Monster Cookies

Soft and chewy flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies are studded with chocolate chips and M&M's for a sweet and salty combination that's perfect alongside a cold glass of milk!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword best monster cookies recipe, monster cookies, soft monster cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Chilling Time 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings cookies

Calories 136kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

½ cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter (such as Jif or Skippy brand)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
1 cup M&M’s candies, plus extra for topping

Instructions

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or an electric stand mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the peanut butter; mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the corn syrup and the vanilla extract; mix to combine.
Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt; mix to combine.
Mix in the oats until completely combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s.
Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to drop the dough onto parchment-lined or silicone-lined baking sheets. Once the dough is chilled, these cookies will not spread too much in the oven. If you prefer a thinner cookie, use a fork to gently press down on the dough balls to flatten them slightly.
Gently press additional M&Ms and chocolate chips into the tops of the cookie dough, if desired.
Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 10 minutes. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool, so be sure that you don’t overbake them or they’ll be tough and crunchy.
Use a spatula to transfer the cookies directly to wire rack. Let cool for at least 5 minutes, then enjoy!

Notes

Line the Baking Sheets. Spraying the baking sheets with cooking spray or greasing with butter or lard creates a slippery surface that causes cookies to spread. Instead, line the baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat (silpat) for “grip,” so that the cookies stay thick and chewy.
Why did my monster cookies go flat? Allow plenty of time for your cookie dough to chill in the fridge (at least 2 hours). If the dough is too warm, it's harder to scoop, and the cookies will spread more in the oven.
When the dough is properly chilled, these cookies do not spread very much. Use a fork to gently press down on the dough balls before baking if you prefer thinner cookies.
Use a processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than all-natural peanut butter. The processed nut butters do not separate, which yields a better quality cookie.
For soft and chewy monster cookies, pull the cookies out of the oven when they still look slightly under-baked in the center. They will firm up as they cool, but will remain nice and chewy on the inside.
The cook time is just an estimate, and will vary depending on your specific oven. Keep a close eye on the cookies and pull them out when they are set and lightly golden brown on the edges. Don’t overbake, or you’ll end up with crunchy cookies!

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