Monster Cookies! They’re watching youuuu!!! Chewy and tender peanut butter oatmeal cookies, with M&Ms and candy eyes to make Monster Cookies extra spooky for Halloween! They are soft cookies that are really easy to throw together. Originally published October 26, 2018.
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My daughter Valentine is 2, and tosses out random greetings all the time. “Hi mom!” And I always say, “Hi sweetie!” But my phone thinks that I’m saying “Hey Siri.” Every time. 100x a day. And then, after already interrupting my podcast, she waits…”I’m listening.”
Well STOP it Siri. You’re freaking me out. I only want you listening to me when I need to set timers for my kids when they are supposed to be doing something they don’t want to do. “Guys, set the table” (General moaning) “Hey Siri, set a timer for 2 minutes.” That usually does the trick. Thanks Siri. But other than that, go away.
It’s that time of year again. The time when I realize that I’m supposed to have a Halloween costume by tomorrow for the church harvest festival, and we are definitely past the 2-day Amazon Prime shipping mark. I’m not really sure where to go from here. (“To the store,” you say? You mean, leave my house? To buy something? Who has time for that these days??)
Any last minute Halloween costume ideas? Maybe I should just glue some of these M&Ms and candy eyes on my face and go as a monster cookie? Sounds easy, right?
What are Monster Cookies?
Siri is always listening…and these monster cookies are always watching. I love monster cookies and this is my new favorite recipe. They are BOMB. I adapted one of my top cookie recipes, Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, so it’s already off to a great start. All butter dough ( =tons of flavor), tons of peanut butter, and alll the M&Ms.
I wanted these to look like monsters, so I added the eyes, even though I thought they wouldn’t taste great. But I was pleasantly surprised! They are not as hard to bite through as they look, similar in texture to a Smartie, I would say. The kids loved the eyes more than anything.
These are the perfect last minute treat to bring to any Halloween festivities you are heading to this weekend!
If you want to make them REALLY last minute, try skipping the chilling and using the “Spoon Technique” as described in this post for 30 Minute Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’m obsessed with this! You never have to eat a flat cookie again. Life is good.
Monster Cookie Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more details!
- salted butter
- brown sugar
- white sugar
- peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, you pick)
- eggs
- vanilla
- flour
- baking soda
- Kosher salt
- quick oats
- old fashioned oats
- M&Ms (at least 2 cups)
- candy eyes (optional, for extra spookiness)
How to make Soft Monster Cookies
This dough, guys.
We’re doing the usual today: mixing up the wet ingredients, then adding the flour on top, but waiting to mix it in. I love just adding the baking soda and salt on top and then mixing them in with the measuring spoon. Saves the extra bowl!
Don’t over mix these! They should be just combined, with the last streaks of flour disappearing. If you over mix, they’ll get tough and are more likely to spread out.
I mean. Come on.
Best Monster Cookie Recipe Tips
Here are a few tips for making these monster cookies turn out perfectly.
- Don’t overmix! When the ingredients are fully combined and there are no more white streaks of flour, you’re done. Keep mixing and you’ll get tough cookies.
- Want really tall, chewy cookies? As soon as they come out of the oven, take a couple spoons and push the edges in toward the middle of each cookie. Do it fast, they set up quickly!
- Mix up your add-ins. Feel free to add other goodies, like peanut butter chips or chocolate chips. Just make sure the total amount of add-ins is no more than 2 ½ cups, including M&Ms.
Soft and Chewy Monster Cookies FAQs
Cookies can go flat for a few different reasons. Make sure not overmix your cookies. If you do, sometimes too much air can be incorporated, and then they fall after rising higher than they should. You’ll also want to make sure you measure the correct amount of flour using the “fluff and scoop” method: fluff up your flour in its container with a spoon, use the spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then gently level it off. Another potential culprit is warm butter. Cold butter melts more slowly and keeps cookies from flattening, which is why we’re chilling our dough. Finally, use two spoons to push the edges of just-out-of-the-oven cookies toward their centers, and even slightly flat cookies will be tall and chewy.
These monster cookies are super soft because they’re full of brown sugar. Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. Since molasses is liquid at room temperature, it makes cookies with brown sugar much softer than cookies with white sugar alone.
Yes! Chill this dough for 1-3 hours to get chewy, tall cookies that don’t flatten out and get crispy (in my opinion, one of the worst things that can happen to a cookie). I know it’s hard to wait but I promise it’s worth it!
More cookies! Never enough cookies!
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies >> this would be a really fun cookie to add candy eyes to for Halloween!
- Outrageous Pretzel Peanut Butter Reese’s Cookies >> perfect for throwing Halloween candy in
- Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Butterfingers Cookies >> dig the butterfingers out of your kids’ Halloween buckets, it’s not stealing if you make cookies out of them
- Texas Cowboy Cookies >> one of my most popular cookie recipes!
- The Softest Chocolate Sugar Cookies (That Hold Their Shape!) >> spiderweb designs are fun for a party!
- Dracula’s Dentures >> An oldie but a fun Halloween-themed treat
- Halloween Rice Krispie Treats >> such an easy one and super cute
- Halloween Cobweb Cookies from Bellyfull
- The Nightmare Before Christmas Pumpkin Cookies from Will Cook For Smiles
- Jack Skellington Oreo Pops from Big Bear’s Wife
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Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup dark or light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 & 1/2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 2 cups M&Ms, plus more for topping*
- candy eyes, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter for 2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom.
- Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter. Beat until incorporated.
- Add 2 eggs and vanilla. Beat well, scraping sides and bottom.
- Add flour but don’t mix it in. Use a small spoon to stir the baking soda and salt into the flour, then beat in gently. There should still be flour streaks.
- Add the quick oats, old fashioned oats, and M&Ms. Stir until incorporated but do not over mix.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for 1-3 hours (or overnight).
- When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Use a large cookie scoop to shape the cookies. (You want cookie dough balls about 2 inches across.) Place on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart from each other.
- Bake the cookies at 350 for 10-12 minutes until the centers are alllmost done being shiny. The edges should be firm. Do not over bake.
- Immediately press more M&Ms and a few candy eyes into the top of each cookie. If you want really tall, chewy cookies, take a spoon and push the edges in toward the middle on each cookies. Check this post for more details.
- Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. You should definitely eat at least one of these warm. Or maybe 2 or 3.
- Store covered on the counter!
Notes
This recipe is slightly adapted from my Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies!*You could also add chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips. Keep the total level of add-ins to about 2 to 2 and 1/2 cups.
Alright, seriously- there better be some of these waiting for me when I get home!!
You are in luck I have some tucked away in the freezer! :)
Oh yes!! I’ll be there soon to claim them :)
Yum! Yum! Yum! These cookies look fabulous! I think the monster eyes are adorable! I am going to try these tomorrow. Also, I have never thought of mint chocolate chip cookies! Gotta try those too! Thank you so much for sharing! Can’t wait! As Cookie Monster says….”YUM! COOOK. KIE.”
You’ve got to try the mint ones too, Donna! Both recipes are so good. COOK. KIE indeed!!