Gluten Free Monster Cookies

Gluten Free Monster Cookies are what one would consider the perfect gluten free oatmeal peanut butter cookies. Certified gluten-free oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and Mini M&Ms make delicious cookies with crispy edges and a soft and chewy center. And all the fun add-ins give them a wonderful texture everyone will love. Believe me when I say you can't just have one and walk away. Oh and adding little googly eyes is optional... but if you know me, highly recommended especially if you make them around Halloween, just like my gluten free peanut butter brookies.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I tested this recipe for gluten free oatmeal peanut butter cookies with my own gluten free flour blend and King Arthur Measure for Measure. While both flour blends work fabulously in this recipe, the cookies made with King Arthur Measure for Measure stayed softer longer than the cookies made with my own blend. This is because King Arthur has added vitamins and minerals which will extend the shelf life of products baked with this blend. Clearly, this recipe will work with other gluten free flour blends. Just make sure the blend does contain some sort of binder like xanthan gum.

Gluten Free Oats: While I recommend using gluten-free old-fashioned oats in this recipe, gluten-free quick-cooking oats will work as well. You can also use a mix of both just do not use instant oats or steel-cut oats.

Peanut Butter: The key ingredient to making gluten free peanut butter oatmeal cookies is definitely peanut butter. I prefer baking with “conventional” peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. Conventional peanut butter is made with fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, which help stabilize the peanut butter and prevent it from separating. In my opinion, it’s more reliable in baking than natural peanut butter (which is perfect for snacking!). Creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter will work in this recipe. In case you have a peanut allergy, sunflower seed butter can be used. I have not tried the recipe with Almond Butter.

Mini M&Ms: Mars, the maker of M&M, does not label its products gluten-free. Several resources online consider M&Ms gluten-free, therefor I feel very confident recommending them. Please be aware some M&M flavors do contain gluten. Like Pretzel M&M's, which lists wheat flour as an ingredient, and Crispy M&M's which is made with barley malt.

Peanuts: I use salted Cocktail Peanuts in this recipe. The salt balances out the sweetness of the gluten free monster cookies.

A Note about Gluten Free Monster Cookies

One can make Gluten Free Monster Cookies with a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Personally, I prefer using a stand mixer since the paddle attachment does cream butter so much better than a hand mixer. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough for at least 1 hour before baking. Even better if you can wait for 12hrs. This will ensure the cookies will not spread during baking plus scooping the cookie dough will be so much easier.

I did bake some cookies just 30 minutes after making the dough and some cookies 12hrs after making them. The cookie dough which rested for an extended period of time had a chewier texture and was more flavorful. On the other hand, the cookie dough baked just after 30 minutes had a very crispy texture and did spread. Also, these gluten-free monster cookies were lacking flavor and chewiness.

Allowing the dough to rest ensures the dry ingredients soak up moisture from the wet ingredients. This subtle hydration makes the dough less wet, concentrating the flavors. This especially brings out a subtle hint of molasses from the brown sugar. The result is an even bake with less spreading and golden brown cookies packed with flavors.

Please be aware the longer you allow the monster cookie dough to chill, the less the cookie dough will spread. This is because the oats soak up all the moisture. Therefore I recommend gently pushing down the cookie dough balls before placing them in the oven. This will give them a head start.

How to make Gluten Free Monster Cookie Dough

For the complete recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the post.

Step 1: Combine the gluten-free flour, baking soda, kosher salt, gluten free rolled oats, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, and chopped peanuts in a separate bowl and set aside.

Step 2: In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter and peanut butter until fully combined for about 2 minutes.

Step 3: Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix for 3-4 minutes until lighter in color and fluffy.

Step 4: Incorporate the egg and egg yolk and mix for an additional 30 seconds.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until a cookie dough forms. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the paddle of the bowl so everything is mixed in.

Transfer the oatmeal peanut butter cookie dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1hr (12hrs if possible).

How to bake Monster Cookies

Step 1: When ready to bake your gluten free oatmeal peanut butter cookies, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and use a 2 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop (I refer to this as the #20 – yellow scoop) and portion out your cookie dough. This Gluten Free Monster Cookie recipe should give you 12 - 14 cookies, depending on how much dough you snacked on. If you like to make the cookies smaller, please be aware that the baking time will decrease.

Step 3: Evenly space out 6 monster cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently press down the dough and top with some additional M&M chocolate candies and dark chocolate chips if desired.

Step 4: Bake the Cookies at 350F for 12-14 minutes. The cookies should appear puffy and start to get golden brown on the edges. These cookies should be chewy and soft so don’t overbake them.

Step 5: Remove from the oven, and if you like, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot them into a perfectly round shape. Top with additional M&Ms, Chocolate Chips, and Peanuts and sprinkle with some flaky sea salt (optional). Allow the cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking pan before moving them to a wire rack/cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 6: Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough.

Storage & Freezing

The best way to store these gluten-free monster cookies is in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies should stay soft and chewy for 3-4 days.

The dough for these cookies freezes beautifully. I recommend making the peanut butter cookie dough, allowing it to chill for at least 2 hrs (it will be easier to scoop that way), and form into balls. Gently press the dough down and place them on a small sheet tray that’s lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Once the dough is solid you can transfer it to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, one can bake them straight from the freezer adding a few additional minutes to the baking times.

How do you fix dry gluten-free cookies?

There are a few reasons why gluten-free cookies may turn out dry. Changing ingredients such as eggs or the amount of sugar can cause the cookies to be crumbly and fall apart. Sugar not only adds sweetness to the recipe but also moisture. Especially brown sugar which also contains molasses. Overbaking can also cause the cookies to be dry. Cookies will continue to bake on the cookie sheets after removing them from the oven for several minutes.