# Healthier Monster Cookies: An Irresistible Vegan and Gluten-Free Delight
Monster Cookies have been reimagined! Welcome our enhanced take on the rich, chewy, peanut buttery, chocolate- and candy-filled cookies you adore. Our rendition delivers all the indulgence and flavor but is vegan, gluten-free, flourless, oil-free, and sweetened with maple syrup!
Even more exciting? These cookies are incredibly simple to whip up! You only need 1 bowl, 9 ingredients, and about 20 minutes until they’re ready to enjoy. Let’s get baking, friends!
## What are Monster Cookies?
Do they resemble monsters? Do they have a monstrous taste? Or do they transform you into a monster? The backstory of these classic cookies, loaded with chocolate, oats, peanut butter, and M&Ms, remains somewhat elusive! Some believe these cookies earned their name because of their substantial size. Others think it’s due to their lumpy texture, vibrant colors, or perhaps because all the fantastic ingredients make them the ultimate “monster” cookie.
We lean towards the latter! Just think about it. Melty chocolate, chewy oats, peanut butter, and M&Ms — how could a cookie with such delightful ingredients not be the greatest ever?! These components are fairly typical in all monster cookie recipes. Where variations usually arise is in the inclusion of flour versus solely oats, along with the kinds of sugar, eggs, and ingredient proportions.
Our approach? Flourless! Plenty of oats! Vegan, gluten-free, free from oil/butter, naturally sweetened, with no artificial elements. Monster cookies for everyone (and no one’s morphing into a monster 😉)!
## How to Prepare Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
Aren’t monster cookies naturally gluten-free? Not exactly! Those made with all-purpose flour are not gluten-free. However, versions crafted entirely from oats (with no flour) are generally gluten-free, provided you’re using certified gluten-free oats and steering clear of crispy M&Ms (which contain barley malt extract). If oats aren’t suitable for you, unfortunately, this recipe won’t work, but you can check out all of our oat-free treats here!
We opted for an all-oat (no-flour) recipe for various reasons — simplicity, nourishment, a pleasantly chewy bite, and when cooked, it nearly tastes like the oats become flour (magic!). The next classic cookie ingredient omitted from this recipe? Butter! Instead, we incorporate extra peanut butter, keeping them vegan while infusing a robust peanut flavor + extra fiber and a streamlined ingredient list.
As for the remaining ingredients, they’re remarkably straightforward: maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix everything together and then incorporate the traditional monster cookie elements (oats, chocolate, and “M&Ms”).
To maintain a more wholesome cookie theme, we selected a natural M&M substitute that’s colored with beet juice and spirulina, prepared with healthier ingredients. Feel free to use any M&Ms you like, making sure they are gluten-free for GF consumers.
After just 22 minutes, you will have used minimal dishes (it’s a 1-bowl mixing process) and the end result is SO worthwhile! Enjoy those cookies!
You’re going to absolutely LOVE these cookies! They’re:
– Crisp around the edges
– Soft in the centers
– Chewy
– Chocolaty
– Peanut buttery
– Wholesome
– SUPER easy to prepare!
These cookies are ideal for utilizing leftover Halloween candy, will be a favorite at holiday gatherings, are sturdy enough for lunch boxes, and are simple to quickly bake whenever the craving strikes.
## More Oat & Chocolate Cookies
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Drop a comment, rate it, and remember to tag a photo on Instagram.
### Recipe Information
– **Prep Time:** 10 minutes
– **Cook Time:** 12 minutes
– **Total Time:** 22 minutes
– **Yield:** 24 cookies
– **Course:** Dessert
– **Cuisine:** Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Vegan
– **Freezer Friendly:** 1 month (dough)
– **Storage Duration:** 2-3 Days
### Ingredients
– 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (only peanuts and salt)
– 2/3 cup maple syrup
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1/4 tsp sea salt
– 2 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
– 1/2 cup naturally colored candy-coated chocolate (confirm vegan/gluten-free as needed)
– 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (ensure dairy-free if required)
### Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line