“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 Valentine’s 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 makes 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.
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.
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.
Looking for more chocolate cookies and desserts?
- Amazing (Vegan) Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Peppermint Cups
- Easy Salted Oat Fudge
Monster Cookies
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
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.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Gail
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
Morgan
YES! I second this.
Muir
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
★★★★★
patricia
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!
★★★★
Jena
Me also! Please! Hate having to convert cups & ounces into grams! Love your blog.
Kate
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!
Gail
Thanks for replying Kate x
Clare
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.
★★★★★
Melanie B
Does the type of peanut butter matter? I’ve seen recipes that say not to use the natural kinds that separate?
Hayley
I’ve found I’m usually okay using the natural kind as long as I stir it well before use.
Kate
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.
Jill
Please list the recipe ingredients in grams if possible.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Jill! I’m sorry, but that is not something I am providing at the moment. I appreciate the understanding!
Beth
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?
Kate
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. :)
Karra
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!
Karen Storm
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.
Kate
I’m so glad you tried it too, Karen! Thanks for sharing.
Patricia
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.
Kate
You’re welcome, Patricia! I used natural.
Debbie
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!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to heat that worked for you! Thanks for the review, Debbie.
AngelaJ
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!
★★★★
Kate
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!
JJ
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.
Kate
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!
Hayley
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.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Hayley!
Becki
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?
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for making these right away! Yes, it is a big batch. Cookie is good! Thank you for asking, Becki.
Alicia
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!!
★★★★★
Kate
I love it, Alicia! Thanks for sharing.
Holly
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.
★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Holley!
Jan
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.
Kate
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 :)
Rachel
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?
Kate
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.
Georgia
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.
★★★★★
Jill
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!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jill! This is a favorite by a lot. I’m happy you agree!
Kenna
I made these for the kids last night with chunky peanut butter. They are a big hit at our house! Thank you.
Kate
You’re welcome, Kenna!
Jean
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.
★★★★★
Kate
That is so sweet, Jean! I bet they will really appreciate it.
Karen
As with all your recipes ….kids devoured. . I especially love the good-for-you ingredients, and easy one-bowl recipes! Keep ‘em coming.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Karen! I’m glad you and your kids can enjoy the recipes.
Curtis
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!
★★★★★
Kate
Oh, more chocolate! Thanks for sharing, Curtis.
Sara
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.
★★★
Kate
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!
Fiona Manoon
It looks very yummy.
Thanks for sharing such a delicious meal with us.
Kate
You’re welcome!
Emily
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.
Kate
Let me know what you think when you try them, Emily!
Rachel
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 :)
Kate
That’s a lot of cookies! Let me know what you think, Rachel when you try this one.
Gaby Dalkin
These cookies are *literally* everything!
Kate
Thank you, Gaby!! :)
Alissa
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.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thanks for the review, Alissa.
Jazmine Palminteri
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
★★★★★
Kate
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!
Erin
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!
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Erin!
Alicia
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
★★★★★
Kate
What did you think, Alicia?!
Erin
Woops!! How could I forget the star rating?!?! Would give more than 5 for these beauties!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for coming back to give a star rating, Erin!
Barbi
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.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!! I’m glad these were just what you were looking for, Barbi.
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.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for the review, Barbi!
Erica B
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!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Erica!
Eloisa McCourt
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
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Eloisa!
Liz
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! ;-)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Liz!
Meaghan
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!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Meaghan! I’m glad they worked so well vegan for you!
Melissa
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!
★★★★★
Kate
Great snow day treat!! Thanks for the review, Melissa.
Shelby
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.
★★★★★
Hilla
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.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad they were enjoyed by all, Hilla.
Marci
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.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m really glad you liked them, Marci!
Brittany
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!
Kate
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.
Brittany
Hi Kate! Thanks for responding! I did brown sugar, coconut oil and old fashioned oats. I almost feel like I added too much sugar?
Kathy
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.
Kate
Great day to have these cookies! Thanks for sharing, Kathy. If you would like to leave a star review, I would really appreciate it!
Roz
The cookies are delicious! Any suggestions on how to store them to keep them crisp?
Thank you, I am loving your recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them! I would store them in an air tight container.
Lorelei
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.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Lorelei! I appreciate the review.
Cassie Autumn Tran
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!
Kate
Thanks, Cassie!
Samia
So easy to make and we loved them!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Samia!
