Gluten Free M&M Monster Cookies
In looking for a recipe to use up extra oats I had in the pantry, I came across these Gluten Free M&M Monster Cookies. On the Just A Taste website, these Monster Cookies are cute oversized cookies decorated with candy eyes; hence the “monster” in the name. With my own kids being grown, I almost didn’t click on it, thinking this is just a recipe for decorating cookies with kids. Boy was I wrong! So glad I took the chance on making these chocolatey peanut buttery gluten free yummies. These cookies ended up being one of my brother Joe’s favorites and a regular delivery item for his family.
I use a baby ice cream scoop to keep the cookies uniform in size. You can also scoop all the dough out into individual cookie balls, then just bake a few and freeze the rest. Simply put the raw dough on parchment lined baking sheets, put in the freezer and freeze until firm, about an hour. Then, when fully frozen, just put the cookie balls in a freezer bag. When you go to cook them, put desired number of cookies on a sheet and let sit for about 20 minutes, then bake as instructed.
Oh, by the way, these Monster Cookies are also delicious for breakfast!
Gluten Free M&M Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 cups oats old fashioned or quick
- 1 cup mini M&Ms
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper,
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Then beat in the peanut butter, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the oats and mix until combined, then stir in the M&Ms and the mini chocolate chips. Batter will be very stiff.
- Scoop 2-3 Tablespoon mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the mounds at least 2 inches apart. I use a baby ice cream scoop, about the size of a melon baller.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes then remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. To make sure your cookies stay chewy, you can underbake slightly and leave on the baking sheet 5-10 minutes before transferring to a rack. Enjoy!