I Tried That

Well, I tried. That’s what matters, right? To all my celiac and gluten sensitive, I’m so sorry. Thoughts and prayers and all that. I mean it, it is hard to be gluten free. It is in absolutely everything! But if there is a light at the end of this tunnel, it is this: I love monster cookies and I really love oatmeal and peanut butter. What a combo! I can still have two of those a night? Cool, I’ll do that. Everything else, well, idk. So friend, instead of me boring you about how hard it is to actually eat gluten free, I thought I would add in the monster cookie recipe that I tried (and tried, and tried) to perfect during the month I attempted to eat gluten free. These are a variation of the monster cookies from Mama Knows Gluten Free, which I found to be the best overall.

I made a few changes during the different versions of these cookies that I made that are of note. First I didn’t use chocolate chips. I found the M&M’s to be plenty chocolate. Second, I used extra chunky Jif peanut butter. It just made the crunch that much better. Third, I used quick cook instant AND old fashioned oats which gave a little more chewiness to the cookie itself. And fourth, I added raisins that I had soaked in warm water and a splash of vanilla. I love a plump raisin in my oatmeal cookies, so I knew I couldn’t leave them out of these cookies.

Feel free to make changes that feel appropriate for you and your family. Some people prefer creamy peanut butter and extra chocolate chips and that is totally fine. It is actually what makes these so irresistible. You can change them up every time! And every time they are perfect.

Misty’s Monster Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups extra crunchy peanut butter. (DO NOT USE natural peanut butter, it doesn’t work as well!)
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 1/2 cups instant oats
• 1 1/2 cups M&M’s (I used the minis, but the regular size is fine too)
• 1 1/2 cups soaked raisins (I soaked them for about 15 minutes, then poured the liquid out before adding to the mixing bowl)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in eggs until combined
4. Mix in baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and molasses until combined.
5. Mix in peanut butter until combined (I warmed mine in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it easier to mix and less clumpy, do not microwave longer).
6. Mix in oats one cup at a time until well combined.
7. Mix in M&M’s and raisins on low until incorporated.
8. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the parchment lined cookie sheets. Flatten cookie with the back of the scoop or slightly moistened fingers. I added 8 cookies per baking sheet.
9. Top each cookie with a few extra M&M’s.
10. Bake for 12 minutes for a soft cookie or 15 minutes for a crispy cookie (I found I liked them on the softer side).
11. Cool on the cookie sheets for 5 – 10 minutes or until set.
12. Enjoy!

Notes

• As always, check to make sure the ingredients you are using are gluten free if that is important to you.
• Do not use natural peanut butter. The oils make it unsuitable for this recipe.
• Prepared cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature .
• You can also freeze prepared cookies, separate with parchment paper to avoid them sticking together (I found a cookie straight from the freezer is wonderful).
• You can make the dough and refrigerate for three to four days ahead of time.
• Cookie dough can be frozen for up to 6 months. I suggest rolling into balls and freezing on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes before adding to a freezer bag, that way you can pull out as many as you need.

Nutrition