These Gluten-Free Monster Cookies are incredibly delicious and super easy to make. They are packed with oats, chocolate chips, and peanut butter, and they come together in no time!
I think monster cookies are perfect as there is something for everyone! M&M's-Check! Chocolate Chips-Check! Chewy Oats-Check! So when I was craving a fully loaded cookie, I knew it was time to whip up a batch. One of my favorite things about this chewy monster cookie recipe is that it's got a little sweet & salty thing going on, along with a little crunch from the "M&M" candies.
This is such a simple recipe that you can keep on hand for those busy days when you want a sweet treat. You just need a handful of simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
You may also want to explore my Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Flour M&M Cookies, Easy S'mores Cookies, or Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: This recipe couldn't be simpler to make! Grab a few pantry staples and you will be on your way!
- Create Your Own Combo: You can get super creative with your add-ins! You may want to toss in extra chocolate chips, add nuts, or even peanut butter chips. The options are endless, so get creative!
- Kid Approved: Your kids will love this dessert! It's perfect to bring to parties or get-togethers.
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: Look for organic peanut butter or a natural peanut butter made with only peanuts, and maybe salt. You will also want to make sure you use creamy peanut butter as opposed to the chunky variety. Costco's brand is my favorite, you get two large containers for the price of one small jar at the regular grocery store.
- Butter: Grass-fed Unsalted butter. Something like Kerrygold is perfect.
- Coconut Sugar: I prefer using coconut sugar since it's unrefined, however, your cookie will be less sweet. If you want to use regular sugar that's fine, however, I'd recommend using half brown sugar and half regular white granulated sugar.
- Eggs: You will want the eggs to be at room temperature. Also shop for organic, pasture-raised eggs for best quality.
- Vanilla Extract: You can also use vanilla bean paste, which is usually my go-to!
- Gluten-Free Flour: If you don't have issues with gluten, then any flour will work. To keep it gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend. I'm a big fan of Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: Read the labels and make sure you are using certified gluten-free oats. My favorite is from One Degree Organic Foods, you can find this brand at Costco. While these oats are on the larger side, you can pulse them a few times in the food processor if you prefer a smaller cut oat. You can also use gluten-free quick oats or old-fashioned oats.
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Sea Salt: Any sea salt will work, however, something like Real Salt is a great option.
- Chocolate chips: I love using Hu chocolate. Their chocolate has no dairy, no GMOs, no emulsifiers, no lecithins, no gluten, no refined sugar, no cane sugar, AND no sugar alcohols. YAY! I love these Hu Gems.
- M&Ms: I used Unreal Milk Chocolate Gems in place of traditional M&M's, as Unreal does not contain soy or any artificial coloring. They color their candy by using natural ingredients such as beets, turmeric, and radish juice.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Variations
- Peanut Butter: Instead of peanut butter, try using almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. Any of these will work perfectly!
- Sugar: If you don't have coconut sugar and want to use a natural sweetener you can swap coconut sugar for maple syrup. While the texture will be slightly different, it will still taste great!
- Butter: If you don't have butter you can use ghee or coconut oil.
- Mix-Ins: Get creative with your mix-ins! Try dried fruit, chopped nuts, white chocolate chips, crushed gluten-free pretzels, homemade marshmallows, or even crushed candy canes during the holidays.
- Flour: Experiment with different gluten-free flour blends like oat flour or almond flour. Alternatively, if you are not gluten-free you can use regular all-purpose flour.
- Protein Packed: Try adding in your favorite vanilla protein powder to make protein monster cookies!
How To Make Gluten Free Monster Cookies
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350°, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Step 2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream together butter, sugar, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. If you don't have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer.
Step 3. Slowly add in the eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Step 4. In a large bowl combine the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add your dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low speed until just combined.
Step 5. Next, add in the oats and mix to combine. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and M&M's. Cover the dough and place it in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
Step 6. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop rounded balls of dough and place them on lined cookie sheets, leaving space between them for them to spread. I only do 6-8 per cookie sheet. Use your fingers to flatten them out a bit.
Step 7. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown and they don't look gooey in the center. These are better slightly under-cooked than overcooked. Remove from oven and leave on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving cookies to a cooling rack.
Expert Tips And Notes
- Remember, every oven is different so the baking time may vary slightly! I've noticed my new oven cooks things a bit faster, so your cookies may take slightly shorter or longer to bake. Keep an eye on them once you hit the 10-minute mark.
- Chill your dough! If you've got more than 10 minutes you can let your dough chill for a few hours. This will allow the flour and oats to hydrate and will help your cookie hold its shape.
- Double the recipe and store a batch in your freezer-or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and turn them into an ice cream sandwich!
Serving Suggestions
Storage, Reheating And Freezing
- Storage: Let the cookies cool completely before storing them, in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Reheating: Place room temperature cookies on a baking sheet and warm in a 250°F oven for 3-5 minutes until heated through. Be careful not to overheat as that can dry them out.
- Freezing: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Stack them in an airtight freezer bag with parchment paper between layers.
Recipe FAQs
If you are not gluten-free, feel free to swap all-purpose or baking flour for gluten-free flour.
Yes! I love freezing the cookie dough to bake later! To do this you will want to scoop the cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet and freeze them. Once they are frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. When you're ready for fresh, warm cookies, pop them in the oven straight from the freezer!
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Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Peanut Butter
- ½ cup Butter room temperature
- 3 Eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips HU Gems
- 1 cup M&M's unreal
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together butter, sugars, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. If you don't have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer.
- Slowly add in the eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add your dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Next, add in the oats and mix to combine.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips and M&M's.
- Cover the dough and place it in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop rounded balls of dough and place them on lined cookie sheets, leaving space between them for them to spread. I only do 6-8 per cookie sheet. Use your fingers to flatten them out a bit.
- Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown and they don't look gooey in the center. These are better slightly under-cooked than overcooked.
- Remove from oven and leave on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving cookies to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Remember, every oven is different so the baking time may vary slightly! I've noticed my new oven cooks things a bit faster, so your cookies may take slightly shorter or longer to bake. Keep an eye on them once you hit the 10-minute mark.
- Chill your dough! If you've got more than 10 minutes you can let your dough chill for a few hours. This will allow the flour and oats to hydrate and will help your cookie hold its shape.
- Double the recipe and store a batch in your freezer-or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and turn them into an ice cream sandwich!
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