Halloween Monster Cookies
Get in the spooky spirit with these playful and delicious Halloween monster cookies. Loaded with colorful M&Ms, crunchy peanuts, chocolate chips, candy corn and more, these cookies are easy to make and fun to share!
Turning my classic monster cookies into Halloween cookies was a bit of a no-brainer, but I was unprepared for how fun they’d turn out, and how much I’d love them. And I can’t think of a more perfect treat to make with your kids, or share at any Halloween party or gathering.
These Halloween monster cookies have rich buttery flavor and lots of delicious chewy texture from rolled oats and crispy rice cereal. And best of all, they’re packed with fun mix-ins! Like M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, peanuts, candy corn and edible candy eyeballs.
Table of Contents
- What's in these cookies
- How to make Halloween monster cookies
- Recipe tips & FAQs
- More Halloween recipes
What’s in these cookies
This is a standard drop cookie recipe, which means its made with classic ingredients like butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and flour, etc. But what you really want to know is all the fun stuff, right?
These Halloween monster cookies are loaded up with:
- Old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- Crispy rice cereal (you’re going to love the texture this give the cookies!)
- Mini chocolate chips
- Peanut butter chips
- Chopped peanuts
- M&M candies (find Halloween-themed mixes if you want, or use regular M&Ms)
- Candy corn
- Candy eyeballs (most grocery stores carry them in the baking aisle year-round, but you can also purchase online)
Note: Many of the mix-ins above can be substituted or left out completely. Don’t like candy corn? Leave them out! Want to make these cookies nut-free? Substitute peanut butter chips for another kind of chip and leave out the peanuts.
How to make Halloween monster cookies
- Prepare cookie dough. Beat the butters and sugars till creamy, then add eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients and the mix-ins.
- Portion into cookie dough balls. Since these cookies are so loaded up, you really need to make larger cookies for them to bake up right. Use a large #20 (3 Tbsp) cookie scoop.
- Add mix-ins on top. Add candy eye balls and additional mix ins on top of each round. Without this step the cookies won’t look nearly as impressive.
- Bake. They’ll need about 11-12 minutes in a 350°F oven.
- Add candy corn (if using). Candy corn melts in the oven, so we have to add them after baking. Press 1-2 each into the tops of cookies while they’re still warm.
- Enjoy! These cookies are so fun, they won’t last long!
Recipe tips & FAQs
Of course you can! I do not recommend changing the rolled oats or crispy rice cereal, as that changes the cookie composition. But you can absolutely play around with baking chips, candies, etc.! Other options include white chocolate chips, Reese’s pieces, chopped candy bars, etc. I recommend 1 1/2-2 cups total (excluding candy corn and eyeballs).
These Halloween monster cookies are best within 1-2 days of baking, but will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If you want to prep cookies in advance, prepare cookie dough balls and store in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking, or freeze cookie dough balls for up to 1 month in a ziplock bag. Let cookie dough thaw/come to room temperature while the oven preheats.
Yes, absolutely! Let cookies cool completely, then transfer to a ziplock bag, remove excess air, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature, and enjoy. They’re taste fresh as the day you baked them!
baking tip:How to keep cookies from spreading
Isn’t it the biggest bummer when you pop a tray full of cookie dough into the oven, only to pull out flat, greasy cookies? It happens to me too. It could be caused by a variety of reasons:
- The temperature of the butter. I believe this is the #1 culprit when cookies spread! If the recipe calls for room temperature butter, make sure it isn’t too soft when you start making your dough. When you press a finger into the butter, it should just barely leave a dent.
- Over-creaming the butter and sugar. Overbeating causes the butter to break down and release air bubbles, which can lead to flat and dense cookies.
- A greased cookie sheet. Use parchment instead to prevent sticking without adding extra grease.
So what if you’re in the middle of baking a batch of cookies, they’re spreading in the oven, and you want to fix it? Try chilling the dough on the cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes before baking. This will hopefully slow down the process of spreading.
More Halloween recipes
Halloween Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (85 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup (215 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour , measured correctly (see Notes)
- 1 ½ cups (150 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (45 grams) crispy rice cereal
- ½ cup (120 grams) Halloween colored M&Ms , plus more for adding to tops of cookie dough
- ½ cup (70 grams) roughly chopped peanuts
- ½ cup (200 grams) peanut butter chips
- ¼ cup (55 grams) mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Candy eye balls , as desired
- Candy corn , as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line sheet pan(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl at least once to make sure it's uniform. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, and baking soda and salt. Add to the mixer all at once and mix on low until mostly combined but streaks of dry ingredients remain.
- Add the crispy rice cereal, M&Ms, peanuts, peanut butter chips, and mini chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
- Drop large rounds (I use a large #20 (3 Tbsp) cookie scoop) onto the prepared sheet pan, 8 per pan. Flatten rounds slightly with your palms, and then add candy eye balls and additional M&Ms so the tops of the cookies will look nice.
- Bake until edges start to turn golden brown and centers are just barely set, about 11-12 minutes. While cookies are still hot, reshape edges as needed with a spatula, pushing them back into nice circles. Add candy corn as desired to the cookies (1-2 per cookie), gently pressing them into the soft baked cookies while they're warm.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for several days, and enjoy!
Notes
- Mix-in substitutions and variations: Feel free to play around and use what you want or have. Other options include white chocolate chips, Reese’s pieces, chopped candy bars. I recommend 1 1/2-2 cups total (excluding candy corn and eyeballs). I do not recommend changing the rolled oats or crispy rice cereal, as that changes the cookie composition.
- Be sure to measure flour correctly with the “spoon and sweep” method so the cookies spread properly and aren’t too dry or cakey. If you can, use a kitchen scale!
