw this recipe in my inbox earlier this evening and got baking right away since I had all of the ingredients except eggs! I knew I had ground flax seed and found out I could substitute 1tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water per egg. I also added in about half a cup of chopped pecans, used all chocolate chips instead of half m&m’s, and used coconut oil. DELICIOUS!! 3 great cookies in one!! I did have to cook them 4-5 minutes longer, but we loved the way they turned out!! Thanks for a great, easy recipe!!
I love it, Alicia! Thanks for sharing.
These are delicious. They remind me of a breakfast cookie as I added walnuts in place of m&ms. Next time, I’m trying an egg substitute, adding ground flax seed and some hemp. I looked at the original recipe and saw the oatmeal content was 4.5 cups. I can’t imagine how anyone could fit that much in this recipe but I will increase the oats a bit next time. Thank you for posting this.
You’re welcome, Holley!
Subbing sunflower seed butter in this recipe sadly won’t work. Sunflower seed butter (when used in baked goods) sadly turns whatever is you’ve made green.
Hi Jan! I didn’t have any issues when I tested it with a recipe in my cookbook. I say as long as it tastes good, go for it! Even if it is green :)
How freeze-able is this dough recipe? I’m a fan of a freshly baked cookies — so recipes that I can freeze and bake cookies 2-3 at a time are aces. Do you have any cookie recipes that freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing it! I’m not sure how well that will work. If you try it, I would love to hear what you think! The cookies themselves would likely freeze good.
Hi Kate! I’ve refrigerated this dough before and the cookies cook beautifully, they just take a couple minutes extra. Alternatively you can leave the dough out a little while before putting them in the oven. Very little compromise! I definitely recommend forming the cookies before refrigerating though.
I made these cookies yesterday… they are delicious! My husband loves them too. Next time I might add a little more chocolate chips :) But this is a great recipe! My mom, sister, and I used to make monster cookies when I was a kid, so I was really excited when your recipe was emailed to me! We love your page!
Thanks, Jill! This is a favorite by a lot. I’m happy you agree!
I made these for the kids last night with chunky peanut butter. They are a big hit at our house! Thank you.
You’re welcome, Kenna!
I’ve never rated a recipe before but had to on this one. They’re so good! I made exactly as written. Im making them to mail to grandkids for Valentines Day. When my husband tasted them he said “now I can eat those” which translates to “now I WILL eat those!”. Thanks for sharing yet another great recipe.
That is so sweet, Jean! I bet they will really appreciate it.
As with all your recipes ….kids devoured. . I especially love the good-for-you ingredients, and easy one-bowl recipes! Keep ‘em coming.
Thank you, Karen! I’m glad you and your kids can enjoy the recipes.
These are very good. I substituted 1/2 peanut butter for an equal amount of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter…turned out well. I can imagine these being good with a variety of chips and candies. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, more chocolate! Thanks for sharing, Curtis.
These were ok. I enjoyed eating the batter, better then cooked. I disliked the texture of the oats. If I made them again I would use oat flour. They are very pretty though.
Hi Sara, I’m sorry you didn’t love these! I would be hesitant about using oat flour. It was a bit tricky with these to get the oil & sugar ratio right with the oat version. Let me know what you think if you try it!
It looks very yummy.
Thanks for sharing such a delicious meal with us.
You’re welcome!
Oh my goodness! These look addicting!! I have never heard of monster cookies before but I can’t wait to go home to try these! I swear I had a surge of childish joy when I saw the picture AND THEN when I saw that they can easily be made gluten-free. There was squealing involved.
Let me know what you think when you try them, Emily!
I grew up eating monster cookies and haven’t baked them myself in years. My mom’s recipe was so big it called for 18 cups of oats–it must have been written for large events, not a home cook! I’ll be trying this variation soon :)
That’s a lot of cookies! Let me know what you think, Rachel when you try this one.
These cookies are *literally* everything!
Thank you, Gaby!! :)
I love this recipe. These are my go to cookie recipe and I don’t feel bad letting my toddler eat them. She even helps me make them. Way to go! 10 stars from me and Nora.
Hooray! Thanks for the review, Alissa.
Kate you are a star, these are fantastic.. Also I live in England and all this nonsense about needing grams.. I just bought a set of little cups online.. Job done! Also I have used your cookbook to death, my husband calls it my cooking bible ahaha.. My two year old daughter loves all the recipes.. Thank you so much for your hard work with the blog, its actually quite inspiring.
Jazz xx
Jazz, thank you!! :) :) Problem solved. Thanks for commenting and for your review! I’m glad the book is a staple and your husband knows about it too!
These were the perfect treat for a snow day!! I had to use 1.5c regular oats and 1c oat flour. Fabulous chewy texture, not at all crumbly. Delish!
Thank you for your comment, Erin!
I’m going to make these tonight for Valentines Day and I can not wait to try them! LOVE all your recipes (those lasagna dishes!!!). Thank you so much xoxo
What did you think, Alicia?!
Woops!! How could I forget the star rating?!?! Would give more than 5 for these beauties!
Thank you for coming back to give a star rating, Erin!
Oh My!! I just made these and they are fabulous. My search is over. Thank you so much. I did do one thing I want to share. I have not had good luck adding baking soda to wet ingredients–tends to clump–so I mixed it beforehand in a little, tiny bit of hot water and then added it to the mix. Success. Can’t stop eating them.
Thank you Kate for all of your recipes. My daughter, who is away at college, and I often cook together over the phone. One random night recently we happened to be cooking the exact same tomato soup/roasted red pepper soup from your cookbook. Thank you for bringing us closer together.
You’re welcome!! I’m glad these were just what you were looking for, Barbi.
