Monster Cookies Without Peanut Butter
If you’re looking for a cookie that has a little of everything, monster cookies are the answer! They’re kind of like the baking equivalent of soup or sauce. You can add in all kinds of goodies to make them to your liking.
The monster cookie looks exactly like its name, loaded with chocolate chips and candy pieces. These cookies have the perfect amount of chewiness and a little bit of crunch from the candy inside.
Although there are many ways to make monster cookies, many recipes typically include peanut butter.
However, if you’re allergic to peanuts or if you don’t have enough peanut butter on hand it is still possible to make a delicious batch of monster cookies.
These cookies are especially a big hit with kids because of the colorful M&Ms but adults can’t resist them either!
The Best Substitute for Peanut Butter
In this recipe, we’ve simply added more butter to create the same gooey and chewy texture as any other monster cookie.
However, if you would like a more nutty flavor without peanuts or if you simply don’t have peanut butter you could adapt a monster cookie recipe by replacing the peanut butter. If you are able to eat nuts and have almond butter available, it would work well.
Some nut-free substitutions include sunflower seed butter, coconut butter, tahini, or soynut butter. While all of these ingredients have a similar texture to peanut butter they may alter the flavor of the cookie.
If you like coconut, for example, you could create a coconut-flavored monster cookie with coconut butter and shredded coconut.
That’s the great thing about monster cookies, they are so easy to adapt with different flavors and add-ins.
While we could substitute the peanut butter for another type of nut butter it’s just as easy to simply use butter. Shortening could also be used in place of the butter if you do not have enough butter available.
Monster Cookie Ingredients and Mix-Ins
This is where the fun begins. This recipe is kept to the minimum of classic M&M’s and chocolate chips but these cookies can be anything you want them to be!
If you’d like to add more of one flavor or add more crunch it’s easy to do. Keep your mix-ins to about ¼ cup or less each.
Some crunchy mix-ins could include Rice Krispies, pretzel pieces, or even crushed potato chips.
M&Ms are used in nearly every monster cookie recipe, but with so many different types of M&Ms out there, you can really get creative. You could try mint chocolate, caramel, mocha, or almond. Try different festive colors for holidays and different seasons.
Raisins work well for an extra chewy cookie and work especially well with oats.
Add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. You can also try replacing the vanilla extract with others like almond or maple. When adding spices or extracts try to choose based on the flavors from the candy pieces you are adding in.
Shredded or toasted coconut is a great addition if you like the chocolate and coconut flavor combination.
Monster Cookie Baking Tips
These cookies are extra soft and chewy so when they come out of the oven they will look slightly undercooked. Let them sit for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
If your baking pan tends to stick when letting cookies cool, line it with parchment paper before adding the cookie dough.
If you want your cookies to look extra colorful, you can add a few extra M&Ms on top of each ball of dough after dropping them onto the cookie sheet.
One thing that helps to make these cookies nice and chewy is the addition of oats. Be sure to use quick-cooking oats and not instant oatmeal or steel-cut oats. This will help to achieve the desired chewy texture.
How to Make Monster Cookies Without Peanut Butter
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2: In a medium-sized bowl cream together the butter and sugar.
Step 3: Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time. Mix well to combine.
Step 4: In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, oats, and salt.
Step 5: Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well to form the dough.
Step 6: Mix in chocolate chips and M&Ms.
Step 7: Drop cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes.
Monster Cookies Without Peanut Butter
These monster cookies without peanut butter are so chewy and delicious. Feel free to add any alternative nut butter or another mix-in that sounds tasty to you!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks, softened)
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
- In a medium-sized bowl cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time. Mix well to combine.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, oats, and salt.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well to form a dough.
- Mix in chocolate chips and m&ms.
- Drop cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 3g
Thank you for the simple recipe! I was looking for a recipe I could change around and instead of thee cup of M and M’s I substituted a cup of chopped up candy bars.
Thanks for sharing this recipe as my boys are allergic to peanuts! We just used a big tub of smarties for our chocolates! They were super delicious!!