Just over a year ago on a rather warm spring afternoon, I wandered up and down the aisles of Target, soaking in the free air conditioning and testing my willpower in the kitchenware and baking aisles. I swear that half of the colorful bowls and chocolate bars I end up buying fall into my basket on their own when I’m not looking!
Before walking to the registers at the front of the store, I turned down a freezer aisle on a whim, convinced that the quickly rising temperatures warranted a cold, creamy treat. (Here in my part of the world, we hit 90° by the end of March and wear shorts clear through November. Pools and popsicles are summer necessities!)
I scanned the cartons of ice cream, my indecision taking its sweet time figuring out which flavor sounded best while my toes threatened to go numb. On the very top shelf, almost out of sight for a short person like me, I spotted pumpkin pie ice cream—in April. Score!
Before pulling open the freezer door, I glanced over the rest of the cartons to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. With my fingers on the handle, I paused when I saw another flavor: monster cookie ice cream.
Confused, I leaned in closer to look at the picture. What exactly is a monster cookie? One with googlie eyes? Although the container lacked a description, I deduced that monster cookies included M&Ms… And that was about it.
So I reached for the pumpkin pie and made a mental note to research “monster cookies” when I arrived back at home.
For those of you imagining sharp teeth and buggy eyes like me, monster cookies are anything but that! They’re harmless treats of peanut butter oatmeal cookies full of chocolate chips and M&Ms. And finally, one year later, I created my own Healthy Classic Monster Cookies recipe for you!
This dessert combines three of my favorite recipes into one irresistible treat.
♥ the ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies
♥ the ultimate healthy peanut butter cookies
♥ the ultimate healthy chocolate chip cookies
So let’s talk a little bit about what each recipe contributes!
When it comes to oatmeal cookies, I want mine chock full of oats. One fleck of oatmeal here and another one there just doesn’t cut it—those are just “cookies with oats” to me. So in these oatmeal cookies, just like my other clean-eating ones, we use more oats than flour! Instant oats (aka quick-cooking or minute) are the best, but you can make your own in a pinch by grinding old-fashioned oats in a food processor for a few seconds.
I think it’s pretty obvious what the peanut butter cookie recipe contributes: the peanut butter! To keep these cookies lighter than traditional versions, we’ll use creamy peanut butter as the main source of fat, while eliminating the egg yolk and reducing the butter to just ½ tablespoon. That shaves off quite a few calories—and packs a big punch of peanut butter flavor!
Finally, the last cookie recipe contributes the ratio of chocolate to cookie dough. We’ll use half mini M&Ms and half mini chocolate chips. I prefer to use the mini versions because their small size ensures you get chocolate in every bite! I hate the disappointing feeling of biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to end up with a mouthful of cookie… And no chocolate. Why bother? But these fun cookies are the exact opposite!
After chilling, baking, and cooling, these Healthy Classic Monster Cookies didn’t stand a chance. I ate three in one sitting! No shame, no guilt. My life’s motto is “I run for cookies,” and these were worth every single mile the next day!
| Healthy Classic Monster Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured correctly)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (106g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 2 tbsp (21g) mini M&M candies, divided
- 2 tbsp (28g) mini chocolate chips, divided
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg white, and vanilla. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the brown sugar and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 1½ tablespoons of M&Ms and 1½ tablespoons of chocolate chips. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width. Gently press the remaining M&Ms and chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and a gluten-free flour blend. I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
I used Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter in this recipe. Any brand of creamy peanut butter will work, and although I haven’t tried it, I believe that homemade should work as well.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
If you prefer, ½ cup of honey, maple syrup, or agave may be substituted in place of the brown sugar and milk.
For more help and tips, watch my video.
{gluten-free, low fat, low calorie}
More monster cookie recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Gluten-Free Monster Cookies by Crazy for Crust
♥ Reese’s Monster Cookies by Oh Sweet Basil
♥ Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Monster Cookies by Sally’s Baking Addiction
♥ Monster Cookies by Baker’s Royale
Hi, I’m just a bit confused since all your other oatmeal cookie recipes use a whole egg, does this recipe use a whole egg or just the white?
Just the white! The majority of my oatmeal cookies do use the full egg, but not all — like this one. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies Millie!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am eager to try these. I grew up making them and the reason we called them monster cookies was because they were so big, probably 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
That must have been quite a delicious treat! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies Julie!
