When you're looking for a satisfying treat—no matter the season—these monster cookies are the perfect cookie for the occasion. Packed with oats, M&M's, peanuts, and pretzels, you can give the cookies Christmas flair by using green and red M&M's. Or chop up leftover Halloween candies and fold them into the mix. Other nuts like toasted pecans or almonds, white chocolate or butterscotch chips, or even halved mini peanut butter cups would work well in this cookie dough. Serve the monster cookies with a mix of other colorful holiday treats like our Italian rainbow cookies and Christmas pinwheel cookies.
The origin of the name "monster" cookies isn't clear, but it may refer to the fact that they're like Frankenstein's monster—they're a combination of many parts of other cookies. If you're looking for a version of monster cookies that have a bit more spooky-cute flair, check out our Halloween monster cookies.
You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Portion the dough into individual balls, then freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once solid, you can transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Either pull a few portions out at a time and bake according to the recipe, or bake them all at once.
Editor’s Note: This recipe was updated on September 27th, 2022, to reflect changes to the recipe and to include more information about the dish.
(210 g.) all-purpose flour
baking soda
ground cinnamon
kosher salt
(1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
(150 g.) granulated sugar
(105 g.) packed light brown sugar
large eggs, room temperature
pure vanilla extract
(170 g.) M&M’s
(140 g.) unsalted peanuts
(90 g.) rolled oats
(30 g.) crushed pretzels
Riley Wofford is a recipe developer, food stylist, and writer. Outside of the kitchen, she enjoys drinking gimlets and sour beer, spending time with her foster dogs, and going on road trips.