Kerry
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.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they turned out perfect for you!
Audrey Burris
My husband has proclaimed this his new favorite cookie!!! Thank you so much!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! They’re so good, so I can see why. Thanks, Audrey!
Amy Ammon
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.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you on all accounts! I really appreciate the compliment and support, Amy!
Elyse Potthast
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.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Elyse!
Jaimi
I can’t stop eating these! Seriously delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
I love it! Thanks for the feedback, Jaimi.
Ann
These were a hit with a very diverse group of folks! They were really easy to make and made a TON of cookies. I ended up refrigerating the dough for a day to finish baking the cookies later and those turned out just like the first batches.
★★★★★
Kate
I love it, Ann! Thanks for letting me know the dough works well once refrigerated.
karen
I’m currently making these and I decided to half the recipe. Mine looks NOTHING like yours. In fact, they are so crumbly they barely stick together unless I form them into a ball with my hands. What could I have done wrong?
Kate
It could be the ratio as you don’t have enough to get mixed in well, if you followed everything else exactly.
Lea
Best cookies I have ever made! So yummy and chewy! I froze half of the batter. I took it out of the freezer today and baked what was left. There are three left, and I have already been asked to bake another batch. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Lea!
Pia
YES PLEASE!
Give me all the cookies :P These look so so perfect and am I correct to say that these are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside? Because if that’s the case, that makes them even more desirable – I love me some good crunch. Keep the recipes coming Kate. You’re such an inspiration <3
Kate
Thanks, Pia!
Annabel
Hi – I am a huge fan of your blog, and we eat one of your recipes almost every day. However, is there anything missing from the list of ingredients for these monster cookies? I made them on the weekend and the mixture was so runny, there was no way to roll into balls for cooking. I ended up adding around 2 cups of wholemeal flour to get them the right consistency to roll, and they still ended up very soft.
Despite this, the flavor is great and my kids loved all the choc chips!
Thanks for the fab blog and recipes (I also have your cookbook).
Annabel (Australia)
Kate
I’m sorry these didn’t work for you! Hmm.. There isn’t anything missing from the list. Did you use coconut oil or butter?
Tara
Such a delicious and versatile cookie recipe! I added shredded coconut along with the chocolate chips and M&M’s. Everyone loved them and I’m so glad they’re gluten free. Your recipes are amazing Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Tara!
Susan
These cookies are A-mazing !!! I actually used half candy coated chocolate and half white chocolate chips. Turned out great! Am going to add some nuts next time… yummy. FYI… the longer they cool the better.
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds like a great combination, Susan! Thanks for the review.
Jess T
Made these last night and they came out well. Followed the recipe exactly. My kids love the m & m’s and I love the rolled oats. Only thing is I found these cookies to be a bit too sweet for me. So perhaps consider reducing the sugar – maybe 1.5 cups of brown instead of 2 cups – and consider adding a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt to the recipe. Other than that, they are very good. The vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe continues to be my favorite, though. Thanks for all the great recipes!
★★★★
Kate
Thanks for trying this recipe, Jess! The vegan cookies are hard to beat, that’s for sure!
Anita Duncan
Kate these are fabulous monster cookies! Better than the bakery even! Made a couple additions…raisins, walnuts and to the last batch added a half grated carrot….they are great…won’t last long in my house….love all your recipes and look forward to your emails. Thank you thank you!! ❤️Anita
★★★★★
Kate
Better than bakery? Thank you! I appreciate the feedback and review, Anita.
Mary England
Hello
I will start by saying that I love all your recipes and I thinks it’s fantastic that you add possible substitutions!
I want to make your cookies for my grandchildren and I was wondering if I could substitute date puree for some or all of the sugar?
Thanks
Kate
I haven’t tried that, sorry! Baking can be tricky.
Mary
I will try substituting half with date puree. We’ll see what happens. Thanks!
Mary
Joni
These cookies are AMAZING! I used coconut oil in place of butter, brown sugar, and a vegan egg substitute rather than eggs. I forgot to buy M&Ms so just doubled the amount of chocolate chips. Delicious and addicting! They are super peanut butter-y, which I love. A word of advice – leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least the full 10 minutes (per Kate’s instructions) before moving to a cooling rack. I got impatient and tried to move them after about 2 minutes, and they broke apart.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Joni! I know it’s hard, but yes wait until they are cooled.
