Gluten Free Monster Cookies– a healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe with m and ms… your favorite monster trail mix in flourless cookie form.
Gluten Free Monster Cookies
I don’t know about you but m&m cookies take me back… they were inspired by our homemade trail mix we’d take on every family vacation growing up.
Pretty much every family vacation growing up was in the RV, and while some may consider this a luxury way of travel (like my dad).
I can assure you as a teen, I most certainly did not. One bathroom for all six of us, in no way was I thrilled. RVs are a lot of work too… we’d get home from vacation and we didn’t just have to unpack our bags and get settled back at home.
No, we had to unload and deep clean the motorhome too. We would dread getting home from a trip because we knew we would spend the next several hours/half a day cleaning.
Couldn’t we just be a normal family and get a couple hotel rooms for once?
My dad likes to drive across the country…. from Florida as far as Missouri, Texas, and New York City and Canada.
Bonus was that we got to sleep and play board games during the long treks… it had a full kitchen, so my mom and dad would cook dinners at night and we’d sit out by a campfire or the picnic tables with the fireflies. This was something that I really enjoyed about the trips.
A perk to traveling in an RV is a fridge stocked with meals and snacks so there are no reasons to make pit stops, except for fuel.
One snack that was always on board was a homemade monster trail mix. We loved munching on this mix traveling down the road.
During football season, we’d make our way up to Auburn, AL several times in the fall and host a big tailgate in our motorhome. Something we still continue to do together, except I’ve learned to appreciate motorhome travel… kinda.
In honor of end of summer, back to school and fall football, I’m sharing these gluten free monster cookies inspired by our Monster Trail Mix. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
These peanut butter oatmeal cookies are so moist, flourless, gluten free and have just the right amount of chocolate.
How to make gluten free monster cookies?
- Grab a bowl and mix together butter and peanut butter. You can do 100% peanut butter in this recipe but I think a little unsalted butter goes a long way in making these crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
- Cream in sugar. You can use a mixer or a wooden spoon and a little muscle. Whip in the eggs for about a minute.. you don’t have to do this step but I think whipping a little air into the eggs makes these cookies super soft.
- Then stir in the oats, almond flour, coconut, peanuts and chocolate.
- Chill the dough!
- Scoop and bake flourless cookies in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Whip up a batch of these m and m cookies this weekend. You’ll be amazed at how fast they disappear.
If you tried this flourless cookie recipe or any of our recipes, please leave a comment and rate the recipe. We love hearing from you! You can also tag #loveandzest on social media. To stay up-to-date, FOLLOW US on Instagram @LoveandZest, Pinterest, and Facebook.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Irresistible Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Monster Trail Mix Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 13 cookies 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Gluten Free Monster Cookies– a healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe with m and ms… your favorite monster trail mix in cookie form.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup m&ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, peanut butter and sugar and using an electric mixer cream together until smooth.
- Add eggs and whip until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; mix in until incorporated.
- Mix in oats, almond flour, and coconut flakes until fully combined. Stir in chocolate chips and m&ms; chill dough for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.
- Scoop cookie dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on pan and transfer to drying rack.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (1/13 recipe)
- Calories: 186
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 109
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 38mg
Keywords: m and m cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, gluten free, almond flour, trail mix
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products we believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, Love & Zest will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items.
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
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Thank you for sharing this amazing & yummy cookie with all of us.
HI! Would this recipe work without oats and peanuts? Excited to make them. 🙂
You can leave out the peanuts but the oats would need to be substituted for some type of flour. You could try an additional 1/2 cup of almond flour but I’d recommend using all purpose at maybe 3/4 cup?– you can always add more but can’t take away so start small and then see how dough forms.
OMG, my kids will go crazy for these! We’ll probably make these cookies together on next Sunday (or even invite their friends to join us). Can’t wait to see how much my kids will enjoy them. The cookies are extra thick, and the texture seems to be so soft-baked. I love the way they look.
For how many days do these cookies remain soft Kristina?
Thank you so much for sharing this fun idea. Look forward to your new recipes. Your site is fantastic!
★★★★★
Hey Ann– they dont last long enough in our house to dry out 🙂 I would say a few days on the counter will still give you super soft cookies. Hope you guys had fun making them!
Thank you for the recipe, you are an inspiration for us all!
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You read my mind. I was just looking for a gluten free Monster cookie recipe this week!! Can’t wait to make these 🙂
just so everyone knows these aren’t gluten free unless you use gluten free oats.
okay so I just found your blog and look forward to reading it. I am in the process of healthier eating…but am not ready to go totally extremo! I want to feel good about the way I eat and be able to perform at the best of my ability without going crazy. I am totally a carb/sugar/snack lover so I need to work on that for sure!!! I look forward to finding some great recipes and tips
Thanks
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! I totally agree with not going extremo! I can be hard to maintain a healthy balance when you get too strict (or even too lose) on yourself. Congrats to you for knowing where to draw the line and best wishes as you begin your new journey!