These Gluten Free Monster Cookies are some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten – filled with oats, peanut butter flavor, M&M’s and chocolate chips. There’s no chill time required and they have the most perfect crispy edges yet chewy centers! They are undetectably gluten free, can easily be made dairy free, and utilize some healthier swaps such as peanut butter powder. Make them once and you’ll be hooked…I swear!
I just realized that I have literally no clue why these are called Monster Cookies. And apparently the internet doesn’t really have any answers for me either. Despite the seemingly random name, Monster Cookies are indeed one of the best cookie combinations ever. They incorporate so many of my favorite elements – oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips and M&M candies.
If you couldn’t tell already…cookies are my favorite dessert. I crave them more than anything else. So, when I set out to make cookie recipes…they have to be PERFECT or I’m not sharing the with the world. And I must say, these Gluten Free Monster Cookies are borderline bakery-level good. They have the perfect texture and are just so incredibly decadent.
And wanna know the best part!? They’re honestly just as delicious WITHOUT the mix-ins. While I was recipe-testing, I made these a few times without them (didn’t want to waste money haha) and they were so dang good. At that point, it obviously transforms from a Monster Cookie to a Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie…but wow. Whichever route you go, you’re going to love these cookies!
Why You’ll Love these Gluten Free Monster Cookies
- There’s no chill time!
- These Monster Cookies are undetectably gluten free and can easily be made dairy free.
- They have crispy edges and chewy centers – the way all cookies should be!
- They are loaded with oats, peanut butter flavor and plenty of M&Ms and chocolate chips.
- These Gluten Free Monster Cookies are made with peanut butter powder for a lower fat option.
What You Need to Make these Gluten Free Monster Cookies
- Unsalted Butter: Normal or vegan butter will work. Make sure to pull it out of the fridge to soften about 1 hour before making the cookies.
- White Sugar: This cookie recipe has an equal mix of white & brown sugar.
- Brown Sugar: 1/2 cup packed!
- Egg: I haven’t tried any vegan substitutes yet.
- Vanilla Extract: Measure with your heart on this!
- Gluten Free Rolled Oats: Oats are a key component of monster cookies and they provide some nice texture. I like using Bob’s Red Mill Protein Oats to add more protein (they’re gluten free) but any rolled oats will work. I haven’t tested this recipe with quick oats.
- Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour: To make these gluten free, we’re using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour. This is the only GF flour that I’ve tested, so I highly encourage you to use this in order to get the same results. Other GF flour blends may work as long as they have xantham gum in them. If you’re not gluten free, you can substitute an equal amount of normal all purpose flour.
- Peanut Butter Powder: Instead of using normal peanut butter in this recipe, we’re using peanut butter powder which has less fat. I used PBFit but similar products such as PB2 will also work. My code MADDIE15 will save you 15% on all PBFit products!
- Baking Soda: The leavening agent to help make these cookies rise and add chew!
- Kosher Salt
- M&Ms: I like using Unreal Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems because they’re vegan and naturally colored. However, normal or mini M&Ms will also work perfectly.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips: I used the No Sugar Added Chocolate Chips from Hu Kitchen. They’re gluten free, dairy free, paleo, etc. My code MADDIE will save you 20% on all Hu Kitchen products 🙂
How To Make these Gluten Free Monster Cookies
Soften Butter, Preheat Oven & Line Baking Sheets:
It’s important to start by softening your butter well ahead of time! It will take 30 minutes to an hour for the butter to soften at room temperature. Try to avoid softening it in the microwave if you can, because often it leads to the outside being melted and the inside being too hard.
Then, preheat your oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper – you will need several! I like to use multiple baking sheets instead of re-using 1 baking sheet because I find the bottoms of the cookies get a little too cooked if you place a new batch of dough balls onto an already hot baking sheet.
Mix Together the Wet Ingredients:
In a large bowl, or a bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes, until creamed together. It should be light in color and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again until incorporated.
Mix Together the Dry Ingredients:
In a separate large bowl, mix together the oats, GF flour, peanut butter powder, baking soda and salt.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined and a bit of flour remains visible. If the dough is getting to thick to use the mixer, switch to a spatula and mix it manually.
Then, add the chocolate chips & M&Ms and fold into the dough until incorporated and no more flour is visible.
