Thick and chewy gluten-free monster cookies loaded with peanut butter, oats, M&M's, and chocolate chips. These cookies are a mash-up of peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and M&M cookies all in one. Optional eyeball sprinkles on top, make them a kid favorite! This recipe comes with tested dairy-free and vegan options.
This post is sponsored by Andronico's Community Markets, a long-term partner of Snixy Kitchen, but the opinions are all my own.
While monster cookies don't technically have eyeball sprinkles, I think it gives these monster cookies quite the personality. I like to imagine what each one is thinking. Some are judgy, some are anxious about being eaten, some are just goofy. Choose the one that speaks to your mood.
These monster cookies are soft and chewy on the inside, with crisp edges and plenty of gooey melted chocolate and crunchy M&M's.
What are monster cookies?
Monster cookies are peanut butter cookies loaded with oats, chocolate chips, and M&M's. Basically, they're the best things of all cookies mashed into one.
There are several theories on why they're called "Monster Cookies" - perhaps it's because it's like the Frankenstein mash-up of all cookies, perhaps it's because it's a monster of a cookie with so many ingredients, or perhaps it's because they look a bit like monsters.
Whatever the reason, these cookies are monstrously good.
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
For these gluten-free monster cookies, you'll just need baking staples, M&M's, and just two easy-to-find gluten-free flours. Today we're using almond flour to keep things extra nutty and tapioca flour for the chew and crisp edge.
Bay Area folks, stop by your local Andronico's Community Market to get everything you need - they carry everything from a wide variety of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flours to organic dairy to everyday candy. They also have a range of different peanut butter types - from organic no-stir to organic old-fashioned creamy peanut butter, so you can pick the one that suits your family!
For gluten-free monster cookies, here's what you'll need:
- Gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats: Make sure they're certified gluten-free and they're old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats.
- Super-fine blanched almond flour
- Tapioca flour: For best results, I recommend Bob's Red Mill.
- Baking soda, baking powder, salt
- Butter: I recommend unsalted butter, but salted will work just fine for these cookies.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar: I recommend organic light brown sugar, as it has a higher molasses content than conventional, making your cookies chewier.
- Peanut butter
- Large egg: Room temperature
- Chocolate chips: For these cookies, I recommend semisweet chocolate chips, but bittersweet will work too if that's what you prefer!
- M&M's: Just plain milk chocolate M&M's. See below for a dairy-free option!
- Optional: Candy eyeballs and flaky salt
What kind of peanut butter for cookies?
You'll need creamy peanut butter for these gluten-free monster cookies.
This recipe has been tested and works equally well with both no-stir peanut butter (with added oil, sugar, and salt), and organic old-fashioned peanut butter that requires stirring (with no added ingredients besides peanuts). If you're using a non-homogenous (separated) peanut butter, be sure to stir in the oil really well before use, so the peanut butter is not too runny and thin.
How to bring butter and eggs to room temperature quickly
Most cookie recipes call for room-temperature butter and eggs. Softened butter creams more easily with the sugars, and room-temperature eggs incorporate into the dough better than cold eggs.
But what to do when you want cookies now and your ingredients are in the fridge?!
To bring butter to room temperature quickly I offer two methods. First, place the entire stick in its package in the microwave for 7-10 seconds (depending on the power of your microwave), flip it over, and microwave again for 7-10 seconds. Now it's ready to use.
If you don't have a microwave, preheat your oven and place the butter near the back of the stovetop where the heat emanates for 5-10 minutes, flipping it once.
To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of very warm (but not hot) water for 5 minutes. That's it!
How to make monster cookies
- Sift together the dry ingredients. For these gluten-free cookies, sifting is essential. Almond flour tends to clump, so it's important to sift it so it becomes light and fluffy. Combining all the dry ingredients together in the sifter will also mix them together well, so the oats, flours, and leaveners are evenly distributed, without needing to overmix the dough later.
- Cream butter and sugars.
