Peanut butter-Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies AKA MONSTER COOOKIES!
Who doesn't love a good monster cookie!?!?
Well this weekend ended up being pretty busy so I'm a little late on my post! I went to a fabulous baby shower and than hosted a Norwex party that went far better then expected. I never host things like that and tried to lure people here with baking, taco dip, and non-alcoholic sangria.. I know, I know, but it was 1:00p.m. on a Sunday! I made the recipe that I am sharing with you today for the party and people seemed to like it :)
I've made plenty over the years and most get hard after a day or are too oaty ... is that a word? Then I tried this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker! Here is a link to the recipe on her page http://www.browneyedbaker.com. I tested it out and thought they were pretty good so I took a batch to work not too long ago. I made a full batch which gave me 20 cookies...I had 5 coworkers on my team so it was a bit overkill. I got to work and minutes later, just after 9:00a.m., I was sent out on an emergency...bah! of course... I quickly typed up an email to my team and the team beside us that I was leaving a plate of cookies in my supervisor's office and that they can help themselves. As I left the building, I thought that I should have just waited until after lunch because by the time people are ready to have a cookie they will have forgotten all about my plate which was kind of out of sight. Wellll I ended up back from my emergency less than 2 hours later and there was only half of a cookie left on the plate. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought they were pretty good...or the only one open to eating cookies for breakfast haha.
Since this time, I have made a couple minor changes to the recipe. I was out with my friend Jo getting a pedicure and mentioned what I was thinking of baking for the party. She asked me if I remember the really big cookies that we used to make back in the day. Well she obviously means the monster cookies. I told her that I had a recipe similar...I don't know why but it was only then that it dawned on me - this recipe is basically less oaty and M&M-less MONSTER COOKIES. So I made a few adjustments and now I think that they are PERFECT!!! Here you go Jo! This one's for you!
Most monster cookies do not have flour and just oats. Often they are the large flake rolled oats. My version of this recipe uses quick oats but if you want a larger oat by all means use rolled as the original recipe does. My change makes the texture light and gives them a tiny but of a crunch BUT it still leaves them soft and flaky on the inside. Heads up - Like I said this makes 20 good sized cookies. I half the recipe all of the time so please feel free...unless you can trust yourself with 20 monster cookies in the house. I think the M&Ms make them nice and colorful but they are honestly just as good with only chocolate chips added...perhaps more grown up???
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Butter (chilled or room temperature but not too soft)
1/2 cup Peanut butter
1/2 cup White sugar
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Quick oats (not rolled)
1 cup Chocolate chips OR 1/ cup Chocolate chips + 1/2 cup M&Ms
DIRECTIONS:
With a mixer or beaters combine butter, peanut butter and sugars until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla.
In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this bowl to the wet ingredients. Once combined, add in the oats and mix. Then add in the chocolate chips and M&Ms if you are using them.
This is a softer dough so I usually throw it in the freezer for 15 minutes while the oven is preheating to 365F. You could also put the dough in the fridge for 20-25 minutes.
Once chilled, spoon the cookies onto an ungreased nonstick baking sheet. I weigh them.... I know I'm anal right? I just like them to all be done at the same time and look nice on a plate. Mine weigh 50-54 grams each. If you end up getting 20 cookies you are good to go.
I find that these cookies take from 12-15 minutes to bake depending on how long you chill them.
Diesel loves this recipe because of the peanut butter. He smells the oven door then looks at me as if to say what the heck is taking so long!!
They are a soft cookie so do not try to lift them up to see the bottoms. Just look at the tops and if the tops are golden brown they are good to go. They will continue baking on the pan once you take them out of the oven so leave them on the pan to cool. If you want big cookies by all means go for it - you will just need to increase the baking time. The cookies do look slightly under cooked when they are done.
Enjoy!!