Monster Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Nigella Lawson

Monster Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,916)
Notes
Read community notes

Studded with colored candies (delicious if they are peanut-filled, too), these treats are an amazing way to end a grown-up supper, and a very useful way to keep a roomful of boisterous children happy.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; A Lot Tastier Than a Jack-o'-Lantern

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Ingredients

Yield:12 3½- to 4-inch cookies

  • 1cup flour
  • ½teaspoon baking powder
  • ½teaspoon salt
  • 1cup rolled oats
  • 9tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • ½cup light brown sugar
  • ½cup superfine sugar
  • 1large egg
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾cup chopped pecans
  • 1cup M&M's or other sugar-coated candies like Reese's pieces

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)

279 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 130 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Monster Cookies Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and rolled oats. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine butter, light brown sugar and superfine sugar. Beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat again until smooth.

  2. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat until smooth. By hand, fold in chopped pecans and M&M's.

  3. Step

    3

    Roll quarter-cup measures of dough into balls and flatten them into fat disks (about ½ inch thick). Place on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet, about 6 at a time, so they have room to spread.

  4. Step

    4

    Bake until cookies are risen, dry on surface and very lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. They will be too soft to lift from baking sheet. Set aside to harden for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Ratings

4

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1,916

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Jake Wagman

These were awesome! I’m eight years old and I made them without any help.

NYC Chef Mama

the photo above does not honestly represent this recipe. the MnMs in the photo have been pressed into the cookie by hand after, or near the end of, baking. If you follow the recipe above, and fold the candies into the dough, as told to, the MnMs will be covered in dough and the colors will bleed into the dough as they bake.

Catherine

Actually, I just made these, as directed, using Reese's Pieces instead of M&Ms and they turned out exactly as pictured.

Jean Laughlin Miller

Made them smaller and used what I had on hand. I switched out regular sugar for superfine, walnuts for pecans and kosher salt for regular. I was a bit short for M&M's so topped the cup off with chocolate chips. Hands down, the best cookies I've ever made and I'm a sixty-seven year old who has been making cookies since I was eleven. Good job, Nigella!

Emi

I made these cookies and they turned out nicely. I used peanut M&Ms (sorted through to pick out fall/Halloween colors) and omitted the pecans. I did have to reduce the cooking time to around 12 minutes. Definitely important to flatten the cookies by hand, and make sure none of the M&Ms in your dough ball are directly touching the cookie sheet, otherwise they'll melt and the bottom of the cookie will fall apart. Overall, I'd make them again.

hcg

Worked beautifully. For the bold, add softened vanilla ice cream between two and freeze for a couple hours to get a top-tier chipwich.

Gmama

Made these pressing the M&M"s into tops of dough as recommended and also reduced cooking time to 12 minutes- they came out Great! Will use this cookie recipe again and again-

Jesse

I don't see the real need for superfine/caster sugar in here. It's not a souffle, we're not going for refined dessert here. Regular granulated works perfectly well!

Sara

A recipe made with shortening, rather than butter, is likely to be crispier.

Naz

This is similar to oatmeal cookies found on the Quaker can so I'm sure you can go without nuts.

MN-Andrea

I used generic M&M-type candies bought in bulk at my co-op, and I mixed them into the dough. Had no problem with the color seeping out into the cookies.

Bake them?

I love these cookies! I have substituted mint chocolate chips for the pecans - Rave reviews! I sometimes make them smaller as well and bake them for less time. a keeper!

Deb

Made this for Christmas with red and green m and m’s and about half the size (22 grams) and got 40 cookies. As sn afterthought, thought they would be really good with coconut also.

Kristina

Not a nut fan.how necessary are the pecans?

Kate

Make with heaping tablespoons. About seven/eight to a sheet.

Anne Marie Peterson

My mom and I LOVE this recipe. We have made multiple batches, some with M & Ms and some with chocolate chips instead. The cookies are a fav with us!

Liz

They’re good. Not great. Followed recipe as written. Converted to grams so I could be accurate. A little too sweet- and yes I realize it’s a cookie so it should be sweet, but this was a bit too much for my taste. I prefer my monster cookies with peanut butter for sure. Will go back to my original monster cookie recipe.

IK

Made a double batch with smaller cookie for my son’s class party. Used ~1 tbsp less butter, halved white sugar (actually course turbinado sugar). Melted the butter in microwave, whisked in wet ingredients then folded in dry, no mixer needed. Because of all the nut allergies I used sunflower seeds (raw) instead of nuts, thank you for that tip! Used TJ brand plain “M&Ms” to avoid artificial food colors. Candies paled from baking but cookies taste amazing. Love the texture from oats &seeds!

Mary

Everyone loved these. I used peanuts in place of pecans because I had them!

H.B.

I used Reeses Pieces and made these into much smaller cookies. They were a hit with all my co-workers!

John

Followed the recipe exactly, they were perfect. Love the soft center and slight chewy crust, perfect combo in a cookie. can't wait to make these again, would make a great gift!

Sylvia

I followed recipe to a tee and the cookies are delicious. However, within two or three days they become dry and hard. The cure is to microwave 20 seconds which restores their chewy goodness.

