Believe it or not, I taught myself how to cook and bake! My parents always joke about how I set a bowl of microwave mac and cheese on fire when I was 12 and then 10 years later I became a successful full-time food blogger. It's kind of weird, I know, but hey, everyone has a story, right?
Well let me tell you, cooking is WAY easier than baking, especially when you're the one writing the recipe. Baking is an actual science with rules that have to be followed and I'm still learning all of those rules. It takes me about three times as long to develop a dessert than it does to develop a dinner!
And these chewy monster cookies were no exception. In fact, they were a BEAST (or would you say, a monster? LOL) to develop. I went through 10 different recipe tests before landing on today's final recipe. 10. Like you need all your fingers to count. It's fine, I'm fine.
What I am actually super happy about is how perfect these Healthy Chewy Monster Cookies turned out! They are the perfect blend of peanut butter, oats, and chocolate, and they are anything but dry! They're also made with better ingredients so you don't have to feel as guilty eating two or three straight out of the oven like my husband and I do!
Just all great cookie recipes, start with a creamed butter and sugar base. Because these are Monster cookies, we're using a combination of butter and peanut butter! Yum!
From here, the process is familiar (finish the wet ingredients and add the dry ingredients), but the ingredients are a little non-traditional!
After your butters and sugars are smooth, mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. If you've never separated an egg yolk from the whites, it's quite simple.
Crack the egg like you normally would, but as you open the egg, keep the yolk in one half while the whites drip out between the two halves. Shift the yolk to the other side so more of the egg whites can drain. Continue this process until you're left with just a yolk!
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, peanut butter powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips.
Finally, gently fold in the M&Ms with a spatula.
Scoop out two tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into a ball. You can use a bigger cookie scoop like this one or a regular cookie scoop (like this) and just scoop two balls of cookie dough together.
Once you have your ball of monster cookie dough, gently press it onto the prepared baking sheet into a thick disc. This helps the cookies spread more than rise.
Bake for exactly 11 minutes, then bang the pan once on the counter before allowing the cookies to cool. Banging the pan allows the cookies to slightly deflate and finishing baking evenly on the pan.
Set a timer for 5 minutes, then transfer the cooling cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Repeat until you've finished all your dough!
Just like Frankenstein was a monster made from various parts, monster cookies are peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and M&Ms mixed in.
Nope! I just recommend this brand of butter because it is made with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats instead of regular saturated fats. The amount of fat is the same, but the type of fat is different, which makes these monster cookies just a bit healthier for you!
I haven't tested this recipe with instant oats, but the consistency, texture, and flavor will be different if you use instant oats. Instant oats are chewier, don't dry out the cookie dough as much, and less obvious than regular oats. If you substitute instant oats and like the result, please leave a comment below and let me know!
I don't recommend using stiff, processed peanut butter because it has too long of an ingredients list (lots of added stuff you don't want) and it will ruin the consistency of the cookies. If all you have is JIF, you'll need to melt it in the microwave with some coconut oil and then measure 1/2 cup for the recipe.
Simple! This recipe can make gluten-free monster cookies by using 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour and certified gluten-free oats.
No, but I recommend trying Monster Cookie recipes from The Big Man's World, Broma Bakery, or Feasting on Fruit! They are all incredible food bloggers.
Healthy Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Easy Homemade Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches
Incredibly Indulgent Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Mini Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups
I know you'll love this healthier version of the classic chewy Monster Cookies! They are absolutely perfect straight out of the oven and I promise you won't regret having two or three!
Be sure to leave a star rating and review below when you try these healthy Monster Cookies so other readers know how you loved them! You can also tag me on Instagram with your half eaten cookie. I love seeing my recipes in your home!
Mix together peanut butter, oatmeal, mini chocolate chips, and M&Ms to make the most perfect healthy chewy Monster Cookies! Each monster cookie has heart healthy fats, 5g of protein, half the amount of refined sugar, and absolutely NO CHILL TIME.
*This is the peanut butter that comes with a natural oil separation at the top. Using this peanut butter is very important because we need it to be thin and drippy. If you use JIF or something similar, you'll have to melt it in the microwave with 1/2 tsp coconut oil to thin it out and then measure 1/2 cup.
**You can also use a regular cookie scoop and just combine two portions of dough if you don't have a 2 TBSP cookie scoop.
Nutrition facts are a calculated estimate of one cookie.
Serving: 1 cookie / Calories: 250 / Fat: 12.7g / Saturated Fat: 4.5g / Carbohydrates: 29.5g / Fiber: 2.1g / Sugar: 17.4g / Protein: 5.4g
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