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Home By Meal Dessert

Healthy Monster Cookies

★★★★★ 11 Reviews Recipe Print
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By: Erin1/14/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

healthy monster cookies

Healthy monster cookies are an easy gluten-free cookie recipe made with simple ingredients like oatmeal, peanut butter, and almond flour. Not only are they nutritious but they also are just like the classic monster cookie.

holding a cookie

Monster cookies are the best cookies ever. Bold statement? It may be, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and say it. I mean they literally have all of the best things in this world crammed into one little cookie so who could deny it? Plus they are made healthier and the fact that healthy monster cookies exist makes it ten times better.

With every single bite you are bound to get something chocolatey, chewy, and tasty. I like to call that the cookie jackpot!

This recipe for monster cookies was created in my kitchen after I found a bag of leftover m&ms in my pantry and knew I needed to bake with them before I ate the entire bag in one sitting. So I got to work whipping these up and now I have them on hand for whenever I need a little something sweet.

Besides the fact that there may be some chocolate in these, these healthy cookies should be eaten at any time of the day. Don’t let anyone ever tell you when is an appropriate time to eat a cookie… if you want one for breakfast, I’d say they are totally acceptable.

I also wanted to share my Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies because they’re another one of my favorites and are GF too.

Monster Cookies Video

What are monster cookies?

Monster cookies are basically like the older and cooler cousin of the traditional chocolate chip cookie. They are loaded with peanut butter giving a rich, salty flavor and then packed with a bunch of delicious add ins.

Peanut butter, M&Ms, oats, chocolate chips all come together to make these chewy monster cookies, except this version is made a little bit healthier.

Simply done by just reducing the amount of sugar and swapping out a few ingredients like butter, white sugar, and white flour for a few of our favorite healthier ingredients like coconut oil, coconut sugar, and almond flour.

In traditional monster cookies, you can find any of the above ingredients! They are thick, chewy, and perfect for kids (and also adults!)

tray of monster cookies

Are monster cookies gluten-free?

Monster cookies are not traditionally gluten-free because they use regular flour, but in this recipe we make them totally gluten-free!

With the swap of almond flour for traditional white flour and certified gluten-free oats for traditional rolled oats, you can make these monster cookies safe for people who need to eat gluten-free or prefer a lower carb dessert.

breaking a cookie

How to make healthy monster cookies

If you have twenty minutes than you have enough time to make these healthy monster cookies. All you need are two bowls and a baking sheet!

In a large bowl, mix together all your dry ingredients – almond flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut oil, and coconut sugar together. Then, add in peanut butter and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir until fully combined. Then, mix in M&Ms and chocolate chips.

Roll cookie dough into balls and flatten slightly onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350F for 14-16 minutes.

healthy monster cookies

Freezing cookies

The best part about these monster cookies is that they are freezer friendly. I highly recommend stashing a few in the freezer so you can have one whenever the craving strikes. You can freeze the baked cookies or the cookie dough!

To freeze baked cookies:

Allow cookies to cool completely. Place in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet to freeze cookies. Once frozen, place in a freezer safe container or bag.

When you’re ready to eat, allow the cookie to thaw on the counter or warm in the oven!

To freeze cookie dough:

Form cookie dough into balls (as if you were going to bake them). Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe container and ziplock bag.

To bake, remove cookie dough from freezer. Allow dough to thaw in refrigerator and bake according to directions.

three monster cookies on tray

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

  • Healthy cake batter balls
  • Healthy oatmeal tahini cookies
  • Easy paleo sugar cookies

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!

breaking a cookie
★★★★★ 4.6 from 11 reviews

Healthy Monster Cookies

Healthy monster cookies are an easy gluten-free cookie recipe made with simple ingredients like oatmeal, peanut butter, and almond flour. Not only are they nutritious but they also are just like the classic monster cookie.

Prep: 10Cook: 15Total: 25 minutes
Yield 18 cookies 1x
Print Pin it Rate

Ingredients

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • M&Ms for mixing
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk two eggs and add oil and coconut sugar.
  4. Add in peanut butter and vanilla.
  5. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
  6. Add in M&Ms and chocolate chips and form into balls.
  7. Flatten slightly onto cookie sheet and top with more M&Ms and chocolate chips if desired.
  8. Bake for 14-16 minutes.
  9. Enjoy!
Author: Erin MorrisseyCategory: gluten-free, dessert, snackMethod: bakeCuisine: American
breaking a cookie

Did you make this?

Leave a comment below and tag @erinliveswhole on social media!

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There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂

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    Healthy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
chocolate chip cookies
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Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love seeing what you made!

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Veronica says

    Posted on 4/16 at 2:30 pm

    Can PB be substituted with almond butter?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/18 at 5:56 pm

      Hi Veronica, yes! Let me know how they come out!!

