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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
Another fabulous recipe- maybe #1 this holiday season so far. Will make year round with regular m&ms!
Hey there,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
Our favorite! We’ve made them two years and a row. The pretzel sticks add so much to the recipe. Thanks for another great one!
Hey Kelly,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
My husband and I made these tonight with our almost 4 year old. We LOVE them. They’re soooo good. And worth going to 3 stores to find the holiday m&ms. Ha ha!
We made a double batch. He’s taking them to an office party and I’m taking them to a friends house tomorrow. Then we will walk some to a few neighbors (I made ours slightly smaller so it made more).
With the oatmeal they’re basically a breakfast food.
Hey Skye,
Happy Monday!❄️🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Made these today. Made them smaller ( meatball size) they didn’t spread too much, but we’re absolutely delicious! Eating them warm is the best!
Got 33 smaller cookies
Hey Val,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that these cookies were enjoyed! Thanks so much for making them! Happy Holidays! xT
Is it ok to use unsalted butter? Do I had a little ionized salt if so?
Hey Emma,
Yes, that’s fine, I would add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi Teighan,
Is it possible to make the mixture a day or 2 ahead and keep it in the fridge before cooking them?
Hey Jade,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
We just made these and they are delicious. Thank you!
Thanks so much for making these cookies Jen! So glad to hear they were enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xT
These are a hit! I used 2 eggs and 2-1/4 C flour, baked at 325 on convection setting and they didn’t spread out too much. My daughters declared these will be a regular every year!
Hey Jill,
Happy Monday!❄️🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Mine came out great with PB holiday M&Ms. Since I can’t eat them all. I want to freeze some. Will the pretzels be soggy (even though they are cooked) when they thaw? Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Hey Allison,
Thanks so much for making these cookies!! They might be:) Let me know! Happy Holidays! xT
Getting ready to make these, but want to clarify the “crushed” pretzel sticks. They look broken rather than crushed in the photo. Little pieces? Or crumbs?
Hey there,
Simply crushed, not crumbs:) I hope you love these cookies, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Delicious! And oh so much fun to make and eat!
Hey Paila,
Happy Monday!❄️🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I made these cookies last year as well when you posted them. They tasted delicious, but ended up spreading out a bit too much. Made them again this year and they completely spread out, filling the whole baking sheet. Any idea where I might have gone wrong?
My guess is your baking powder and baking soda need to be replaced. Both lose their potency quickly. I replace mine every 6 months or less.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for making these cookies! Sounds like your dough was too warm:) To prevent cookies from spreading to much, pop the dough in the fridge for a little! I hope this helps! xx
These are so incredibly yummy! Just took some to our neighbors to share in the goodness.
Hey Jen,
Happy Monday!❄️🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Can I use mini M & M’s?
Hi Diana,
Yes, mini M&Ms will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
What happens if I use quick oats instead of overnight oats? Excited to try!
Hi Christie,
You are going to want to use old fashioned oats, quick oats won’t give the same results:) I hope you love the recipe! xT
Can I make the dough ahead of time and chill it in the fridge until ready to bake? Thank you!
Hi Katie,
Yup, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Wonderful holiday cookies! Definitely going to repeat for years to come. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Nicolette,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! xx