Just made these for my daughter. So happy they’re at least partially healthy. I tried a few other super healthy recipes lately and she just spat them out. These are going down a treat. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad your daughter enjoyed these cookies Aine!! That means so much to me, especially knowing that she isn’t always a fan of “healthy” cookies! 🙂 If you’re interested, you can find all of my healthy cookie recipes here. Maybe she’ll enjoy some of those other ones too, if she ever gets tired of these monster cookies!
Hi! Do you think these would freeze ok? My kids love them and I was thinking about making a big batch ahead of time to take on a camping trip!
I’m so glad your kids are enjoying these cookies, Summer! That means a lot to me! 🙂 Once baked, these cookies freeze really well. That sounds like such a fun idea to bring them along on a camping trip! My family used to go tent-camping at least twice each summer, so now I’ve got all of these fond memories floating through my head. 😉 I hope you have a wonderful time!
Tried this recipe last night, followed exact recipe with no changes and they were perfect! Better than expected. Will try using ~1/4 C brown sugar and ~1/4 C maple next time instead as sweetener with a bit less milk to keep things even. As stated in directions, make sure to shape as you want them before putting them into oven to bake – these do not spread like other cookies due to the ingredients! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Kate! That means a lot to me that you’d call them perfect! 🙂 If using ¼ cup of brown sugar + ¼ cup of maple syrup, then you’ll need to add about 2 tablespoons of milk to get the correct consistency and texture. Hopefully that helps when you bake them next!
You must use a form to get the cookies so beautifully even! I am going to make these today! They look delish!
You’re so sweet Laurie! I don’t actually use a form or cookie scoop… Just a spoon and spatula! I can be a bit of a perfectionist, so I spend a decent amount of time shaping the cookie dough with a mini spatula once it’s on the baking sheet. 😉 I’d love to hear what you thought of these cookies if you ended up making them!
Can you use rolled oats instead?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Jamie! I’ve actually answered your question about rolled oats (aka old-fashioned oats!) in the Notes section of the recipe, which is located directly underneath the Instructions. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉
I’d love to hear what you think of these monster cookies if you try making them!
I read that part but I don’t think it’s clear if they can be used or not. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m excited to hear what you think of these cookies! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! My family loves them!
I used maple syrup like you suggested and they were perfect! Definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad you and your family loved these cookies, Hannah! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you’d call this recipe a keeper. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know — it means a lot! 🙂
Tried these tonight and they were pretty good, but my dough came out stickier than I feel like it should’ve been. I used exact measurements, but used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour so maybe that’s why? I thought the oats were a bit too chewy too, not sure if I maybe used the wrong type? Mine definitely weren’t as pretty as yours 🙁 Going to try to adjust the recipe next time to see if I can get them to hold better! (I even let them chill for a few hours before baking) The flavor was really good though and loved the fact that they were lower in calorie and fat.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Dana! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out at all, so I’m happy to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? (Other than the Bob’s Red Mill GF flour!)
What are the exact oats (brand + product name!) that you used?
By “too chewy,” do you mean the oats weren’t as soft as you thought they’d be? (Just want to make sure I fully understand!)
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, oats, brown sugar, and milk?
If you used measuring cups, did you happen to dip them directly into your containers of flour and oats? Or did you gently shake them back and forth at all while filling them (ie to “level off” the mound of flour or oats)?
If you used a kitchen scale, did you use grams, mL, or ounces to measure the milk?
Can you describe the consistency of your cookie dough before and after chilling? (It’s actually supposed to be substantially stickier than “traditional” recipes!)
How long did you chill the cookie dough?
Was it still somewhat sticky after chilling, or was it really stiff?
How long did you bake your cookies?
How was the texture of your fully baked cookies? Were they soft and chewy — or more bready and cakey?
You mentioned you wanted them to hold together better — were you referring to the cookie dough (ie being too sticky) or the fully baked cookies (ie too soft and falling apart when you tried to pick them up)?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
And do NOT worry about yours not looking as pretty as the ones in my photos! I spend 10-15 minutes shaping the cookie dough with a spatula once I’ve dropped it into mounds on the baking sheet in order to make each cookie look nice, even, and round before baking. 😉