      Reply
  2. Trish V says

    Posted on 12/13 at 11:11 am

    What kind of peanut butter? Will Skippy Natural peanut butter do? Or does it have to be the old fashioned drippy (has to be refrigerated) peanut butter? Thank you I can’t wait to make these!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 12/14 at 3:40 pm

      Hi Trish, Skippy natural will work great! Let me know how your cookies come out!

      Reply
  3. Alli says

    Posted on 11/17 at 7:54 pm

    AMAZING and so fluffy!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 11/18 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Alli, I am so glad you loved them!

      Reply
  4. Nicole S says

    Posted on 10/17 at 12:19 pm

    I love these fun cookies! What’s great about them, you can keep the base the same & basically add in whatever goodies you have in your pantry (at least that’s what I do haha) & I’ve never been disappointed.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 10/18 at 5:57 pm

      Hi Nicole, I am so happy you loved them and yes- they’re unique every single time!! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Veronica says

    Posted on 7/2 at 10:01 pm

    Was craving cookies today so I made these impulsively. I didn’t have m&ms on hand, so I just used chocolate chips and coconut flakes, and they were so good! Even though they are healthier, they totally hit the spot and filled my craving. Even my husband ate one and didn’t complain about them being “weird healthy cookies” like he normally does when I bake healthy desserts!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 7/6 at 4:21 pm

      Hi Veronica, so happy you both loved them so much! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Andi says

    Posted on 1/11 at 3:49 pm

    I made these for the ELW Cookie week and have fallen in love! I have made them another 2 time since (yes that’s 3 times in one month, they’re THAT good!) They were very easy to make and came out so delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/12 at 10:53 pm

      Hi Andi, I am so happy you love them so much!! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Caroline says

    Posted on 1/3 at 5:28 pm

    I made these for ELW Cookie Week this year and they were a HIT! Thank you, Erin!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/4 at 3:02 pm

      Hi Caroline, thanks for being part of my cookie week!!

      Reply
  8. Alisha says

    Posted on 1/3 at 4:39 pm

    It’s hard to believe these cookies are made with healthy ingredients, they’re so good! I was running out of eggs the first time I made them so I substituted with bananas and they still turned out great – I’ve been doing that ever since!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/4 at 2:45 pm

      Hi Alisha, thanks for sharing! So glad you made them your own!

      Reply
  9. katie says

    Posted on 12/13 at 7:41 pm

    amazing as always!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 12/14 at 2:22 pm

      Hi Katie, I am so glad you liked them!

      Reply
  10. Sara says

    Posted on 12/13 at 10:49 am

    Absolutely delicious! Super easy to throw together and bake in less than 30 min. Didn’t have coconut sugar so I subbed a raw sugar/Stevie blend and it worked great!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 12/14 at 2:19 pm

      Hi Sara, thanks for sharing! So glad you liked them!

      Reply
  11. Savannah says

    Posted on 7/15 at 4:12 pm

    I triple checked the recipe, and I’m not sure what happened but this recipe was a flop for me 🙁 the texture was bad, not chewy and tasted overdone and I even cooked them less than the recipe says. They also didn’t taste like a cookie, almost a bitter taste and not at all sweet – more savory than anything.

    I was hoping to give them out at work, but they are pretty bad I don’t think I can even do that. I’m most likely going to have to throw them away. I’ve tried many other cookie recipes by you before that have been great, so this was a big let down especially because other comments on this recipe showed other people had good luck.

    ★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/3 at 9:14 pm

      Hi Savannah, hmm, that is weird. They shouldn’t be bitter. It sounds like a step may have been missed or something was expired. Hope you can try it again and they come out right. Let me know!

      Reply
  12. Jessica says

    Posted on 2/20 at 6:30 pm

    All your cookie recipes are seriously my fave! I think this is the fourth one i tried?! Using almond flour instead of reg flour is such a game changer. Keep up the good work!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/9 at 8:42 pm

      Hi Jessica, thanks for your kind words and support!! I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies!!

      Reply
  13. Jackie says

    Posted on 1/22 at 10:30 am

    These cookies are DELICIOUS ! Easy to make and easy to eat them all in one sitting If you guys have no control haha.
    My husband loves m&ms and I had to make them ! We devoured them in 2 days !

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/11 at 7:47 am

      Hi Jackie, thank you for your kind words! I am so happy you both loved them! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Jenna Rose says

    Posted on 1/19 at 9:53 pm

    These were so easy to make and SO TASTY and hearty! Normally, I can eat a whole batch in one sitting ? but with these, I only wanted 1 or 2 because they’re full of good ingredients that are nutritious and FILLING! Yum. I will 100% be making these again. And they freeze so well!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/11 at 8:26 am

      Hi Jenna! Thanks for your kind words! I am so happy you love them so much!! 🙂

      Reply

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I’m Erin. Creator of Erin Lives Whole, a food blog with delicious and easy healthy recipes that will leave you feeling good. We’ve got everything from wholesome baked goods to comforting savory dishes. I can’t wait to see what you whip up! Read More...

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