Desserts

June 22, 2021

The Most Perfect Healthy Chewy Monster Cookies

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.

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!

Hands breaking a Monster cookie apart

What makes these "healthy monster cookies?"

  • Plant-based butter: ever since I discovered Country Crock's plant-based sticks of butter, I've been converted. Does this mean I'm 100% dairy-free? Absolutely not. I just prefer this brand of butter (not sponsored) for my baking because the type of fat they use promotes a healthy heart. If I'm going to use butter, might as well choose the best kind, right?
  • Natural peanut butter: the type of peanut butter that comes with a natural oil separation at the top of the jar. This means the only ingredient is peanuts and the peanut butter is smooth and drippy. This is super important for the consistency and texture of the cookies! My absolute favorite brand of 100% natural peanut butter is Crazy Richard's (sponsored) because they have the best ingredients list and the best flavor. You'll love it!
  • Stevia: whenever a baking recipe calls for granulated sugar, I always swap it for Stevia. Stevia is a 1-for-1, zero-calorie, plant-based sugar substitute that is 200-400x sweeter than regular sugar and it works great with most desserts! By using Stevia instead of regular white sugar, you're saving about 34 calories and 9g of sugar per cookie. That's a lot! Yay for healthy monster cookies!
  • Peanut butter powder: a dry form of peanut butter, this powder is more like a protein powder than peanut butter. It retains most of the protein from peanuts without the fat and reduces the calories by over 60%! Using peanut butter powder as well as regular peanut butter maximizes the peanut flavor and the protein content without adding too much fat per cookie.
  • Rolled oats: oats are a great source of plant-based protein, fiber, and all the B vitamins. They also add that signature chewy texture to cookies, which is exactly what these chewy monster cookies need.

A stack of Monster cookies

How to make the best chewy monster cookies

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!

Monster cookies with oats and M&Ms

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called a monster cookie?

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.

Do I have to use a plant-based butter for these Monster cookies?

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!

Can I use instant oats instead of rolled oats?

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!

Can I use a no-stir peanut butter like JIF for these monster cookies?

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.

How can I make these healthy monster cookies gluten-free?

Simple! This recipe can make gluten-free monster cookies by using 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour and certified gluten-free oats.

Can I make these chewy monster cookies vegan?

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.

More healthy cookies you'll love

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.

Author:

Brooke Harmer

Prep:

25

min

cook:

15

min

total:

40

min

servings:

16

Ingredients

  • ½ C Country Crock Olive Oil Stick Butter, melted (or butter of choice)
  • ½ C 100% natural peanut butter*
  • 1 C brown sugar, packed
  • ¾ C Stevia
  • 1 egg (room temperature)
  • 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
  • ½ Tbsp vanilla
  • ¾ C + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour (gluten-free if necessary)
  • ¼ C peanut butter powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
  • 6 Tbsp M&Ms (about 1.5 oz.)
  • 1½ C rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl (or with a stand mixer), beat the melted butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and Stevia together until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until well combined, about 1 minute.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, peanut butter powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain.
  4. Add in the rolled oats and chocolate chips, mixing until just combined. Then, use a spatula to fold in the M&Ms. The dough will be thick.
  5. Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop** to portion out 16 cookies. Roll each ball of dough into a smooth ball, then place on a baking sheet and press gently to flatten into a thick disc. There should only be 5 cookies per baking sheet.
  6. Bake each batch of cookies for 11 minutes (no peeking!). When the cookies are finished, bang the pan once on the counter to deflate the cookies and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes

*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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie / Calories: 250 / Fat: 12.7g / Saturated Fat: 4.5g / Carbohydrates: 29.5g / Fiber: 2.1g / Sugar: 17.4g / Protein: 5.4g