Christmas Monster Cookies (2024)

Published on November 6, 2015 Updated on December 4, 2023 · By Lise Ode · 8 Comments'

This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, wemay earn a commission.

Jump to Recipe

Christmas Monster Cookies are peanut butter oatmeal cookies packed with chocolate chips and mini M&M candies. So easy to make, just dump all the ingredients in a bowl and stir it up. A perfect baking project to make with the kids for the holidays!

My daughter and I have a baking tradition at Christmas time. We love to make Christmas Monster Cookies together. We first made them back in 2009 when Savannah was 7. I picked a recipe that would be easy for her. All the ingredients are basically dumped into one big bowl and you stir it up. The first time we made them, I wasn't sure if she would like them because she was a picky eater and had never tried oatmeal before. When the cookies were done, she tasted them and thought they were the best. And I did too. Every year since then, she has asked to make our famous cookies. Now she's 13 and we're still making them!

WHY I LOVE THESE CHRISTMAS MONSTER COOKIES

• This festive treat is a tradition in my family and reminds me of home!

• These are delicious cookies and year after year, they never get old.

• Monster cookies are easy to make and don’t require any flour which makes them gluten-free!

• The perfect cookie to bring to a Christmas party or cookie exchange.

• Personally, they are my all time favorite cookies and a great recipe!

WHAT YOU NEED

INGREDIENT NOTES

•Oats: You can use any oats you want- quick oats, old fashioned oats, or even steel cut oats if you're feeling fancy.

•Sugar: You'll be using two types of sugar, granulated sugar and brown sugar. For the brown sugar I used light brown sugar. Try dark brown sugar, if you prefer.

•Eggs & Butter: Make sure both of these ingredients are at room temperature.

• M&M Candies: We used the mini holiday M&M's for this recipe but you can also use regular sized red and green M&M candies. You could also use the regular colors if you are making these cookies any other time of year. They are delicious any time!

HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS MONSTER COOKIES

1) Preheat oven to 350°F and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. In a large mixing bowl, stir together eggs and both sugars until smooth. Add the softened butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt to your large bowl then mix well.

2) Stir in your dry ingredients (oats, and baking soda). Mix ½ cup of the M&Ms and the chocolate chips.

3) Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and form into balls. Place your cookie dough balls on prepared cookie sheet (we used a half-sheet pan) then gently flatten with your hand. With the remaining ½ cup of M&Ms, place 4-5 candies on top of each cookie.

4) Bake for 12-13 min for a chewy cookie or 13-14 for a more crispier cookie. Let them cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer them with a spatula to your cooling rack.

EXPERT TIPS

• Add M&Ms on top to make them pretty and extra chocolatey

• You can also add some holiday sprinkles to make them more festive!

• Bake cookies until golden brown on the ends

• Use a wooden spoon to stir the batter

• If you want to mix it up a bit, use or add white chocolate chips!

• When baking the cookies you may have to check them around 10-11 minutes because everyone's oven is different! When they are slightly golden brown around the edges is when they are done.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I store them? Store in a sealed container or in a ziploc bag at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for a week.

Can I freeze them? Yes, store them in a plastic bag for up to 2 weeks.

Can I use this cookie recipe all year long? Of course! I don't see why not! You can use regular M&Ms instead too. Savannah and I had so much fun making our favorite cookies. She's gotten really good at making these Christmas Monster Cookies. After all, she's been doing it for six years now! I can't believe it. Where did the time go?

Want to try something similar to my traditional monster cookie? Check out my Gluten Free Zucchini Monster Cookies for a healthy version and my for a no-bake kind of recipe.

Related Recipes

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Gluten Free Zucchini Monster Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookies

Love this recipe? If you try it, be sure to tag me on @Instagram! You can also find me on Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook.

Christmas Monster Cookies

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies packed with chocolate chips and mini M&M candies. So easy to make, just dump all the ingredients in a bowl and stir it up. A perfect baking project to make with the kids for the holidays!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes minutes

Servings: 48 cookies

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Lise Sullivan Ode

Equipment

▢
Silicone baking mat
▢
Half sheet pan and cooling rack

Ingredients

▢ 3 large eggs room temperature
▢ 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, softened or 1 stick
▢ 12 ounces creamy peanut butter
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 cup red and green M&M candies divided
▢ ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
▢ 4 ½ cups rolled oats instant or regular
▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the butter, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Stir in ½ cup of the M&M candies, chocolate chips, oats and baking soda.
Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and form into balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets then gently press balls with the palm of your hand. With the remaining ½ cup of M&M candies, place 5-7 candies on top of each cookie. (They look really pretty this way.)
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges. They will be soft, but will firm up when they cool. Do not over bake or they will be too hard. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. (I made 12 cookies per cookie sheet and the recipe makes 3 dozen, so you can remove cooled, baked cookies and reuse the parchment lined cookie sheet for the last batch.) Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Video

Notes

If you like the cookies to be soft and chewy, baking them for just 12 minutes. Or if you want them to be more on the crispy side, bake them for 14-15 minutes. Keep in mind that they will seem very soft when they first come out of the oven but will get harder as they cool.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @MomLovesBaking or tag #momlovesbaking!