The perfect cookie to me is soft and chewy with a little crunch, and packed with sweet and salty goodness. Nothing can fit the bill for that flavor and texture profile more than these Soft and Chewy Monster Cookies! They are filled with semi-sweet chocolate chips, M&M’s, peanut butter, and oatmeal. This is one of my most requested cookie recipes, and thankfully this batch makes about 30-36 cookies so there are plenty to share with friends and family!
The most essential part of this recipe is having a big enough mixing bowl for this heaping amount of cookie dough. Other than that, they are so simple to make and come together very quickly.
Making the Dough
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Next, add the eggs and sugars to a large bowl and beat until well incorporated.
Stir in the vanilla, softened butter, peanut butter, and salt until combined.
Beat in the baking powder, oats, M&M’s (1/2 cup), and chocolate chips. Reserve 1/4 cup of the M&M’s for later. The dough will be thick, but not overly sticky.
Using a cookie scoop or two tablespoons, drop large dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, roughly 2 inches apart. They should be about the size of golf ball or slightly larger.
One of my favorite tips when baking cookies is to reserve a few of the M&M’s or chocolate chips and press them into the tops of each cookie. This really adds to the wow factor and gives the cookies that “bakery style” presentation. The only tricky part is keeping my hubby and kiddos from eating them all.
Bake for 9-11 minutes until just set. Do not over bake. These cookies should just be golden on the bottom, and the tops should not be overly browned. Let cookies rest on the pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling completely.
Store the Soft and Chewy Monster Cookies in a resealable plastic bag or air tight container, they will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Enjoy on their own or with a nice glass of cold milk!
Soft and Chewy Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Softened Salted Butter (1 stick)
- 1 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 large Eggs
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 3/4 cup M&M's, divided
- 3/4 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- 4 1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats (not instant)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a very large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugars together until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and softened butter, mixing until well incorporated. Beat in the baking soda, oatmeal, 1/2 cup M&M's, and chocolate chips.
- Using a small cookie scoop heaping full (or 2 tablespoons), drop 2 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheets. The cookie dough balls should be a bit larger than a golf ball.Lightly press 2-4 individual M&M's into the top of each ball of cookie dough.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until just set and the bottoms of the cookies are golden. Be careful not to over bake. Let the cookies rest for 3 minutes prior to transferring to wire racks to finish cooling. Store in a resealable plastic bag or air tight container. Cookies stay fresh for up to 4 days.
Notes
Like this recipe? Try my Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms next!