The Ultimate Monster Cookies

Every fall I come up with something monster cookie related: a brown butter monster cookie dough, an oat flour (gluten-free) chocolate monster cookie, last year I had a chocolate monster cookie (lots of oats! Chocolate dough! Packed with goodies!) and this year I was like – why not go back to basics? But make it 100x better than the average monster cookie: the ultimate monster cookies! 

Recipe Origins 

I started working from this small batch monster cookie recipe, expanding it to be a full batch but also: using rolled oats for a more rustic and outwardly oat-looking cookie, toasting the oats for better flavor and texture, and – as I’ve been doing a lot lately, using crunchy peanut butter, peanut butter m&ms instead of plain, and yes we want chocolate but also, we can’t miss an opportunity to add chocolate peanut butter cups because this particular monster cookie is just begging for it. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: unsalted butter, cold is fine. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar and brown sugar (it can be light or dark). 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Egg: a whole large egg (optional: add another yolk to the dough to make it chewier and softer). 

Peanut butter: commercial brand that doesn’t separate in the jar. Crunchy or creamy is fine. 

Flour: all purpose flour of a medium protein content (at least 11%). 

Oats: old fashioned rolled oats. We’re going to toast them before making the cookies =) 

Leavening: both baking powder and baking soda. 

How to make the Ultimate Monster Cookies

Toast the oats in a large frying pan, until they’re fragrant. Then set aside to cool. 

Melt the butter. I like to do a partial melt like this: 

Whisk in the flavorings, then the sugar: 

Crack in the egg and whisk very well, at least 60 seconds 

Whisk in the peanut butter 

Add the dry ingredients (the flour and oats) 

Then add the chopped chocolate and candies. Cover and chill the dough.

Prep the pans and preheat the oven. 

Scoop the dough, into about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Leave enough space for them to spread:

Quarter a small peanut butter cup and gently press it on top: 

Bake the cookies until golden on the edges: 

The best add-ins to monster cookies 

In my opinion are: 

• mini peanut butter m&ms
• a chopped up semi-sweet milk or dark chocolate bar
• Small dark or milk peanut butter cups

This last one is a move I like to call the Lily, named after my daughter, who started doing this to cookies whenever she baked them (there’s a photo of my one yolk chocolate chip cookies where she did this from a few years back). This is her move, which I have now adopted: use small peanut butter cups (not mini, just the small ones) and slice them into quarters. Then press those quarters to the top of the cookie dough after scooping. 

They melt all over the cookie, bits of peanut butter and chocolate everywhere. It’s genius! 

Making the dough ahead of time 

This dough needs to chill in the fridge before baking for about two hours. You can make it the night before and keep it in the fridge overnight. 

Alternatively, you can make the dough, do the two hour chill, then scoop the cookies and set them on a plate in the freezer. Once the dough balls are solid, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for longer storage. 

When it’s time to bake the cookies, set them on the prepared baking trays and let them come to a cool room temperature – then top them with the quartered peanut butter cups. 

Ultimate Monster Cookies Recipe 

The Ultimate Monster Cookies

Packed with crispy oats, chunks of chocolate, peanut butter & mini peanut butter M&Ms, these chewy cookies are the ultimate monster treat.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Yields: 12 large or 16 small cookies

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Ingredients

• 140g or 1 ¼ cup rolled oats
• 140g or ½ cup plus 2 TB butter unsalted
• 150g or ¾ cups brown sugar
• 100g or ½ cup g granulated sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 130g or ½ cup g peanut butter crunchy or creamy
• 130g or 1 cup g all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup mini m&ms
• 100g or ½ cup chopped chocolate milk, semi-sweet or dark, depending on preference

Method

• Set the oats in a large frying pan over medium low heat. Cook to warm up the oats and toast them, stirring as you do. When you start to smell the oats, turn off the heat and set the pan aside to cool.
• In a medium or large heatproof bowl, set the butter. Microwave it for 60 seconds, until it’s almost but not fully melted.
• Whisk in the vanilla and salt, then add the sugars and whisk for at least a full minute, the butter will start to look less separated as you do.
• Crack in the egg and whisk well, as you whisk it the mix will turn shiny and thick.
• Whisk in the peanut butter then add the flour, oats and baking powder and soda. Stir until almost (but not fully) combined.
• Add the m&ms and chopped chocolate and mix. Cover the dough and set in the fridge for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (I tend to grease mine first so the paper doesn't slide around).
• Scoop the dough onto the sheet, in about 2 tablespoon mounds per cookie. Leave a one inch diameter border, at least, for the cookies to spread.
• Chop chocolate peanut butter cups into quarters then press 3-4 pieces of the cups onto the top of each cookie dough mound.
• Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the middles don’t look wet.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Notes

This is a make ahead recipe as the dough needs to chill for a couple of hours in the fridge.

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