This Monster Cookies Recipe that has it ALL! Creamy peanut butter, chewy oats, melty chocolate, colorful M&Ms & a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. SO good!
Author’s Notes
Confessions Of A Cookie Perfectionist
If I had to pick one dessert to eat for the rest of my life, it would be cookies! (And since caramelitas are my all-time favorite dessert, I’m counting those as cookies too, haha!)
I take my cookie testing VERY seriously, haha! I’ll spend months perfecting a cookie recipe, and I genuinely love every minute of it. I even like to test different cookie dough ball sizes down to the gram. Yes, I’m that nerdy about cookies!
So, as someone who loves the precision of it all, here are my two biggest tips:
First, use a food scale. It’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients and get consistent results. Why guess when you can know?!
Second, ingredients matter! Especially butter. I’ve tested cookies with all kinds of butter, and a good European-style butter is my not-so-secret secret. The flavor & consistency are SO much better.
I’ve put all that cookie testing to work in this monster cookies recipe, and I’m SO happy with how they turned out! Soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate & just the right amount of peanut butter to not overwhelm the cookie or make them dry. My favorite way to eat them is still warm from the oven with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Mmmh, mmmh, mmmh!
Ingredients In This Monster Cookies Recipe
| Ingredient | Let’s Chat About It |
|---|---|
| Butter & peanut butter | Use good-quality European-style butter & conventional creamy peanut butter. I LOVE natural peanut butter for eating, but commercial works best for baking. I use & recommend Skippy Creamy (not chunky!). |
| Dark brown sugar | Dark brown sugar has more molasses & moisture than light brown sugar, which helps keep these cookies soft & chewy. Since peanut butter can dry out cookies, that extra moisture makes a difference! |
| Egg & vanilla | Use a room-temperature egg & pure vanilla extract for the best results. I’m especially obsessed with double-strength vanilla for an extra boost of flavor! |
| Flour, oats, baking soda & salt | Use old-fashioned oats, not quick oats, & weigh the flour for the most accurate results in this monster cookies recipe! |
| Chocolate chips & M&Ms | I love milk chocolate chips here, but dark or semi-sweet works great too! Save a few M&Ms to press on top before baking for prettier cookies. |
How To Make This Monster Cookies Recipe
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F & line baking sheets. These silicone mats are my fave!
- Cream: Beat butter, peanut butter & sugar. Mix in egg & vanilla.
- Mix: Add dry ingredients, then fold in chocolate & M&Ms.
- Bake: Scoop into 45g balls & bake for 10–12 minutes.
- Finish: Cool for 5 minutes & sprinkle with flaky sea salt!
Quick Tip
Don’t overbake these cookies! They should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out. They’ll firm up as they cool into perfectly chewy cookies. Overbaking leaves them dry & takes away so much of their flavor!
Chelsea’s Notes
Freeze Your Cookie Dough!
Instead of freezing baked cookies, I always recommend freezing the dough! That way, you can have freshly baked cookies whenever the craving strikes, straight from the freezer!
Here’s how: Scoop dough into 45-gram balls & freeze on a lined baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag, press out the air, & freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen at 350°F, adding 1–2 extra minutes as needed!
Storage
These monster cookies are very best the day they’re made, especially warm from the oven! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm briefly in the microwave to bring back that fresh-baked texture!
More Peanut Butter & Chocolate Recipes
Desserts
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Desserts
No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Desserts
Peanut Butter Puppy Chow
Monster Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixers
- Sheet pan (15" x 10") with silicone mat or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter at room temp; European-style butter, see note 1
- 1/4 cup (60g) creamy peanut butter commercial, like Skippy
- 1 cup (187g) dark brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (80g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (150g) all-purpose flour weigh if you can!
- 1/2 cup (85g) chocolate chips I like milk, semi-sweet or dark works great too
- 1/2 cup (103g) M&Ms plus more for topping (optional)
- Flaky sea salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- If you have a food scale, I highly recommend using the listed weights for the most accurate results! Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with silicone mats.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, peanut butter & brown sugar until creamy.
- Add egg & vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Mix in baking soda, salt, and oats. Then add flour and mix until just combined. Add in chocolate chips and M&Ms and fold in with a spatula.
- Scoop dough into 45-gram cookie dough balls. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, baking no more than 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly underbaked. They'll firm up as they cool, giving you perfectly chewy cookies! Remove from the oven & immediately use the back of a metal spatula to gently press in any edges that have spread too far. Press extra chocolate chips & M&Ms into the tops, if desired, & finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
- Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Best enjoyed warm!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
