The Best Holiday Christmas Monster Cookies Recipe
These soft and chewy Christmas Monster cookies are made with oats, pretzels, chocolate chips and fun holiday red and green M&M. The perfect cookie to gift or enjoy yourself!
Packed full of holiday goodness, this is one of my favorite cookie recipes to make when the holiday season arrives.
A big THANK YOU to Jen from Tatertots and Jello for hosting this online cookie exchange. And if you are hoppin’ over from Cindy at DIY Beautify – welcome! I think you are gonna love this festive cookie recipe!
It’s a great spin on homemade chocolate chip cookies with a fun salty pretzel crunch, a chewy oatmeal texture and the sweetness of both milk chocolate and white chocolate chips.
Sprinkle in some holiday M&M’s – and it’s sure to be a winner at all your upcoming cookie exchanges too!
I love to combine these baked cookies with my Italian Christmas cookies and Graham Cracker Toffee bars for an irresistible holiday gift for family and friends!
Christmas Monster Cookies
Another reason I love this great recipe? It can be made in a matter of minutes! So simple to bake and eat warm, right out of the oven!
And unlike traditional monster cookie recipes, this one has NO creamy peanut butter! So, if you are not a fan of peanuts (like me!) – this is the perfect festive treat for you.
If you just got a little sad realizing this is not a peanut butter cookie, I think you should still give this easy Christmas cookie a try. There’s so much yummy fun packed into this monster cookies recipe – you may not even miss the peanut butter flavor!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
There are a few important key ingredients needed for these Christmas Monster Cookies to be a success though. Here’s a quick overview with my notes.
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list with amounts.
Butter – Salted or unsalted butter, the choice is yours. I tend to use salted butter in all my baking.
Dark Brown Sugar – Packed brown sugar adds that beautiful golden color and a hint of molasses flavor.
Sugar – Granulated sugar is needed for this recipe.
Eggs – Large eggs bind ingredients together and add a little rise.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla (I love Trader Joe’s) adds a hint of flavor that’s synonymous with chocolate chip cookies.
Flour – All purpose flour, no need to sift.
Baking Soda & Baking Powder – The leavening agents that add just the right amount of rise to achieve a chewy cookie.
Salt – A touch of salt enhances the flavors of all the other ingredients in baking.
Oats – Quick oats bake quickly and offer a more delicate texture, however rolled oats are also ideal for baking if you want to add a chewy texture. They are interchangeable with old fashioned oats which have a hearty, earthier texture.
M&M’s – No Christmas Monster cookie recipe is complete without M&M’s!
Pretzels Pieces – Adds a touch of salty crunch to compliment the sweet chocolate.
Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet and white chocolate add body and richness to these delicious cookies!
How To Make Christmas Monster Cookies
A simple overview, visit the printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Prep the kitchen by preheating oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mix until combined. Beat in oats.
- Next, fold in the M&M’s, the pretzels, chocolate chips, and white chocolate.
- Roll cookie dough balls and place on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes, rotate pan and bake 2 minutes. Then pull the pan out and push remaining M&M’s into the cookies. Bake 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Christmas Monster Cookie Tips
To help ‘show off’ the holiday M&M’s, add in a few extra on top of each cookie – just before the cookies finish baking completely. This will allow each cookie to have a special bit of festive M&M’s fun!
For easy storage, place chewy monster cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Can you freeze these holiday monster cookies? Heck ya! This delicious cookie recipe freezes very well. Just carefully place cookies in a large, gallon-sized Ziploc bag and freeze for up to two months.
More Cookie Recipes
Below you will find even more delicious cookie recipes to try:
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear if you liked it! Merry Christmas everyone!
Christmas Monster Cookies
These soft and chewy Christmas Monster cookies are made with oats, pretzels, chocolate chips and fun holiday red and green M&M. The perfect cookie to gift or enjoy yourself!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup holiday M&M’s (plus extra for topping)
- 1 cup mini pretzels, crushed
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the oats.
Fold in 1 cup of the M&M's, the pretzels, chocolate chips, and white chocolate.
Roll the dough into balls. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake another 2 minutes. Pull the pan out and push the remaining M&M's into the cookies. Bake 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet.
Eat warm or let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
It’s important to note that these cookies do spread. They’re meant to have slightly crisp edges and perfectly soft gooey centers.
Cookies slightly adapted from Half Baked Harvest.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 268mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g
The online Cookie Exchange continues on with My Sweet Savanah! And you can check out all the delicious cookie recipes below:
Tatertots and Jello: Chewy Soft Christmas Gingerbread Cookies | Modern Glam: Candy Cane Cookies With White Chocolate Kisse| | The Handmade Home: Easy Cake Mix Cookies | DIY Beautify: White Shiplap Gingerbread Cottage | Inspiration for Moms: Christmas Monster Cookies | My Sweet Savannah: Bourbon Molasses Gingersnaps | Paint Me Pink: Cranberry Orange Cookies with White Chocolate | She Gave it a Go: Festive Christmas: 3-Step Iced Sugar Cookies | Craftberry Bush: Handpainted Snow Globe Christmas Cookies | Pink Peppermint Design: Delicious Iced Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Count me in! I can’t wait to try this perfectly delicious-looking monster Christmas cookie you shared, dear friend. Thanks so much for the inspiration—pinned!
Merry Christmas,
Brendt
These are so pretty and look delicious! Can’t wait to try the recipe!
Laura, this sounds delicious! Salty, sweet, chocolatey… sign me up! Pinned for later. Merry Christmas!
They look so yummy! I pinned them to my cookie exchange board to share. I can’t wait to make them, Laura!
xxoo