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gluten free monster cookies on a sheet of parchment paper

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

5 from 2 votes
Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You
Our gluten-free monster cookies are fully loaded with goodies! The soft peanut butter cookie dough is packed with chewy oats, colorful M&Ms and plenty of chocolate chips in every bite. 
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Print Pin
Servings: 28 -30 Cookies

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened (226 grams)
  • 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar (250 grams)
  • cup granulated sugar (66 grams)
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter*
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix-Ins & Toppings:

  • 1 ¼ cups mini M&Ms for the cookie dough
  • 1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips for the cookie dough
  • ¼ cup mini M&Ms for topping the cookies
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips for topping the cookies

Instructions

  • Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour, gluten-free oats, quick oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine until evenly blended and fluffy. Set aside.
  • Cream Butter & Sugar. In a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes with the paddle attachment (or a handheld electric mixer) until the mixture is light, fluffy, and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Build The Dough. Mix in the peanut butter until fully incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, followed by the egg yolk, and the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just a few dry patches remain.
  • Add Mix-Ins. Then, add 1 1/4 cups mini M&Ms, and 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips to the dough. Stir the mix-ins in by hand with a spatula (so you don't break the M&Ms), until the dough is well blended and the goodies are well distributed.
  • Chill 30 Minutes. Cover the dough and chill 30 minutes in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven.
  • Preheat & Prep. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. (This way, you can alternate the baking sheet with each batch so you don't put cool dough on a hot baking sheet.)
  • Scoop & Roll. Working just 6 cookies at a time, use a large cookie scoop to measure 3-Tablespoon balls of cookie dough. Roll the dough balls smooth between your palms and place 6 cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet. (Return the rest of the dough to the fridge in between batches)
  • Bake Cookies. Bake cookies just 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies look just set. They won't brown much, and the centers should still be a touch soft/underdone. The cookies will continue to bake and set on the cookie sheet. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, top each cookie with some of the extra mini M&Ms and the mini chocolate chips. Let the cookies cool 4-5 min on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat this process, alternating baking sheets with each batch.
  • Serve & Store. Enjoy once the cookies have cooled. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature 1-2 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

Notes

  • Gluten-Free Flour. We love and recommend King Arthur Measure For Measure Gluten-Free Flour for these cookies. If you use another 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum! We highly recommend weighing the flour (and other dry ingredients) for the best results, but if you don't have a kitchen scale, we recommend using the scoop and level method to avoid packing too much flour into the measuring cup.
  • Peanut Butter. Do NOT use natural peanut butter for these cookies, or they'll spread too much & dry out faster. Use a traditional peanut butter spread, like JIF or Skippy.
  • Oats. If needed, you can use all rolled oats or all quick oats for these cookies. I just love the texture you get from using a mix!
  • Toppings: I love the look of mini m&ms and mini chocolate chips on top of the cookies. You can use traditional M&Ms and chocolate chips, though your cookies will look different from mine.

Video

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: gluten-free monster cookies, monster cookie recipe