Our family loves almost any type of cookie, but Monster Cookies are our all-time favorites — probably because they combine all our favorite things into one cookie (chocolate chips, M&M’s, peanut butter, and oatmeal!)
I’ve tried several different recipes in the past, but so far, this one is my favorite. It was given to me from a woman at church many years ago (with permission to share).
This recipe makes 12 dozen (kid-size) monster cookies — it’s a biggie, one might even say it’s a “monstrous batch” of cookies! 🙂
I was never able to make a full batch before as I didn’t have a stand mixer — so I’d make a half (or even a quarter) batch at a time and call it good.
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HOWEVER, when I got the NutriMill Artiste Stand Mixer a few months ago, I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to make first — a FULL batch of monster cookie dough!
The mixer combined this ginormous batch of dough with ease — it was SO fun for the kids (and for me) to watch it mix everything so quickly and perfectly, with NO effort from me!
Maybe I waited a little too long to finally get a stand mixer! 🙂
Of course, if you don’t have a stand mixer that can accommodate 12 dozen monster cookies, you can easily cut the recipe in half. If you’re feeling ambitious, make all 12 dozen (or even double it and go for 24 dozen!)
I dare ya!
Recipe for Monster Cookies
makes 12 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 c. (2 sticks) softened butter
- 1.5 c. peanut butter
- 2 c. brown sugar
- 2 c. white sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 T. vanilla extract
- 1 T. light corn syrup
- 4 t. baking soda
- 9 c. oats
- 1.5 c. semisweet chocolate chips
- 1.5 c. M&M’s
- 1 c. nuts (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees.
- In a VERY large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter & sugars until well blended
- Add eggs and mix well
- Mix in the vanilla, corn syrup, and baking soda until well blended
- Mix in the oats (two cups at a time)
- Mix in chocolate chips, M&M’s, and nuts
- Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper (this is essential to thick, chewy cookies)
- Place large scoops of dough on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until set and edges are slightly brown
- Let cool for 2-3 minutes on cookie sheets, then slide parchment paper off sheets and onto a cool counter for another 10 minutes
- Transfer cookies to cooling rack until completely cooled. Then freeze or store in airtight container.
I rarely ever bake all 12 dozen cookies at one time — maybe 3 or 4 dozen right away, and then I freeze a bunch of cookie dough for later.
For freshly-baked monster cookies at a moment’s notice, I flash-freeze balls of cookie dough on parchment paper, then put them into a ziptop bag in the freezer. I can simply pull out 6 balls and bake them with dinner for a fresh-from-the-oven dessert with no hassle or clean-up!
Another option to use up ALLLLL these cookies is to make Monster Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches by spreading slightly softened ice cream between two cookies, and then rolling the cookies in chocolate chips, M&M’s or sprinkles.
They are AMAZING!!
In my opinion, this recipe for monster cookies is definitely worth the effort, but if you’re looking for a quicker (and smaller) recipe, click here for my “Simple Monster Cookie” recipe.
What is your favorite type of cookie?
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Jennifer says
This is by far our favorite cookie recipe! One time I accidentally grabbed the ice cream scoop instead of the cookie scoop and we really had monster cookies!!
Andrea says
yes, this is our family’s all-time favorite cookie/bar recipe EVER! I just have to be careful b/c we now have relatives with peanut allergies, so I can’t bring them everywhere all the time like I used to!
Joy Eckstein says
I used my ninja food processor on ‘dough’setting and fit 1/3 of a batch of dough in the larger (8 cup) of the food processing cups. I got 3 dozen cookies from that batch so I think i was a little big on the cookie. No one here will mind!
Andrea says
haha — no, I don’t think anyone will mind bigger cookies!
Sarah Gardner says
In the pics I see you have baking powder and baking soda, but in the recipe you have only baking soda listed. Is it just baking soda?
Thx so much!
Andrea says
sorry, I honestly don’t know why the powder made an appearance in the photo! I only use soda 🙂
Robyn Norbeck says
Made these this weekend! The only thing i can’t figure out is my batch only made 70 cookie dough balls for the freezer. A far cry from your 144! I didn’t even feel like I made the dough balls very big, maybe 2 tbsps? I know your recipe even says to place large scoops on the tray-I am just wondering if you know how big they are. I can’t believe I only got half the amount you got.
