Description
These Christmas Monster Cookies are a delightful treat packed with peanut butter, oats, colorful Christmas M&M’s, and chocolate chips. Soft, chewy, and loaded with festive candy, they’re perfect for holiday gatherings or gifting. The combination of peanut butter and oats gives them a hearty texture, while the M&M’s and chocolate chips add bursts of sweetness and color, making these cookies a fun and festive holiday favorite.
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 and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large half-sheet baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking and set 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 at medium speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, old-fashioned rolled oats, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Beat until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the Christmas M&M’s and semi-sweet chocolate chips to evenly distribute them throughout the dough.
- Portion Cookies: Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out approximately 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Press extra M&M’s and chocolate chips on top of each cookie for a festive appearance.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. The centers may appear slightly underdone but will firm up as the cookies cool.
- Cool Down: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat: Bake the remaining cookie dough balls in batches, following the same procedure until all cookies are baked.
Notes
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days to keep them fresh.
- Refrigeration: If longer storage is needed, refrigerate cookies for up to one month, though texture may slightly deteriorate.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months.
- Freezing Unbaked Dough: Freeze dough balls by placing them on a lined baking tray for 1-2 hours until hard, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Reheating: Warm cookies by microwaving for 10-15 seconds or until pleasantly warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
