Healthy Monster Cookies

These Healthy Monster Cookies are for all those peanut butter and m&ms lovers. They are lightened up, flourless peanut butter cookies packed with tender oats and chocolate chips. It’s one of the world’s best gluten-free cookie recipes!

this recipe

Where my COOKIE MONSTERS AT?? I made you (healthier) gluten-free monster cookies because I just couldn’t help myself.

When I had my siblings over for cookie decorating Christmas eve, I made those (amazing) little pretzel kiss m&m treats – you know the ones. They’re basically a must for the holidays. Well, when I started the pretzel kiss assembly I realized I forgot to pick up m&ms. *DOH*

So I asked my sister to bring me a bag of red and green m&ms on her way over. But what she brought me instead was a ginormous bag of regular m&ms. Which was fine because I made asked my little brother to pick out all of the red and green ones for the pretzel kiss treats 😀 But then that still left me with a big ol’ bag of m&ms. I mean, there are only so many green and red m&ms per regular bag, ya know?

Easy Flourless Monster Cookies

So anyways, I don’t like to leave candy sitting out because I WILL eat it – especially m&ms. I just can’t help but love those little coated bites of chocolate. So I stuck the bag in the pantry out of eyesight and told myself I’d make some cookies with them at a later date.

Well, that date is now, my friends. I was in Panera the other day and noticed those colorful monster cookies staring me in the face. So I knew I had to make a Healthier, Gluten Free Monster Cookie recipe of my own!

But what does “healthier” mean in this case? We’re using less butter, less sugar and just oats as the binder (no all-purpose flour). Thankfully, these flourless cookies are still loaded with flavor and satisfy the sweet tooth craving.

Ingredients For Peanut Butter Monster Cookies

• gluten-free quick oats
• baking soda
• salt
• peanut butter
• butter
• coconut or brown sugar
• egg
• vanilla extract
• non-dairy milk
• mini chocolate chips
• m&ms

How to Make Monster Cookies without Flour

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oats, baking soda and salt.
3. In large bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat together peanut butter and sugar for about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl, then beat in softened butter. Add in egg and vanilla.
4. Add in 1/2 the bowl of dry ingredients, milk and begin beating on low speed. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients until combined; dough will be thick and just slightly soft.
5. Add in mini chocolate chips and m&ms and gently fold.
6. Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop and drop onto cookie sheet, flattening slightly with palm of the hand. Add more m&ms to tops of cookies.
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Oats

To ensure your cookies are gluten-free, make sure to buy oatmeal that is certified gluten-free.

The healthy gluten free cookies in the photos are made with rolled oats, but I made them again with quick (baby) oats and they came out softer and chewier! If you only have rolled oats on hand, pulse 4-5 times in your food processor to break them down slighty!

Tips For The Best Healthy Monster Cookies

• Use quick oats for the best texture. If you only have old-fashioned rolled oats, pulse a few times in your food processor as noted above!
• Natural peanut butter offers the best flavor, just make sure to stir before mixing into the cookie dough. A Natural JIF or Skippy will also work.
• Evenly space cookies on the parchment lined baking sheet to ensure even cooking.
• For dairy-free, replace the butter with an equal amount of softened coconut oil and make sure to use dairy-free mini chocolate chips!

How To Store

These gluten free m&m cookies will keep best stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

To freeze, transfer to a plastic freezer storage bag, seal, label, date and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Remove from the freezer for 5 minutes to take the chill off before enjoying!

Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley

★★★★

3.8 from 4 reviews

How to Make…

Healthy Gluten Free Monster Cookies

These Healthy Gluten Free Monster Cookies are for all those peanut butter and m&ms lovers. Lightened up, flourless peanut butter cookies.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes

• Yield: 20 cookies 1x
• Scale: 1x2x3x

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Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free quick oats*
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup natural peanut butter**
• 1/3 cup coconut or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter***, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 TBSP non-dairy milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup m&ms (plus more for topping if desired)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside
2. In medium bowl, combine oats, baking soda and salt.
3. In large bowl of stand mixer or using electric hand mixer, beat together peanut butter and sugar for about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl then beat in softened butter for another 30 seconds – 1 minute.
4. Add in egg and vanilla; beat slowly until combined – scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
5. Add in 1/2 the bowl of dry ingredients, milk and begin beating on low speed. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients until combined; dough will be thick, and just slightly soft.
6. Add in mini chocolate chips and m&ms; use large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold in, being careful not to break m&ms.
7. Using medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons), scoop dough and drop onto cookie sheet spacing evenly, shaping into even circle and flattening slightly with palm of hand (see pictures in post). Add more m&ms to tops of cookies, if desired. These cookies won’t spread much, so you want to flatten them slightly.
8. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy with your favorite person!

Recipes Notes:

2019 – recipe slightly updated to include more peanut butter and a couple minor tweaks for better results after reader feedback. They hold together much better now!

*I tested these with both quick oats and rolled oats. While both worked okay, the quick oats held the cookies together slightly better. The pictures are shown with rolled oats but I would recommend quick oats for the best results. However, if you only have rolled oats on hand, you can use those. OR pulse them *slightly* in a food processor to break them up.

**I used a natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt for the ingredients. If you choose to use a creamy peanuit butter (i.e. JIF), that should also work.

***I did NOT test these with coconut oil, but it will likely work – just make sure oil is softened and you may need to cream longer with peanut butter and sugar. Let me know if you try!

Nutrition Information:

• Serving Size: 1/20th
• Calories: 109
• Sugar: 4g
• Sodium: 132mg
• Fat: 7g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 9g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 10mg

Category: Dessert Method: Oven Cuisine: American
Keywords: Gluten Free Monter Cookies, Healthy Monster Cookies, Gluten Free m&m Cookies, Gluten Free Healthy Cookie Recipes
Author: Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen

More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:

• Healthier Cranberry Orange Cookies [Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free]
• Healthy Breakfast Zucchini Cookies [Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan]
• Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies [Gluten-Free]
• Healthier Cherry Oatmeal Cookies [Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free]
• Grain-Free Espresso Cashew Butter Cookies

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