- Mix in the peanut butter, followed by the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides after each addition.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Mix in the chocolate chips and M&M's.
- Scoop heaping 2 tablespoon-sized cookie balls onto a baking sheet.
- Press more M&M's into the top of each cookie dough ball, if desired.
- Optional: Chill for 20-30 minutes. See note below about chilling or not.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges look set, but the centers still look underbaked. Take care not to overbake, as they'll continue baking and the oats will soak up more moisture as they cool. Overbaking will lead to a dry crumbly cookie.
- Optional: Use a large round cutter to shape cookies into perfect circles, press eyeballs into the top of each cookie, and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Let cool and serve!
To chill or not to chill
These cookies are delicious chilled or not chilled. Here are the differences.
Unchilled cookies spread a tiny bit more, creating an ever-so-slightly thinner cookie. The bake time will be more like 9-11 minutes.
Chilled cookies spread less, creating a thicker chewier cookie. The bake time will be longer, 10-12 minutes. The main benefit of chilling is being able to make the dough ahead of time and/or storing some of the dough to make cookies on-demand later.
Dairy-Free Monster Cookies
For dairy-free monster cookies, here's what you'll need to adjust:
Butter: Use dairy-free plant butter
Chocolate Chips: Use dairy-free bittersweet chocolate chips
M&M's: Replace M&M's with ¼ cup sprinkles in the dough. Pressing the tops of the cookie dough balls in additional sprinkles before baking. I recommend rainbow jimmies (the long skinny ones).
Vegan Monster Cookies
For vegan monster cookies, here's what you'll need to adjust:
Butter: Use dairy-free plant butter
Egg: Replace the egg with 5½ tablespoons water and ¼ cup (28g) flaxseed meal
Chocolate Chips: Use vegan bittersweet chocolate chips
M&M's: Replace M&M's with ¼ cup sprinkles in the dough. Pressing the tops of the cookie dough balls in additional sprinkles before baking. I recommend rainbow jimmies (the long skinny ones).
How to store & freeze?
How to store baked cookies
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If planning to store longer, store cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to six months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
How to store cookie dough
When storing cookie dough, first chill the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight storage container. This will prevent the cookie dough from sticking to itself or losing its round shape. Store cookie dough balls in an airtight container or freezer bag in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to six months. When baking chilled cookie dough, add 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
Tips for the best gluten-free cookies:
Use a scale to measure flours
When using multiple types of flours for gluten-free baking, I always recommend measuring by weight. The way you scoop flour can make a huge difference in the amount of flour you add, so by measuring by weight, you'll always have accurate measurements. I also find it significantly quicker to spoon flour into the bowl set on a scale, without having to fuss with measuring cups.
Reserve and add some M&M's on top of cookie dough balls
These cookies are fun because of their rainbow colors, so to ensure you get to see all those colors, press a few M&M's onto each cookie dough ball after you've scooped it.
Make perfectly round cookies with a round cutter
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large round cutter or the ring of a large mason jar (larger than the diameter of the cookie) to scoot each cookie into a perfect circle. This method also helps make the centers of the cookie puff up, adding to the thickness and chew factor.
Remove cookies BEFORE they look done
Take care not to overbake cookie dough. For the perfect chewy gluten-free monster cookies, pull them out when the edges look set, but the centers still look just a bit underbaked. The cookies will continue baking as they cool. Additionally, the oats will soak up more moisture as they sit. As a result, baking too long will lead to a dry crumbly cookie.
Optional add-ins:
Why not take these monster cookies up another notch with additional add-ins? Here are some ideas:
- Toasted peanuts
- Other types of chips: butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips.
- Reeses Pieces: more peanut butter goodness!
- Mini M&M's: get more M&M's per bite!
- Peanut butter cups: Either chop it up and mix it in or hide it inside each cookie dough ball.
