Monster Cookies

Dear, sweet, readers, I want to give you a gift. Something warm and simple and comforting. Consider these cookies a big fat THANK YOU for coming here and reading, commenting, pinning, baking, and sharing the love week after week. You make me smile.

If I could I would have you all over to my house and we'd make cookies together, covering all the counters with oats and peanut butter, and sneaking more than a few M & Ms along the way. Then we'd sit around the kitchen table with these thick, warm cookies and dunk them in a big ol glass of cold milk. And we'd talk about Bachelor Pad (or you'd judge me for watching Bachelor Pad) and boys and how stupid bills and taxes are. And we'd laugh...because you guys are funny! And I would compliment your super cool scarf--because you're so stylish. And we'd leave with bellies full of Monster Cookies and hearts full of friendship.

But the truth is, my house is a disaster, there are five swatches of nearly the same colored blue paint on my living room wall (I CAN'T MAKE DECISIONS), and my nose still feels a little like someone punched it. But that doesn't mean we can't still share some Monster Cookie love from a distance. These guys are so dangerously easy to make you could be munching on your own batch in less than 40 minutes.

I'm not sure who came up with the name Monster Cookies, but they were dead on, because these cookies cause uncontrollable bouts of "OM-NOM-NOM-ING." You might as well just surrender, because once they come out of the oven there's no stopping it. These fat, chewy  cookies stuffed to the brim with oats, chocolate chips, M & Ms, and peanut butter are impossible to resist.

Oh, and did I mention these are also gluten free? That's right, these sweet, golden cookies are completely flour-less.

Every time I walked by that tupperware container, I simply had to peel back the lid and sneak a few bites. Five minutes later, another nibble. Another pass by the counter, another bit of cookie gone. Just the smell of them wafting through the air as the lid came off was enough to drive away any sense of self control.

So give them a try. Let these cookies bring out the Monster in you. And don't forget, I love you guys. Seriously, I do.

Monster Cookies
Yield: About 40 regular sized cookies are 2 dozen giant (monster sized) cookies
Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup M & Ms, plus more for the top of the cookies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine peanut butter, sugars, and butter. Using the paddle attachment, beat until smooth and combined. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. With the mixer on stir, add oats and baking soda and stir until combined. (My mixer was really full at this point, so make sure to keep on low speed or you may end up with a peanut butter oatmeal splatter!). Stir in chocolate chips and M & Ms.

3. Drop cookies by the heaping Tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets. Press down gently with the palm of your hand. Press additional M & Ms onto the surface of each cookie if desired.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are puffed and barely golden. Remove from oven and allow to set up on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing. Always err on the side of under baking cookies. Even if they look a little "unset" in the middle, go ahead and take them out. They'll set up on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.