Monster-Sized Monster Cookies Recipe

Monster cookies, despite the name, aren't the kind eaten by Cookie Monster. Believe it or not, the big blue Muppet actually nom-nom-noms on rice cakes! Better him than us as we'd rather have these monster cookies that recipe developer Kate Shungu explains are "a cross between peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal cookies." She says these cookies are soft, chewy, and rather sizable. They even taste good at any temperature: You can even refrigerate them if you enjoy chilled cookies, but Shungusays she loves them slightly warm as well. Just be sure to let them cool once they come out of the oven so you don't burn your mouth on a hot chunk of chocolate.

Shungu also has a tip that "mimics a bakery-style cookie." Once you've portioned out the cookies, pul the dough balls apart, then stick them back together with the rough edges facing outwards. Although your cookies will taste just as good if you skip this step, putting in the extra effort will give the cookies "a textured top with lots of peaks and valleys."

To make the cookie dough, you'll need butter, sugar (both white and brown), eggs, vanila extract, baking soda, salt, oats, and peanut butter. Although Shungu uses the creamy kind, she says crunchy will work just as well. For the mix-ins, you'll be using M&Ms and chocolate chips. Shungu prefers miniature chips as she feels that they are more evenly distributed throughout the batter, but if you'd like a bigger bite of chocolate, she says it's okay to use regular-sized ones.

Beat the butter with both types of sugar until the mixture appears fluffy — this should take maybe 2 to 3 minutes if you're using an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs and butter at this point, then combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and stir those into the mix. Fold in the oats along with the chocolate chips and M&Ms.

Let the cookie dough sit in the refrigerator for ½ hour, then preheat the oven to 350 F.

Use a ⅓ cup measure to portion out the dough into balls — Shungu advises against packing the dough too tightly or else you might not have enough to make 16 cookies. In order to get craggy-topped cookies, pull the dough balls apart, then squish both halves back together with the rough sides facing outwards.

Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes. When they are done, they'll appear golden brown along the edges and the centers will look cooked instead of wet. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before attempting to remove them.

If you store the cookies at room temperature, be sure to keep them in an airtight container. Refrigerating them will extend the shelf life for up to 2 months, but for long-term storage, you should be able to freeze them for up to a year without any noticeable loss of freshness.