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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
All I have on hand are quick one-minute oats. Will that work instead of the old fashioned oats? Or should I just omit the oats all together?
Hey Sarah,
For this recipe you will definitely want to use the old fashioned oats and definitely don’t skip them:) I hope you love the recipe! xx
Just made these cookies for the first time! While they definitely aren’t as pretty as your cookies, they are delicious!!
Hey Kelsey,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Made theses for the first time! They are GINORMOUS! Love the secret ingredient of the crushed pretzel sticks! I added the whole bag of M and M’s and baked for 8 minutes. I did rotate the pan and baked for an adiitional 4 and they came out perfect! Thank you! Sharon W-Glastonbury, CT. 12/17/22
Hey Sharon,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
I’m confused. The ingredients list 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 c crushed pretzels, and 1/2 c white chocolate chips. But the directions only state to mix in 1 c. I don’t see where to add the remainder of the mix?
Hi Linda,
Step 3 only calls for 1 cup of the M&M’s because the other 1/4 cup of M&M’s is used in step 5. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
These cookies are AMAZING! I tried making them for the first time last night and I am obsessed! These will be added to the yearly Christmas cookie rotation. I omitted the white chocolate chips because it felt like there was a lot already, and added only one cup of the M&M’s. SO GOOD!!
Hey Vanessa,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend!🎄⛄️
Hmmm this wasn’t for me. It has a lot going on and just didn’t gel well together for my taste buds. I subbed white chocolate with butterscotch for more of a salty kick but I just didn’t like this .
Hi Mariana,
Thanks for giving these cookies a try, so sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! xx
Love these cookies! So delicious and always a big hit & always get asked to share recipe.
Thanks so much Julie!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xx
I made these gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. It’s the best and I’ve tried most of them. I used Snyder’s gluten free pretzels. I used two eggs and did not add the extra yolk, 1 cup Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips and 1 cup M&Ms. Used medium size Pampered Chef cookie scoop and baked for 11 minutes. They are so perfect, chewy on the inside, slightly crispy around the edges. So good!
Forgot, I also used 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar like a regular chocolate cookie recipe.
Thanks for sharing what worked well for you!
Hey Toni,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend!🎄⛄️
Hello Tieghan,
If I freeze these into balls, do you recommend thawing the balls first before I bake them?
Thanks
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
Yes, I would thaw and I would wait to add the pretzels so they don’t get soggy. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Yikes-these ended up so so flat. Followed the recipe to a T – using two eggs. Also had to play around with the time. What happened?? Help!
Hi Alison,
Sorry to hear these were not enjoyed! Why didn’t you add the third egg yolk? Was there anything else you adjusted in the recipe? Let me know so I can better help you! xx
They still tasted great and people still enjoyed them!!! Many of your other posters omitted the egg yolk so I did as well. Everything else I included was exactly per your recipe. Hmmm?
I would try adding the egg yolk:) Also, if your dough is warm, try popping it in the fridge!
Best cookies I have made in a while! Will be a recipe I make every year. Some modifications I made:
1. Substituted 1/2 cup oats for 1/2 cup potato chips. Adds a little more crunch!
2. Used butterscotch chips in place of white chocolate chips
3. Used peanut butter M&Ms
4. Used only 2 eggs, omitting the extra yoke
Great flavor combo!
Hey Conner,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
This is the first year I’ve made Christmas cookies so I was hoping for something easy to make. These cookies turned out to be very frustrating to make for the same reasons mentioned in the other comment. (Thank you so much for your advice!) Eventually, I got them to bake thoroughly without burning the bottoms and leaving the centers raw.
These are my recommendations:
Do not add the M&Ms until after the cookies are baked.
Make cookie dough balls half the size mentioned (1/8 cup works). I put 8 on each baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.
Rotate pan. Bake for 2 more minutes.
Add red and green M&Ms to top of cookie immediately after taking them out of the oven.
Wait about 3-5 more minutes then transfer cookies to dry rack.
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. Sorry you did not have the best results. xx
Hi can I freeze the dough so I can make these ahead of time. I am hosting Friend’s Christmas this year 🙂
Hi Kristen,
Yes, that is fine to do, I would just wait to add the pretzels:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
These are going in the family recipe book. Of all the baking I have done this year, they are the fan favourite (and when I say fan favourite, I mean my hubby, two sons, and during a school bake sale). Not only are they so delicious and so fun to make and eat, but are very versatile in terms of what different types of candy and chocolate you can use! I will definitely make these again. Weirdly, even though these cookies have all kinds of fun ingredients in them, I think it is the rolled oats that really make them stand out as a cookie, and offer a unique aspect to them. I thoroughly enjoyed both making these AND eating them.
Here are a few moderations:
Instead of 1/4, I used 1/8 cup when forming the cookie dough balls. I initially followed the instructions, but could not get an even bake on them, many of mine were burnt on the bottom. Yes, the baking times did vary, and I did play with it a little (sorry, I don’t remember the exact times)
I did mix the pretzels, white and dark chocolate in the dough, but I kept out the entire portion on holiday M and Ms specifically for the topping because I liked the look of it better, and also when I baked my first batch, some of the white and dark chocolate gave the cookie an “overdone” texture and look, so I thought it would be best if they stayed mixed into the batter.
Also, when I can while making cookies, I almost always roll the dough balls, and refrigerate them for a while before baking so that all the ingredients have a chance to become uniform in temperature and bake similarly. I enjoy the chewy texture it adds.
Hey Aimee,
Amazing!! I am so glad you have been enjoying these cookies and truly appreciate you making them! Thanks for sharing your adjustments and what works well for you! Happy Holidays! xx
I made the Monster Christmas cookies today, very good! I made them smaller using my medium sized Jenaluca cookie scoop. I rounded the scoop off just slightly and ended up with over four dozen cookies from the recipe. Midway thru I added just a few more pretzels and white chocolate chips. I used two eggs, omitting the extra yolk. Will make again for sure.
Hey Karla,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx