These easy one-bowl loaded monster cookies are soft, buttery, and studded with chocolate, m&ms, chopped peanuts, and oats. These classic cookies combine brown sugar and granulated sugar and they only require an hour of chilling but more is just fine. Just 9 simple pantry ingredients + your desired add-ins, you’ve never been closer to freshly baked cookies!
These are perfect for birthdays, gatherings, or a sweet treat for the cookie lover in your life. Get creative with your mix ins and make some delicious monster cookies!
You might also like these Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, or Peanut Butter Cookies! Find all of my cookie and dessert recipes here for more baking inspiration!
What Makes These Special
- Gooey center and crispy edges: these soft and chewy cookies have crisp edges and stay nice and gooey in the center.
- Studded with chocolate: this is one mighty cookie, loaded with melty chocolate, chopped peanuts, oats, and m&ms. I like to top my cookie with a few more chunks of chocolate before baking for the look of melty chocolate puddles.
- 60 minute chill time: luckily this cookie only takes an hour to chill, so you can pop it in the oven in no time!
- Perfect for crowds: this recipe makes a great dessert options for crowds or parties, the cookies can easily be transported and everyone is sure to love them! Add in different toppings as desired.
- Simple ingredients: this cookie is made with mostly pantry ingredients you already have on hand like all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda, and chocolate chunks. Softened butter, eggs, and vanilla are also common ingredients. Grab oats, peanuts, and m&ms to keep on hand!
What Are Monster Cookies
Monster cookies are mashup of several classic cookie ingredients! These cookies are loaded with texture and flavor from chopped peanuts, chopped chocolate chunks, M&Ms, and oats. Feel free to get creative and mix in chopped candy or holiday themed items! Kids and adults will love them! They’re called “monster” cookies because they’re often large, hearty, and packed with mix-ins!
Key Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: if using salted butter, omit adding more salt later in the recipe. Do not substitute margarine or oil.
- Peanut butter: classic, creamy peanut butter is best here. Jiff or Skippy brand peanut butter is my recommendation. If using a natural peanut butter or fresh ground peanut butter made with only peanuts, if will altar the texture of these cookies as natural peanut butter does not ‘melt’ in quite the same.
- Granulated white sugar: I do not recommend swapping any other type of sugar for this recipe. Other sugars can impact the dough differently and change how the cookie bakes and rises.
- Brown sugar: make sure to pack your brown sugar. Light or dark brown sugar works.
- Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this cookie. Let your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe, this helps the eggs incorporate better.
- Pure vanilla extract: use homemade or store-bought vanilla extract, almond extract can be added for additional flavor is desired.
- All-purpose flour: no substitution here, other types of flour will change the texture and affect baking differently.
- Chocolate: any kind of chocolate will work, semi-sweet, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate. Chopped chocolate bars work great as well, that’s what I use.
- M&Ms: regular or mini M&Ms work for this recipe, you could also great creative with different colored M&Ms for special events or occasions.
- Oats: quick oats or old fashioned oats will both work for this recipe.
- Peanuts: I grab a jar of unsalted cocktail peanuts and chop them up myself.
How to make the Monster Cookies
Let’s talk a little about how to make these Easy One-Bowl Loaded Monster Cookies (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- In a mixing bowl combine melted butter and peanut butter.
- Mix in sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add in dry ingredients, mix to combine.
- Fold in chocolate, oats, peanuts, and M&Ms.
- Chill, scoop, bake, and enjoy!
- In a large mixing bowl combine melted butter and peanut butter, stir until combined.
- Add in granulated sugar and packed brown sugar. Once combined, mix in whole eggs and vanilla extract.
- To the wet ingredients, add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and if desired, a pinch of cinnamon. Mix until evenly combined.
- To the mixing bowl, add in chopped peanuts, oats, chopped chocolate, and M&Ms. Fold gently to combine. Cover and chill dough for an hour.
- Once chilled, use a portion scoop to scoop 1 oz. scoops of dough, place on a sheet pan.
- Arrange cookie dough 2-3″ apart on a parchment lined sheet pan. Top with extra chocolate prior to baking for that chocolate puddle look. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. The cookies will be slightly soft still, allow to cool for a few minutes on the sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, top with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Tools I Recommend
- USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely.
- Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set – I love this set of nesting bowls. Pyrex glass does not break easily so you can trust on these bowls for years and can be stacked!
- Portion Scoops – I highly suggest these scoops for even size cookies!
Tips for Perfect Cookies
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm if desired, this adds the perfect sweet and salty combo.
- Allow dough to chill this lets the fat set up so cookies do not spread too thin.
- Do not overcrowd baking sheets allow ample space for these cookies to spread and not stick together.
- Start with less time and add baking time as needed so cookies stay chewy, I always recommend taking cookies out before you think they are done.
- Use a round cookie cutter or lid to gently scoot warm cookies into perfect circles.
More Cookie Recipes
- One Bowl Soft Funfetti Cookies – soft cookies studded with fun sprinkles.
- Easy Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – with hints of cinnamon these are loaded with chewy raisins!
- Nutella (Chocolate Hazelnut) Oatmeal Cookies Recipe – full of gooey, rich chocolate flavor!
- Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies – a soft and chewy cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies – chewy and decadent studded with oats and chocolate.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, chilling cookie dough allows the fat to set up so the cookie doesn’t spread too thin. This dough only needs to chill for an hour, if you do not chill this dough – the cookies could spread into each other.
I like rich, dark chocolate chips or a roughly chopped up chocolate bar. But any type of chocolate would work from white chocolate chips, to mini chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate.
Leftover cookies can be cooled completely, transferred to a airtight zip top bag or glass container and kept at room temperature for 4-5 days. See below instructions for freezing cookie dough.
You Can Freeze This Cookie Dough
Simply make the cookie dough according to the recipe, scoop even sized amounts of dough onto a sheet pan and place in the freezer until hard. Transfer the cookie dough to an airtight container or freezer bag labeled with the date, type of cookie, and baking instructions (or reference back to this post for baking directions!). Keep in your freezer stash for 3-4 months. Remove desired cookie dough when needed, thaw, bake, and enjoy! You may even want to make a double batch!
Easy One-Bowl Loaded Monster Cookies
Equipment
- 1 oz. portion scoop, optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup Chopped peanuts
- 1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- 1 cup M&M's candy
- Flaky salt, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Line sheet pan with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine melted butter and peanut butter, mix to combine. Add in granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.1 cup Unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Creamy peanut butter, 1 cup Granulated sugar, 3/4 cup Light brown sugar, 2 Eggs, room temperature , 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- To the wet ingredients, add in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until evenly combined. Gently fold in the oats, chopped peanuts, M&Ms, and chocolate.2 cups All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Baking soda, 1 tsp Salt, 3/4 cup Old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup Chopped peanuts, 1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips or chunks , 1 cup M&M's candy
- Cover and chill dough for 60 minutes. After dough has chilled preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Use a portion scoop or measuring spoon to scoop even sized scoops of cookie dough. Arrange 2-3" apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 9-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet, transfer to wire rack, top with a sprinkle of flaky salt, and cool completely. These will keep in an airtight container for up to a week!Flaky salt, for topping
Notes
Nutrition
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You mentioned cornstarch in the recipe instructions… but amount not noted in ingredients. How much did you use. These cookies look yummmmy! Thanks
I’m sorry, typo! There should not be any cornstarch in this recipe, I have adjusted. Thank you, hope you enjoy!