Leah Brown
First time, I ommitted the eggs and my cookies didn’t stay together. I realized that I needed something to bind them. Second time, I added flax eggs. I also noticed that my cookies didn’t spread out in the oven. So I just had to smashed them down before I put them in. Whether they were crumbling or not spreading in the oven, does not matter. Hands down, these cookies taste incredible! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Leah!
Georgia
My flatmates are my prime cookie taste testers and they LOVED these. They’re a big fan of your vegan chocolate chip cookies but these went down even better. We concluded this is absolutely the best of everything. I found this recipe super foolproof too, it went exactly as anticipated. I only had very dark brown sugar so mine came out quite dark, I look forward to trying them with golden sugar next time.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you found it foolproof, Georgia! Thank you for your review.
Lauren
Made these tonight with my 3 year old assistant. A big hit with her dad, too, even though he is skeptical of cookies with oatmeal (he had 3!). Very delicious and easy to make. I used old fashioned oats, brown sugar, and Easter M&Ms. :) Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I bet your assistant was a great helper! Thank you for sharing, Lauren.
Diane S
These are awesome! I used natural peanut butter (stirred well) and they turned out beautifully. Nice and chewy, great texture.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad you liked them, Diane!
Rachel
Okay, this is the absolute best cookie recipe I have EVER had!!! I made it vegan using flax eggs, but the dough turned out really crumbly and I just ended up pressing it down on the baking sheet and making bars. Maybe the peanut butter I used made it dry (I was at the end of a jar of natural peanut butter, and the bottom always has less oil)? We ended up just eating it in a bowl with a spoon and it was amazing! Regardless of the texture, this recipe was a hit and my family ate it in one evening. I’ll try it again once we get more peanut butter, and see if the texture will work better for me.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing it worked well vegan, Rachel!
Abigail
This is seriously the best cookie recipe I have ever found!! I am so thankful I stumbled across Cookie & Kate…
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so happy you stumbled too, Abigail! Thank you for your review!
Abigail
Do you think I could make a oatmeal raisin cookie out of this recipe? Like not put peanut butter in and up the oats, and instead of m & m’s /chocolate chips I could try raisins? What do you think?
★★★★★
Winnie Anderson
Made these just the other day. SO good! I used Truvia instead of the coconut sugar and used peanut butter chips instead of the M&Ms. YUM.
I’m sending some to a few special clients too.
Georgia
I made this recipe again and the cookies actually blew my mind! My best friend who sampled them with me was genuinely speechless.
This time I used half dark brown sugar and half light brown sugar with about some white sugar mixed in. Last time I only had dark brown sugar in my cupboard. I also used 1 tsp baking power and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, where last time I used 2 tsp baking powder. The cookies were light fluffy, spread evenly and beautifully, they were soft in the middle (we were too impatient to let them cool) but golden on the outside.
I’m utterly in love with this recipe, and I can’t wait for my family to try the cookies when I go home this weekend!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it! Thanks for sharing the changes you made, Georgia!
Morgan
I made these cookies yesterday and they turned out totally flat, I have no idea why… (I didn’t forget baking soda, I swear!) Any idea why this happened? I put the dough in fridge and am going to try again tonight.
★★
Kate
Hi Morgan! These don’t get as fluffy like other cookies. But, you may want to make sure you aren’t making them too, big. How did the second batch turnout?
Becki
Hi Kate,
I made these cookies again, this time with sunbutter. I reduced the baking soda by half (so, I used just one teaspoon), after reading the advice on sunbutter’s website to reduce baking soda by a third.
I can say they are definitely NOT green and they are delicious! I like these cookies best with dried fruit (I used dried apricots this time) – they seem to be less sweet and a little more chewy. And of all the ‘nut butters’ I like the taste of cashew butter the most, but for a family with allergies, sunbutter is a very good alternative.
★★★★★
Amber
I have made these cookies several times and they have always turned out perfect! This time I used a different natural peanut butter and the cookie dough was very wet and the cookies are flat and huge! I would not recommend using a natural peanut butter that needs stirring!!
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they worked so well for you! Unfortunately, natural peanut butter isn’t all the same with its oil content and stirring needs. Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m sorry that round didn’t turn out.
Missy
Love the recipe. Tried to do it egg free and it definitely needs something to bind it. Was going to try flax seed and water next time. Will keep you posted.
★★★★
Kate
Please do! Let me know what you think.
