Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
Gluten-Free Monster Cookies have always been at the top of the list of my favorite cookies. They have everything you could want in a cookie: oats, M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter – and to top it off, they are so easy to make. In 30-minutes or less, you can have these chewy, flourless, gluten-free monster cookies!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Creamy Peanut Butter – Use creamy peanut butter for best results. Do not use runny, natural peanut butter as it will make these cookies spread too much and a bit too oily.
- Gluten-Free Oats – Not all oats are considered gluten-free because they are often grown in fields that co-mingle with wheat. I used purity protocol oats, which have very strict standards and are grown in fields that have not grown gluten for a specific amount of years.
Step-by-Step instructions
- In a large bowl, add together the creamy peanut butter, room-temperature unsalted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Cream using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs. Mix until combined, only about a minute.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and baking soda until just combined.
- Add in the gluten-free oats.
- Mix until well incorporated. You want the oats to be fully coated and distributed throughout your dough.
- Pour in the M&Ms and chocolate chips.
- Using a spoon or spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and M&M until evenly distributed.
- With a cookie scoop, place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches in between each cookie. The dough balls should be about 2.5 tablespoons in size.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are browned, swapping the baking sheets midway through.
- Enjoy your perfectly soft and chewy monster cookies! Store any uneaten cookies in a sealable container for maximum freshness and eat within 3-5 days.
Expert Tips
- Do not overbake these cookies for best results. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and then leave on the cooling rack for a few minutes where they will continue to set up.
- Lining your baking sheets with parchment paper keeps your cookies from spreading and giving them a perfect, chewy consistency – and bonus: it makes for easy cleanup!
- I use a 1.6oz cookie scoop when measuring out my monster cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, which yields dough balls around 2.5 tablespoons in size. If you don’t have a 1.6oz cookie scoop, you can use a 1/8 cup measuring cup to create a heaping dough ball about the same size.
Recipe FAQs
To make this recipe dairy-free, use vegan butter, dairy-free chocolate chips, and dairy-free chocolate candy pieces instead of M&Ms.
M&M’s do not label their products as gluten-free. However, they will label any allergens and even label certain varieties that “may contain wheat”. The milk chocolate M&Ms do not contain wheat and are considered safe for those with celiac disease.
Not at all. I prefer semi-sweet, but you can feel free to use any type of chocolate you like. Just remember that plain M&Ms are milk chocolate, so it may be best to use semi-sweet or dark to help balance the sweetness.
If you want to add a little extra oomph with chunky peanut butter, I certainly won’t stop you! Just be sure that if you’re using a natural chunky peanut butter that it is the oily, runny kind. Runny, natural peanut butter will result in a flatter, oily cookie.
Related Recipes
- 3-Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
- Gluten-Free Halloween Candy List
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know! Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also share your pictures and tag @adashofmegnut on Instagram.
Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups oats (use purity protocol or gluten-free certified oats)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, unsalted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs and mix until combined.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and baking soda until combined.
- Mix in the gluten-free oats until well incorporated.
- Then, stir in the chocolate chips and M&Ms until evenly distributed.
- With a cookie scoop, place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, switching the baking pans halfway through the bake time, or until the edges are golden brown.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Not all oats are considered gluten-free because they are often grown in fields that co-mingle with wheat. I used purity protocol oats, which have very strict standards and are grown in fields that have not grown gluten for a specific amount of years.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use vegan butter, dairy-free chocolate chips, and dairy-free chocolate candy pieces instead of M&Ms.
- Are all M&M’s gluten-free? M&M’s do not label their products as gluten-free. However, they will label any allergens and even label certain varieties that “may contain wheat”. The milk chocolate M&Ms do not contain wheat and are considered safe for those with celiac disease.
- Use creamy peanut butter for best results. Do not use runny, natural peanut butter as it will make these cookies spread too much and a bit too oily.
- Don’t overbake these cookies. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and then leave on the cooling rack for a few minutes where they will continue to set.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on January 31, 2012 and updated on October 1, 2021 with new photos, video, tips and tricks to help you make these gluten-free monster cookies perfectly every time!
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
I couldn’t believe how easy these cookies were to make! I made them exactly as directed. They took no time at all and taste so darn good. I will definitely be making these again… maybe even next week!