Oh my Goodness!! Just made these and they are amazing! I love this recipe. Thank you. Just in case I am not the only one who doesn’t know this–I mixed the baking soda with a tiny amount of hot water before adding–no clumps and perfection. our new favorite recipe.
Thanks for the review, Barbi!
I made these tonight!
Half/half peanut/almond butter
2 scant cups B. Sugar
Coconut oil
Quick oats
Batter looked funny but baked up beautifully. Glad I was careful w/ baking time as they browned up quick. Didn’t spread as much as I expected. Delicious!
Thanks for sharing, Erica!
Cookie and Kate,
Thanks so much for the Monster Cookie recipe. It was so timely. I baked and brought this to my Ladies’ Fellowship get-together at my church and got a rave review. Everyone liked it!(especially that it didn’t call for flour). My husband gave it 2 thumbs’ up, so that was really good! it will be my go-to easy to make cookies.
Thanks again,
Eloisa
You’re welcome, Eloisa!
My almost-four-year-old and I made these the night the recipe came through by email (after I ran out and got some Valentines-colored M&Ms!). It was such a super easy recipe I was able to let my daughter help without wanting to pull my hair out, and the results were delicious! I am not usually a fan of p.b. in cookies, but even I loved these! We didn’t have a ton of p.b., so I halved the recipe on the fly (1.5 eggs??) ;-) and it came out fine. Sending hubby to the store today for more p.b. so we can do a full recipe since the first batch seems to have mysteriously disappeared! ;-)
Thank you for sharing, Liz!
I made these vegan by subbing each egg w/ one tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. They turned out great! The flavors were delicious, however they flattened out quite a bit and were pretty gooey & delicate (yum, no complaints here). Just a note that for anyone else hoping to veganize these and get the same results as Kate, maybe try another method!
Thanks for sharing, Meaghan! I’m glad they worked so well vegan for you!
These were so good! Perfect chewy texture. I did everything as instructed but instead of the full 1.5 c of chocolate chips/candies I used 1/2 c bittersweet chocolate chips, 1/2 c raw sunflower seeds, and 1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes. Oh and I did need to flatten these out with a spatula before baking as the first batch did not fall and were a little misshapen. Handed out several to neighbors as we were all snowed in, everyone loved them!
Great snow day treat!! Thanks for the review, Melissa.
Made these last weekend-they are delicious! I think I must have done something wrong though. My cookies spread out once they started baking in the oven. The first batch all formed together, so I made them smaller the next go. The second batch came out thin and crispy-super yummy. Wondering how I can make them thicker and more like your photo next time. I live at high altitude and used butter as opposed to coconut oil.
Dear Kate,
I made these cookies with my 16 years old son and his friend for a social lesson tomorrow. The cookies came out fantastic ,so tasty and beautiful.
Thank you so much for your wonderfull site.
I used coconut oil.
You’re welcome! I’m glad they were enjoyed by all, Hilla.
I made them last night for Valentines Day and they were perfect and looked professional! I followed your recipe exactly with the brown sugar and coconut oil. I think I might add a small amount of salt to the batter next time because they seemed to me to need that to give that salty balance to the flavors. I would prefer that to sprinkling salt on top.
But they are delicious as is and especially pretty with your tip of adding extra m and m’s to the top before baking. Thanks for this awesome and versatile recipe! I will be making them with raisins and walnuts in the future.
I’m really glad you liked them, Marci!
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made it and mine turned out really flat. Is there supposed to be a flour I missed?
Thanks!
Hi Brittany! I’m sorry these weren’t perfect for you. There is no flour for these. What variation did you try? They aren’t fluffy cookies, but they should have some volume to them.
Hi Kate! Thanks for responding! I did brown sugar, coconut oil and old fashioned oats. I almost feel like I added too much sugar?
I made these cookies for my husband for Valentine’s Day and they are amazing!!! I love this recipe. I made the cookies using coconut oil, coconut sugar, unsalted natural creamy peanut butter and gluten free old fashioned oats.
Great day to have these cookies! Thanks for sharing, Kathy. If you would like to leave a star review, I would really appreciate it!
The cookies are delicious! Any suggestions on how to store them to keep them crisp?
Thank you, I am loving your recipes!
I’m glad you loved them! I would store them in an air tight container.
So so so so so good. These are the cookies of my DREAMS. Perfect texture, perfect flavour…… *sigh*. I added walnuts and dried cranberries and dessicated coconut because I’m a bit of a heathen according to my friend Gemma. I also added a pinch or two of salt to the mix just to bring out the flavours. Thank you for putting my favorite flavours together in the PERFECT cookie.
Thanks for sharing, Lorelei! I appreciate the review.
I love how these cookies are a liiiiiiiitle bit healthier than most recipes due to the oats and coconut sugar. Regardless, taste nor appearance are sacrificed. I need to find some vegan M&M like candies and use my standard vegan sugar cookie recipe to make some monster cookies of my own!
Thanks, Cassie!
So easy to make and we loved them!
Wonderful, Samia!
These were amazing!
The dough consistency was a bit different but got to say they baked up perfectly. Our clan thought they were even better on day 2.
I used extra chocolate chips as candy coated chocolates were not available, brown sugar, butter, and organic peanut butter.
I’m glad they turned out perfect for you!
My husband has proclaimed this his new favorite cookie!!! Thank you so much!!
Hooray! They’re so good, so I can see why. Thanks, Audrey!
My husband’s daughter made these to share for dessert over the weekend. They are fantastic! My new favorite cookie.
I have now purchased my 8th copy of your cookbook on Monday. I continue to share (give) my working copy away. By the way my husband’s daughter was my latest recipient.
Thank you on all accounts! I really appreciate the compliment and support, Amy!
These are SO good. I only added mini choc chips and a little less brown sugar than in the recipe. I have received so many compliments on them! Definitely making these again.
Thanks for sharing, Elyse!