Monica Jaurrieta
I tried this recipe and it’s fantastic. Even my husband loves them. And he is not a sugar fan.
I am ready for the maple syrup recipe.
Will let you all know.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment and review, Monica!
Shantelle
Made these tonight, sticking with the original ingredients, and I must say they are DELICIOUS! You definitely need to be patient and let them cool on the cookie sheet for a while or they will stick/fall apart but other than that they are a perfect recipe for kids and adults alike! Can’t wait to make them again with different mix-ins! Thanks for the great addition to my cookbook!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Shantelle!
KERRY
WHY IS IT THAT CHOCOLATE CHIPS NEVER STICK TO THE BATTER WHEN USING PEANUT BUTTER AND COCONUT SUGAR?
Kate
Hi Kerry, I find it’s a matter of folding the ingredients together. You may have a few stragglers at the end but I just press them down into some cookies prior to baking.
Allison
This has become my go-to cookie recipe. The first time I made it I used rolled oats and they turned out ok, but I tried them again with with quick oats, which I think incorporate much better into the cookie. They really soak up the liquid so the cookies come out perfectly puffed up, and chewy on the inside. I’ve made them several times since and they’re consistently amazing!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Allison! I do love these too.
Laurie A Garner
I came across this recipe when looking for a healthier version of monster cookies. I love your focus on healthy ingredients! However, we have no need to be gluten free, and I didn’t realize that it was such a focus for these until I was halfway through making them. It was very hard to form cookies: the “dough” didn’t hold together at all, even when my daughter and I squeezed the cookies into shape on the cookie sheet. Upon tasting, I found them exceptionally sweet and hard to eat because they easily fell into pieces. The crispy edge was great and I loved the flavor from the coconut oil and sugar. I think if I remade them, I’d use less sugar and add at least 1 1/2 cups of flour.
★★★
Kate
That’s strange! What oats did you use and chocolate add-in? I’m sorry you didn’t love these.
Laurie A Garner
Thanks for the reply! I used old fashioned oats. We love chewy oatmeal cookies, but the oats didn’t really cook, so the cookies hurt your jaw if you eat two in a row. I used 3/4 cup of Ghirardelli semi sweet chips and 3/4 cup of Sweet Nothings M &Ms.
Mackenzie
I made these for a large family event this weekend and they were a HUGE hit! Thank you!! My family dubbed them ‘healthy’ thanks to the oats :)
★★★★★
Kate
You’re very welcome, Mackenzie!
Dalia
OMG the cookies were a hit at home!! Will be making them again for sure, but going to make them smaller .
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Dalia!
Kathy Postlewaite
These cookies are the BOMB! I have been making different monster cookies for years and tried yours, as I was needing to make them GF and DF. I used brown sugar, coconut oil and DF chocolate chips and upUnreal “M&M’s”. So good! I was taking a pan out of the oven and the parchment paper went flying and parts of cookies fell on the floor. They still taste great off the floor too!♀️. These cookies are so gooey! Try them, you won’t be disappointed.
Kate
Well, thank you Kathy! I’m so happy you loved them. Thanks for sharing.
Carol
Just made these for a Fall Festival at our church. They look amazing and I’m sure the kids will love them. I used real butter and brown sugar and Reece’s Pieces instead of M&Ms. They are huge! I hope moms don’t let the kids eat a whole one! :-) (I’m a grandma so I can!)
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear that! I like your variation, Carol.
Jill
Hi, I just ran out of my brown coconut sugar and still need 1/2 cup of sweeter. The only thing I have in the house is maple syrup, honey and Swerve (erythritol). Any suggestions please?
★★★★★
Kate
I don’t think that will work, sorry! Your cookies won’t turnout the same.
Angela
To be honest, I didn’t like how these cookies came out. I was a bit disappointed. I could have gotten the measurements off but the texture of the cookies was very coarse but chewy somehow. I was expecting a soft cookie. Also, mine expanded a lot, not just a bit so they were enormous.
★★★
Kate
Hi Angela, I’m sorry you were disappointed by these cookies. What type of oats did you use and sugar? They are big cookies, but shouldn’t be completely flat.
Erika
Do you know if these freeze well?
Kate
Hi Erika! I believe readers have liked these frozen. Just be sure to let them cool completely!
Heather
Thank you for this awesome recipe! I’m gluten-free, and I was so happy to be able to bake something without weird rice flours and xantham gum. These cookies are delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved them, Heather!
