Small Batch Monster Cookies (Naturally Gluten Free!)

Bring out your inner kid with these chewy, flourless monster cookies! This smaller batch recipe loaded with m&ms, chocolate chips, oats and peanut butter is naturally gluten-free and made with no corn syrup.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make the most glorious monster cookies. They were the size of your face and stuffed with everything a good cookie should have (peanut butter, chocolate, oats, and m&ms) and nothing it shouldn't (raisins). The recipe made about 80 of these monstrous cookies, hence the name monster cookies. Though the batch never made its full potential of cookies, because we'd always sneak some of the dough and eat it raw (salmonella be damned). This is my take on the famous monster cookie recipe - but scaled down to make not quite so many cookies, and without the Karo syrup.

What Are Monster Cookies?

There are as many different recipes for monster cookies as there are bakers, but the recipe I grew up with was for a mega batch of the most delightfully chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and m&m candies. I recall the recipe using a full dozen eggs and an obscene amount of peanut butter. The cookies were huge and delicious.

Why You'll Love This Version

My recipe for monster cookies is just as delicious as the one I remember as a kid, but it's scaled back to a reasonable size, still offering plenty of big cookies, but not an overwhelming amount. It only uses two eggs and one cup of peanut butter, so hopefully a grocery run won't be necessary. This recipe also uses no corn syrup, like the original recipe calls for, just in case you don't keep any around. Made with just oats and no flour of any kind, they are naturally gluten-free!

The Ingredients

• Butter - Salted or unsalted, it doesn't really matter. Make sure it's softened to room temperature.
• Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar
• Creamy Peanut Butter - I use the natural, drippy kind that's made with just peanuts and salt. It has the best flavor.
• Eggs
• Vanilla - I always use a heavy hand with vanilla.
• Baking Soda
• Rolled Oats (also called old fashioned oats)
• Chocolate Chips Semisweet or dark both work well
• M&Ms - The plain kind. Or mix it up with peanut if you'd like!

How To Make Them

1. Cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
2. Add the peanut butter, eggs, vanilla and baking soda and mix until fluffy.
3. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and m&ms until mixed in evenly.
4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, or until golden on top and not-quite-set.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before moving cookies to a cooling rack or eating.

Pro Tips For The Best Monster Cookies

• Room temperature eggs and butter ensure even mixing fo the dough. If you don't have time to wait around, pop the butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds at half power, and place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes.
• The cookies don't spread a whole lot in the oven, so you may need to press them down gently before baking. OR you can do a fun little trick where you bang the pan (literally pickup the pan and bang it down) halfway through baking to make them a little flatter.
• Don't over-bake the cookies. They'll turn out hard. Take them out before they appear done, with just lightly golden tops and still looking just a little jiggly. They will set up as they cool and stay chewy for days!
• If you're making them for Halloween, you can add little eyeball sprinkles to the top of each cookie to make them festive!
• The dough can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a few days. If you're baking from the fridge, gently flatten each ball of dough before baking and add about 2 minutes to the bake time.

More Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

• Fall Harvest Oatmeal Cookies (With Easy Gluten Free Option!)
• Best Ever Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The BEST Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Carrot Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
• Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

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