Scoop into Balls & Bake:
Next, scoop out 2oz of dough and place onto baking sheet, leaving about 2 or more inches between each dough ball as they will spread. Press a few extra M&Ms and chocolate chips into the top of the dough balls – not necessary but makes them look extra pretty!
Transfer baking sheets to the oven and bake for 13 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. Immediately upon removing from the oven, top with a pinch of flaky sea salt if desired. Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy!
How to Make these Gluten Free Monster Cookies Dairy Free:
You can easily make these cookies dairy free! The only thing you need to do is swap the dairy butter for a vegan butter – my personal favorite is Country Crock Plant Butter because it tastes and performs very similar to normal butter. I do notice it softens quicker though, so just keep an eye on it!
In addition, make sure to use a dairy free brand of chocolate chips and M&Ms. Both the Hu Kitchen chocolate chips & the Unreal dark chocolate gems that I used are dairy free!
Can I Make these Gluten Free Monster Cookies Vegan?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried substitutes for the egg yet. So, you can definitely make this dairy free, but I’m not sure about vegan. It may work with a flax egg! If you try it out, please let me know in the comments below.
Can I use Normal Peanut Butter instead of Powdered?
I have only tested these Gluten Free Monster Cookies with powdered peanut butter. Traditional monster cookies are made with normal peanut butter, so I’m sure it will work!
If you go this route, I would recommend decreasing the butter to 1/2 cup and then adding 1/2 cup of peanut butter. And add the peanut butter in with the butter and sugars when you’re creaming it. Make sure to use a no-stir brand such as JIF or Skippy; using a natural brand of peanut butter will likely make this cookie dough too soft.
Expert Tips:
- Use a digital kitchen scale to measure your ingredients: For the best results, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients in grams rather than using measuring cups. Kitchen scales are super cheap on Amazon and they make a world of a difference! If you don’t have one, just make sure to use the spoon & level method for measuring your ingredients unless otherwise stated (such as the brown sugar, which should be packed).
- Don’t over-mix the dough: Mix until the flour is just barely incorporated. If you over-mix the dough, the texture of the cookies will be negatively affected.
- Bake for less time than you expect: The cookies will continue to bake as they cool on the cookie sheet, so make sure to remove them sooner than you think. The edges should just barely be turning golden.
- Top with flaky sea salt: Obviously this isn’t necessary, but I love sprinkling a little flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right after removing them from the oven.
- Use a drinking glass to get perfectly round cookies: This is a little baking hack for making perfectly round and uniform cookies. After removing them from the oven, just place a drinking glass, mug or circle cookie cutter over the cookies, swirl and ta-da!
How Do I Store these Gluten Free Monster Cookies?
After the Gluten Free Monster Cookies have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container and store them at room temperature. They should stay good & soft for 3-5 days! Although nothing beats a cookie fresh out of the oven.
Can I Freeze these Gluten Free Monster Cookies?
If you’d like to freeze these cookies, I’d recommend doing it BEFORE baking. Portion out the dough into balls and place them on a tray, plate or baking sheet. Pop them in the fridge for several hours until they’ve firmed up. Then, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze.
When you’re ready to bake your frozen cookies, remove them from the oven and let them come to room temperature for about an hour. Then, proceed with baking them per the original instructions. They turn out just as delicious this way!
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for more Gluten Free Desserts?
Gluten Free Monster Cookies
Equipment
- 2 large bowls
- hand or stand mixer
- spatula
- 2oz cookie scoop
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g, vegan works too)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (105g)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free rolled oats (150g)
- 1 cup gluten free 1-to-1 flour I used Bob's Red Mill, normal AP flour also works (130g)
- 1 cup peanut butter powder I used PBFit (80g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips I used Hu Kitchen No Added Sugar Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup M&Ms I used Unreal Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, or a bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes, until creamed together. It should be light in color and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again until incorporated.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the oats, GF flour, peanut butter powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined and a bit of flour remains visible. If the dough is getting to thick to use the mixer, switch to a spatula and mix it manually.
- Then, add the chocolate chips & M&Ms and fold into the dough until incorporated and no more flour is visible.
- Scoop out 2oz of dough and place onto cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each dough ball as they will spread. Press a few extra M&Ms and chocolate chips into the top of the dough balls.
- Bake for 13 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. Immediately upon removing from the oven, top with a pinch of flaky sea salt if desired. Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Once fully cooled, store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay good & soft for 3-5 days!
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.