- Chopped chocolate: Using chopped chocolate from a baking bar or baking wafers will result in gooey melted puddles of chocolate spread throughout your cookie.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
Looking for more recipe inspiration? Browse all the recipes I've made in partnership with Andronico's this past year and a half, and check out these favorite gluten-free cookie recipes:
Recipe
Thick & Chewy Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 g) Bob's Red Mill super-fine blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (42 g) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (110 g) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, see note for vegan or dairy-free options
- ½ cup (127 g) creamy peanut butter, any kind works (well-stirred, if separated)
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, I recommend organic light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup milk chocolate M&M's, plus another ⅓ cup for on top
- Optional: candy eyeballs and flaky salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, sift together almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in old-fashioned rolled oats. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides.
- Mix in the peanut butter followed by the egg and vanilla until just combined, scraping down the sides after each addition.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and M&M's, mixing until just evenly incorporated.
- Scoop generous 2 tablespoon-sized cookie balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I make a heaping scoop using the OXO medium cookie scoop, which is about 45g cookie dough per cookie. For perfectly sized cookies, you can weigh the cookie dough balls on a plate placed on a kitchen scale as you go. Press 4-5 M&M's into the top of each cookie dough ball.
- At this point, you can bake immediately or chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Unchilled cookies spread a tiny bit more, creating an ever-so-slightly thinner cookie. Chilled cookies spread less, creating a thicker chewier cookie.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the cookie dough balls at least 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes for unchilled cookie dough, or 10-12 minutes for chilled cookie dough. Note: Take care not to overbake cookie dough. Pull them out when the edges look set, but the centers still look just a bit underbaked. The cookies will continue baking as they cool. Additionally, the oats will soak up more moisture as they sit. As a result, baking too long will lead to a dry crumbly cookie.
- Optional: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large round cutter or the ring of a large mason jar (larger than the diameter of the cookie) to scoot each cookie into a perfect circle. This method also helps make the centers of the cookie puff up, adding to the thickness and chew factor.
- Optional: Gently press candy eyeballs onto each cookie and/or a few chocolate chips. The residual heat from the cookie will melt the bottoms of the eyeballs so they stick and the chocolate chips. Alternatively, you can place some mini chocolate chips on top of the cookies right as they come out of the oven, then wait a few minutes for them to melt before placing the eyeballs on top of the melted chocolate as "glue." Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired.
- Let the monster cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Butter: Use dairy-free plant butter
- Chocolate Chips: Use dairy-free bittersweet chocolate chips
- M&M's: Replace M&M's with ¼ cup sprinkles in the dough. Pressing the tops of the cookie dough balls in additional sprinkles before baking. I recommend rainbow jimmies (the long skinny ones).
- Butter: Use dairy-free plant butter
- Egg: Replace the egg with 5½ tablespoons water and ¼ cup (28g) flaxseed meal
- Chocolate Chips: Use vegan bittersweet chocolate chips
- M&M's: Replace M&M's with ¼ cup sprinkles in the dough. Pressing the tops of the cookie dough balls in additional sprinkles before baking. I recommend rainbow jimmies (the long skinny ones).
Lena -
Hi Sarah, chocolate is a great idea. I am sure that will work easily. I hope to repair the issue before all the cookies are eaten 😋🤣
Lena -
Hello Sarah, I made the monster cookies today and they are very good. Unfortunately the candy eyeballs I placed on the cookies right after removing them from the oven are falling off. Do you have a suggestion as to what I can use to adhere them to the cookies? Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies! When I put the eyeball sprinkles on immediately out of the oven, the heat from the cookies melted the bottom of the sprinkles so they stuck as they cooled, but it's probably that different types of sprinkles behave differently! Thanks for letting me know! I recommend melting a few chocolate chips and using the melted chocolate as "glue."
Alternatively, you could place some mini chocolate chips on top right as they come out of the oven. After a couple of minutes, the chocolate chips will have melted and you can set the eyeballs right on top. As they cool, the chocolate will harden as glue.