Lisa Loney
Hi Kate! I made the dairy free, coconut sugar, and all chocolate chips version for some friends coming into town and this recipe is super delicious! I knew whenI tasted the batter and it reminded me of reese’s pieces candy that I had something extraordinary on my hands, and the aroma while baking draws everyone to the kitchen.
I can’t wait to try these again soon with the hard shell candies for color. The pictures look great. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them! Thank you for sharing, Lisa.
Susan
Good morning! Thank you for the wonderful recipes that you provide your followers! This recipe “hits the spot” with my daughter, as she has been diagnosed with a tick borne illness called Alpha GAL. Ingesting meat, dairy or any substance that contains by products of these foods can potentially cause her to have an anaphylactic reaction. After trying many dairy free chips, we found that Nestle’s dairy free dark chocolate chips are the very best for this perfect cookie. Again, I thank you and my daughter thanks you!!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Susan! Thanks so much for your review.
Lauren T
These were delicious! I followed the recipe and made half-size cookies – they were plenty big enough so be aware the cookies will be massive if you make 18 as the recipe suggests. I did overbake mine slightly (user error) – trust Kate’s recommendation of 6-9 minutes for half-sized cookies. Next time i would use all m&ms as they look nicer than the chocolate chips. I could not mix all the chips into the batter but dotted the extra chocolates onto the balls once formed.
★★★★★
Elizabeth
Hi there, I’m excited to make these cookies! I’m a little confused about the peanut butter amount though. Your recipe says: 1 ½ cups creamy or chunky peanut butter (that’s one full 16-ounce jar minus ¼ cup), but wouldn’t 1 ½ cups be a full 16 oz jar minus ½ cup? Since 1 ½ cups is 12 oz, not 14?
Kate
Hey Elizabeth, good question! So, you’re going by the weight of water (8 ounces per cup) and peanut butter is heavier. The amounts provided here are correct.
Elizabeth
Gotcha! Thanks for the explanation! My family and I loved these! Making another batch to help us through these weeks home!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Elizabeth!
Lindsay
The end result of my efforts in following this recipe were delicious. However, my emphasis for this is the effort side of things.
I had to use 3 cups of quick oats; only had good ol’ Kraft Smooth PB, and subbed flax eggs. The mixture ended up being quite like greasy taffy, really had to work at getting everything mixed by hand, my stand mixer couldn’t handle all the sticky. I also could not get all the mini chocolate chips and mini m&m’s to incorporate completely, no matter how hard I tried. I had about 1/4 cup of greasy chips and candies at the bottom of my bowl, and the last 2.5 sheets of cookies have A LOT of choc chips/m&ms piled on.
If I were to make this again, given would likely be using mini choc chips and mini m&m’s, I’d half the measure of each, and that would likely cut down on that issue I had. These cookies are enormous, which helps keep you at just one I guess, and my kids only eating like a 1/4 of a cookie. I might revisit this recipe one more time, as they are delicious, but unlikely that it’ll be on heavy rotation.
★★★★
Lisa
How would you adjust using monk fruit erythritol brown sugar? Any thoughts about that as a sweetner?, never tried.
Kate
I haven’t, sorrY!
Izabela
Thank you for the recipe, Kate! As most have said, these are probably the most delicious Cookies we’ve ever eaten! <3
★★★★★
Al Lincoln
Awesome recipe, our toddler loved them so much(less sugar next time!) and helped me make these delicious cookies. Thanks for sharing Kate! :)
★★★★
Peggie MILLER
I would love to try this recipe. We have recently moved to Colorado so I’m new to high altitude baking. Can you please suggest any necessary changes.
Kari Lozanski
I split the dough and added chocolate chips and Smarties to half. Raisins and walnuts to the other half. They were amazing. April cooking 2020 for the win.
★★★★★
Kate
Really glad to hear it, Kari! Thank you. :)
Lisa Miceli
So amazing! I used 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar only because I didn’t have enough brown lol I used almond butter (peanut allergy) and skor bites instead of m&m’s again because its all I had! These are absolutely amazing and only 165 calories each! Thank you so much!!!
★★★★★
Chris
This recipe is trash. Dough way to wet, had to bake them way longer than stated and finished cookies were completely flattened.
Barbara-Anne Mueller
The cookies were nice and pufffy when they came out of the oven, then they flattened out.
★★★