Description
These festive Christmas Monster Cookies combine peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and colorful Christmas M&M’s for a chewy, crunchy, and irresistibly fun holiday treat perfect for sharing or gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup (180 grams) peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Add-ins
- ¾ cup Christmas M&M’s, mini or regular (plus more for topping)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini or regular (plus more for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large half sheet baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set it aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the softened butter, light brown sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat on low speed until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Beat until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Then gently fold in the Christmas M&M’s and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Scoop Dough: Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out 2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart to allow spreading. Press additional chocolate chips and M&M’s on top of each cookie for an extra festive look.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 13 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. The centers may appear slightly undercooked but will firm up as the cookies cool.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the baking tray from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat Baking: Repeat the scooping and baking process with the remaining cookie dough in batches until all dough is used.
Notes
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days to maintain freshness.
- Reheating: Warm cookies by microwaving for 10-15 seconds or until heated through to enjoy a soft, fresh-baked texture.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months.
- Freezing Dough: Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls on a lined baking tray for 1-2 hours until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking as per instructions.
- Cookie Spacing: Ensure cookies are placed 2 inches apart on the baking sheet to prevent them from merging while baking.