Madison

Made with Reese's pieces and no stand mixer. Only needed 15 minutes in the oven

Katharine

These worked wonderfully gluten free. Reserve a few candies to place on top for prettier cookies.

Christine VB

Made with 3/4 cup of Reeses Pieces and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips that I wanted to use up. A stick of butter instead of 9 tablespoons. After reading the comments, I used half a cup of turbinado sugar instead of the other sugars. Made them a bit smaller than called for, coming out with 17 cookies. Yummy!

whitt911

I used Peanut Butter M&Ms - no nuts. Turned out amazing!

Annis

Baked with 3 different kinds of m&ms (regular, peanut & crispy) for 13 mins. I reduced the total sugar by a fifth and subbed allulose for half. Lovely, chewy cookies with great flavor!!

Danvillerose

Made these a few times, trying different tactics. Each batch was made without pecans, using regular not super fine sugar, and normal cookie-size, not “monster.” Used mini M&M’s.First batch - added the M&M’s on top before baking. M&M’s cracked. Cookies were bland.Second batch - added M&M’s to batter AND chocolate chips. M&M’s on tops before baking. Still cracked but much tastier.Third batch - added only choc chips to batter, no M&M’s; put M&M’s on tops AFTER baking. Bingo!

Nancy

Delish recipe - made them a tad smaller and baked them a bit longer because we like our cookies a bit caramelized. Really tasty!

Sophia

Made these with leftover Halloween candy (MnM's, Recess, and Snickers). Delicious! I scooped the dough onto a baking sheet and froze it so we could make just a few at a time!

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Monster Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are monster cookies made of? ›

Monster Cookies are typically made with a peanut butter cookie base, and loaded up with oats, m&ms, and chocolate chips! Besides those mix-ins, you'll need a few other simple ingredients, which yield an incredibly delicious cookie! Butter – I love salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.

What's the deal with Cookie Monster cookies? ›

In the interview, MacLean said that the cookies are "kind of like dog treats." She bakes them at her home—about two dozen per episode, according to the The New York Times. Prior to developing this recipe, the cookies were made with a mix of rice crackers and foams.

What is in crumbl monster cookie? ›

These chewy cookies have oats, peanut butter, mini chocolate chips, and mini m&ms. These are the ultimate easy cookie.

Why did my monster cookies go flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure.

What is the Cookie Monster flavor? ›

This sweet and fantastically blue flavor features sweet cream ice cream and is stuffed with a mix of chocolate sandwich cookie pieces, chocolate chip cookie pieces, and a cookie dough batter flavored swirls. Each scoop is creamy, crunchy, chewy, and perfectly satisfies those cookie cravings… until you want more!

What was the original Cookie Monster? ›

First, some history: The Muppet that would eventually become known as Cookie Monster was first developed by Jim Henson in the mid-1960s for a snack commercial, where he was unofficially referred to as a “wheel stealer” due to his penchant for stealing wheel-shaped cheese crackers.

Do they use real cookies for Cookie Monster? ›

It turns out the cookies are real — sort of. They are baked at the home of Lara MacLean, who has been a “puppet wrangler” for the Jim Henson Company for almost three decades. MacLean started as an intern for Sesame Workshop in 1992 and has been working for the team ever since.

How do they do Cookie Monster? ›

In a live-hand puppet, like Cookie Monster, one of the performer's hands is in the puppet's head while the other is in one of the puppet's arms, which has gloves for hands. Another puppeteer is usually needed to operate the other arm, which is known as right-handing.

How unhealthy are crumbl cookies? ›

So each cookie has 76 grams (18 teaspoons) of added sugar—about 1½ times a day's max. That comes with a hefty 16 grams of saturated fat and 760 calories. As for Crumbl's other flavors, they rotate weekly. But judging by recent menus, most are in the same ballpark: roughly 700 to 800 calories apiece.

What is Cookie Monster made out of? ›

The company's co-founder, Jim Henson, created the furry character in 1966 for a General Foods Canada commercial. According to MacLean, the cookies are made using pancake mix, puffed rice, Grape Nuts, instant coffee, and water. But she told The Times that she uses glue to make the "chocolate chips" seen on the cookies.

What makes Crumbl cookies so special? ›

From day one, it was important to them that Crumbl customers see their cookies being mixed, balled, baked and dressed in real-time. Equally as important were the high-quality ingredients used in each unique batch.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Can you use baking powder instead of baking soda? ›

Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder.

What does cornstarch do to cookies? ›

“The result is added tenderness with more structure.” You don't need much of the ingredient to notice significant changes in your favorite recipe. Add a teaspoon or two to your dry ingredient mix and it will drastically change the texture. It's also fun to experiment until you get the exact finish you desire.

What kind of animal is Cookie Monster? ›

Muppet Monster

What kind of cookie does the Cookie Monster eat? ›

Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite kind. In a song in 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before he ate his first cookie, he believed his name was Sid or Sidney.

What is Cookie Monster supposed to be? ›

Cookie Monster, American television puppet character (one of the Muppets) whose appetite for cookies is legendary. Together with such characters as Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, and Big Bird, he is one of the featured creatures on the long-running children's public television series Sesame Street.

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