Next Post
Frosted Spicy Ginger Moscow Mule.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Christmas Monster Cookies for your December weekend baking…festive, easy, and sweet. Homemade chocolate chip cookies, made with oats, pretzels pieces, plenty of chocolate chunks, white chocolate, and plenty of holiday M&M’s. There’s nothing not to love about these sweet chocolate (crunch) cookies. Each bite is slightly crisp on the edges but soft and gooey in the center…with just a little salty pretzel crunch and milk chocolate throughout.
Fridays in December are just better! There are holiday parties, searching for the perfect gift for someone you love, and baking the nights away with family and friends. Well, at least that’s the “Hallmark” version I have in my head.
The reality is a little less picture-perfect for sure, but I’m definitely doing the baking! It’s one of the reasons we love this season the most. I mean there are so many cookies! As I said on Tuesday, this year I’m really focusing on all of the holiday cookies I haven’t made before.
My list of cookies is a mile long, but I only have a handful of days to share them. So, I’m trying to pick the very best on my list. It’s tricky, but I always knew these cookies needed to be shared. The combination of ingredients is just too good.
The steps are easy
One: gather your ingredients. You’ll need the basics…butter, sugar, flour, etc. Simple, simple, nothing fancy, but all good.
Two: the stir-ins, they’re are the most important part. You’ll need old fashioned oats, salted pretzel twists, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks, and white chocolate chips. And then plenty of red and green holiday M&M’s, which really make these cookies.
Three: beat, mix, stir, bake.
Four: eat these cookies warm, just out of the oven, because these are those kind of gooey delicious cookies.
A couple notes
It’s important to note that these cookies do spread. They’re meant to have slightly crisp edges and perfectly soft gooey centers, just like in the photos. My favorite type of cookie…totally delicious.
If you want a bit of a thicker cookie, simply omit the additional egg yolk and use only two eggs. This will give you a thicker cookie without as much spreading.
To get the M&M’s to really pop, I like to add in a few just before the cookies finish baking completely. This way each cookie has a bit of the festive M&M’s right on top.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re so easy to make. They require no chilling and they really are completely no fuss. Especially when it comes to Christmas cookies.
These cookies have perfectly crisp edges, yet soft and gooey centers. They’ve got a nice crunch plus a little saltiness from the pretzels – the best kind of cookie.
I’m excited to include these in the year’s Christmas cookie box. They’re perfect for packing up and gifting to friends for the holidays!
Looking for other Christmas cookies? Here are my favorites:
Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Christmas Monster Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Christmas Monster Cookies
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 364 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/4 cups holiday M&M’s
- 1 cup mini pretzel sticks, crushed
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs and 1 egg yolk, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the oats. 3. Fold in 1 cup of the M&M's, the pretzels, chocolate chips, and white chocolate. 4. Roll the dough into 1/4 cup size balls. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. 5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake another 2 minutes. Pull the pan out and push the remaining M&M's into the cookies. Bake 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. 6. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
I made these for Christmas and WOW! They are delicious. Instead of 1 cup chocolate chips, I did 1/2 cup chocolate and 1/2 cup butterscotch (because I LOVE oatmeal scotchies). Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe, thank you for giving it a try! xT
Love these! Our new staple yearly now with the kids 🙂 so glad we found it
Thank you so much Emily! xT
These look so good! I cannot get pretzels where I live. Would they work without those? Or is there a good substitute you can suggest? Thanks!
Hi there! Maybe some rice krispies would be a good substitute! xT
These are a crowd pleaser! Just made my 3rd batch of these in 2023.
So glad to hear you are enjoying these monster cookies! 🙂 xT
Making these for santa tonight. When measuring the pretzels is the one cup after being crushed or before?
Hi Leah! It’s one cup after being crushed! xT
These look amazing! Can i add peanut butter to this? if so, what would the proportions be to add that? Thanks so much🎄❤️
Hi Katie! I am so sorry I haven’t ever tried this recipe with peanut butter before! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂 xT
Just finished making these for some small gifts for family we are hosting last minute for Christmas Eve. Oh my goodness they are amazing!! Used Peanut m&m’s because I didn’t realize I was out and it added another layer of flavor!
Hi! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
Just made these and the kids love them. The first batch following the instructions spread a bit too much and had to go back in for an additional minute. The others I adjusted the time a bit, 9 minutes, then turn the pan for an additional 3.5 minutes. They clumped better, a little darker on the edges but still chewy!
Hi! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
Such a yummy recipe. But mine spread so much should I try chilling the dough? I followed the recipe to a T and still they came out like flat disks. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!
Hi Charissa! I’m so sorry about that! I would recommend adding a little bit more flour if the cookies are spreading too much for you! xT
These are yummy and easy to make. Mine took longer to bake. They do not look like the picture unfortunately not very aesthetically pleasing. I would try this recipe again in the cookie bar version next time
Thank you so much for the feedback Val! xT
This recipe gets the W every time. I follow the recipe exactly and they turn out beautifully. Crisp edges, soft middle. It’s an “everything” cookie that hits all the notes. Salty, sweet, with a perfect cookie texture. You’ll want to print this recipe
Hi! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing Christmas! xT
Made these cookies a week ago and they turned out SO good! I got so many compliments. I went to make them again today and noticed the recipe has been edited (i.e., no more brown butter, added baking powder, etc.). I tried to recreate what I originally did from memory as well as using the new recipe as a guideline and they didn’t turn out anywhere near the same. Still taste good, just got really flat this time. Really disappointed the recipe was changed as I had great success with the first one!
Just noticed these are two different cookies! I originally made the chewy Christmas snickerdoodles (which is very similar to this monster cookie and pictures look the same). Whoops! Will definitely be giving those a try again.
Hi Maggie! So sorry for any confusion! Yes, the monster cookies and the snickerdoodles are similar but have a few differences in the recipes! Thanks for giving the recipes a try! xT
Are these supposed to have oats? Very tasty!!
Yes… 2C; last instruction in step 2!
Love the taste but mine turned out thick with little spread. Followed the recipe exactly, what should I do different next time. Thanks and happy holidays!
Hi Julie! Hmmm I would maybe add a little less flour if you’re wanting the cookies to spread more! xT
Oh my gosh, these are amazing!! Thumbs up from the family. Adding this to the annual holiday baking list, thank you.
Hi! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing Christmas! xT