Andrea says
crazy — your scoop must be bigger than mine! I was actually thinking I should change the post to say exactly what scoop I use. Now that I have kids, I no longer use a “large scoop” but rather a smaller scoop since they can’t eat as big of cookies!
my scoop is probably only 1″ in diameter — and I regularly get 11-12 dozen cookies from that (I just made another batch on Saturday and put almost all of the cookie dough balls in the freezer)
hope this helps!
Tracy says
My mom made these when I was little! I’d lost the recipe!
Andrea says
well now you “found” the recipe again — yay!!! make them soon!
Christina says
Looks delicious! I noticed in a couple pictures that you have cookie dough in a storage container. Do you store dough in the fridge to use through the week? Does it hold up? I typically flash freeze cookie dough balls, but the thought of sometime just storing the dough in the fridge to make through the week would be great!
Andrea says
I freeze containers of dough for making cookie bars and big batches of cookies, but I also freeze dough balls for making just a few cookies at a time.
However, you could definitely keep it in the fridge for a week!
Allison says
I was going to make regular chocolate chip cookies with my kids today but this post just changed my mind! Can’t wait to try these, thanks for the recipe!
Andrea says
hope you loved them!
Donna says
My husband and I love monster cookies with coffee or hot chocolate. They hold up so well to dunking. I use the mini chocolate chips and mini M&M’s. I usually bake a dozen and freeze the rest like you do.
Andrea says
YES! they are the best for dunking! My beverage of choice is milk though 🙂
Kim says
What’s the difference in the oats and do you have a suggestion for the peanut butter? My son hates it.
Andrea says
wow — how do you “hate” peanut butter 🙂
I guess try another type of “nut butter” or even biscoff spread.
As for the oats, if you use traditional oats, the cookies will be more “flimsy” and more easily fall apart in your hand. They still taste amazing, but in my experience, the quick oats help to hold the cookies together much better!
JBB says
What do you prefer for this recipe, Quick Oats or Old Fashioned Oats (in the picture)? Thank you.
Andrea says
I honestly use both — whatever I have more of (or sometimes mix them if I don’t have enough of either).
If you want more “traditional” cookies (like the texture of regular chocolate chip) then use the quick oats. If you like them a little “coarser / chunkier” then use the traditional. The flavor will be exactly the same — it’s just the texture that’s slightly different.
Hope this helps!
JBB says
Thank you! I will be making a batch of these on Saturday.
Erin Sayes says
Hello! I’ve been enjoying your site for a few years now off and on…I am a fellow Michigander over here on the East side of the state 🙂
I would love to try this recipe. Any idea on a substitute for the corn syrup?
Many thanks
Erin
Andrea says
well, I’d probably just leave it out — but why do you need a substitution? Can you not find it at your grocery store?
Hope you love them as much as we do 🙂
Erin says
I am just picky about using as much whole unprocessed food ingredients and corn syrup is on that list! I’ll let you know how they turn out without the syrup.
Barbara says
I would use honey in place of the corn syrup. I would be tempted to try maple syrup, keeping in mind that it has a different consistency than honey or corn syrup. I’m with you, on avoiding high fructose corn syrup !
Andrea says
good idea!
Lynne says
Have you frozen the dough or only the baked cookies? 12 dozen is a lot of cookies! Can’t wait to try them!
Andrea says
Yes I freeze cookie dough ALLLLL the time 🙂
Also, you can easily make a 1/2 batch or even a 1/4 batch if you’d prefer to make fewer cookies
Tara says
We are making these today! How do you freeze them? Thanks for the awesome recipes!
Andrea says
no instructions… just put them in some type of bag or container and pop into the freezer!
Tanya says
I made these for a wrestling tournament and the became the team favorite. No tournament was complete without monster cookies! Great recipe.
Andrea says
I can believe that!! The Monster Cookies really are THAT good 🙂
janet says
I thought you might find it interesting that this recipe is in the Southern Living 1984 annual recipe book that I have. It is written up for a smaller batch otherwise the same and says use a 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie
Julie Hinds says
I use the same recipe! A simple change in texture is to grind the oats in the blender, pulse till like course flour, it really changes the recipe, taste is more intensified, also helps for kids who don’t like the oat texture. It’s a great gulten-free recipe, or at least no flour!
Richelle vanderwal says
Which blade do you use to mix the cookie dough?
Andrea says
I just use the “normal” blade — not the dough hook or the whisk.