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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, so be careful when cooking the cookie dough! 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, my trick is 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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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.
This post was originally published on December 3, 2021
So delicious! The oats made them feel wholesome, loved the touch of salt from the pretzels but they are still choc chip cookies.
Hi Angela,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
So good! I skipped the extra yolk for a thicker cookie and the cook time you suggested was spot on. Love them! Love how down to earth you are too, Merry Christmas!
Hey there,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
My kind of cookie- chock full of yummy things, think, chewy with lots of texture. Distinct oat taste. I may add more M&Ms and pretzels next time for even more chocolate and salty flavor. Good tip to add a couple M&Ms at the very end because those are more visible.
Hi Monica,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
Just made these…to die for!!! Amazing!
Hi Milada,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
My cookies seem flat. Maybe because I am at a lower altitude I should have used more flour. They taste good, but maybe I was expecting something richer.
Hi Katie,
Was there anything you may have adjusted? You can always pop them in the fridge to prevent the spreading. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Best monster cookies I ever had!
Changed my recipe and kept this one
Hey Anne-Ellen,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
WOW!!! I don’t think I’ve had a better cookie! My family is simply devouring these and has asked me to bring them to pretty much every event this holiday already 🙂 —thank goodness they are so easy!
Hi Brigid,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
Kid approved! Followed the recipe to a “T” except for setting aside some of the red and green m&ms for putting on just before baking is done. Next year!
Hi Margaret,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
The perfect cookie! I’ve already used this recipe twice and plan on making another batch for Christmas. Thanks for the fun!
Hi AJ,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
These are delicious! I made them for a Christmas party and they were flying off the table. My first batch was a little too brown on the bottom so my second batch I reduced the baking time slightly and only let them cool 2 minutes or so on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
Hi Erica,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
These are absolutely wonderful! I made a batch yesterday to keep some and give the rest as presents. They are going to make so many more ppl happy too ?. Thank you and Merry Christmas to all at Half-Baked Harvest!
Hi Jade,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
These cookies are delicious! Just made them for the first time and I’ll definitely be making them again 🙂
Hi Clare,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
This is an objectively good recipe. monster cookies are great because you can add your own flair. I followed the recipe but also added some crushed up candy cane Hershey’s kisses for extra Christmas flair. I weighed my ingredients per usual, and had no issue. Perfectly golden edges and chewy interior! Love them!
Hi Kelsey,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
Could I add peanut butter to this? If so, how much?
Hi Allison,
I have not tried this, but I would do 1/3 cup of peanut butter. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made a double batch of these cookies last night for my husband to take to work today. I’ve been getting texts all day raving. They came out perfect. I recently found this site and it’s the first recipe I’ve made. I’ll be back for more! Thank you so much and Happy Holidays!
Hi Tiffany,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
My goodness! These were amazing! You’re cooking times were perfect! Perfect crisp/chewy edges! Thank you!
Hi Holly,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan