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    Home » Sweets » Vegan Monster Cookies

    Vegan Monster Cookies

    Published: Oct 30, 2020 · Modified: Nov 4, 2021 by Kaylie Grace · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Read the affiliate disclosure here. 

    Vegan monster cookies are super thick, soft and chewy, and so easy to make! They’re packed with creamy peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and vegan M&M’s. Made in one bowl with dairy-free ingredients (and can easily be made gluten-free). It’s a healthier twist on the classic, colorful dessert we all know and love!

    five vegan monster cookies on a small metal cookie rack beside bowls of oatmeal, chocolate chips, m&ms, and peanut butter

    Vegan monster cookies are a mash up of different textures and flavors, creating a truly unique cookie experience! As a self-described cookie monster, I can assure you these are some incredibly delicious cookies.

    Creamy peanut butter is combined with hearty oatmeal to create a subtly-nutty, chewy cookie dough. Then, chocolate chips and M&M’s are added for pockets of melted chocolate + crunchy candy-coated pieces in every bite. They’re sweetened with brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon is added for warm flavor. What more could you want?!

    These monster cookies are:

    • Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and egg-free // can be made gluten-free
    • Soft, chewy, and fluffy inside with crispy golden-brown edges
    • Loaded with a sweet peanut buttery flavor + crispy candy-coated gems
    • Kid-approved and non-vegan approved
    • Great for gifting, birthdays, potlucks, and parties
    • A colorful dessert that will brighten anyone’s day!
    a vegan monster cookie with a bite taken out of it, surrounded by a bowl of vegan m&ms, chocolate chips, and more cookies

    What are monster cookies?

    Simply put, monster cookies are peanut butter oatmeal cookies packed with chocolate chips and M&M’s. As the name suggests, they’re a mash up of several different components – like a monster! These cookies are often extra large in size and thicker than traditional chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes, monster cookies will contain additional ingredients like chopped peanuts, chopped pecans, or shredded coconut.

    five googly eye vegan monster cookies on a small metal cookie rack beside bowls of oatmeal, chocolate chips, m&ms, and peanut butter

    What ingredients are in healthy monster cookies?

    • Flour: These cookies are made with all-purpose flour. To make it gluten-free, use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
    • Oatmeal: Use rolled oats, rather than steel cut or quick oats, for these monster cookies. Rolled oats are packed with fiber and minerals like manganese, phosphorus, iron, and selenium.
    • Peanut butter: Whether creamy or crunchy, use your favorite peanut butter.
    • Vegan butter: I recommend vegan butter from a tub (also known as margarine) rather than vegan butter sticks. In my opinion, the tub variety always works better when it comes to baking.
    • Brown sugar: Brown sugar helps to create deliciously moist, sweet, golden-brown cookies.
    • Chocolate chips: Vegan chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks can be used in this recipe.
    • M&M-style candies: Although traditional M&M’s are not vegan, there are several vegan-friendly copycats. Scroll down to view a list of dairy-free M&M style candies!
    • Flaxseed: Ground flaxseed and water are paired to create a “flax egg.” Flax eggs are often used in vegan baked goods because they bind the ingredients without the need for real eggs.
    • Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon adds a delicious warm flavor.
    a marble and wood cutting board topped with bowls of oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, m&ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter, cinnamon, and ground flaxseed

    How to make vegan monster cookies

    For the full ingredients list and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to view the recipe card below.

    First, prepare the flax egg by combining ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Mix together, then set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

    In a large bowl, combine vegan butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, cream the ingredients together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Then, add the flax egg and vanilla extract. Cream together once more.

    Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. This includes flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix together until the flour is evenly incorporated. Toss in the chocolate chips and candy coated chocolate gems. Mix together.

    Next, scoop the monster cookie dough into 12 balls. Transfer dough to the baking sheets, then bake for 15 minutes.

    Remove cookies from the oven when the edges are light golden brown and the centers are still gooey. They should appear slightly underbaked, because they will continue cooking and firm up a bit while cooling. Finally, allow the vegan monster cookies to cool before devouring.

    seven balls of vegan monster cookie dough with colorful m&ms

    Where to buy vegan M&M’s

    Are M&M’s vegan? No, the original M&M candies are made with milk chocolate. However, you can find several vegan and dairy-free copycats online.

    Where to find vegan M&M style candies:

    • Clarana Bunte Candy Coated Chocolate Buttons
    • No Whey Foods Choco No No’s
    • Unreal Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems
    • Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems
    • Little Secrets Dark Chocolate Pieces
    overhead photo of vegan monster cookies on white parchment paper, surrounded by four bowls filled with peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and m&ms

    Kaylie’s tips

    Don’t over-bake the cookies. As always, I recommend removing your cookies from the oven while they still appear slightly underbaked. The cookies will firm up and de-puff while cooling on the baking sheet. For perfect cookies, take ’em out of the oven when the edges are light golden brown and the centers are still gooey.

    Bake cookies on the middle rack. If you have the patience for it, I highly suggest baking the cookies one tray at a time on the middle rack in your oven. Oftentimes, cookies will burn or bake unevenly on the upper and lower oven racks. Trust me, it makes a difference and it’s worth the wait!

    How to make them gluten-free: Substitute all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour.

    Make the cookies for Halloween! During Halloween season, you can add googly eyes for a fun and festive dessert.

    Store leftovers in a sealed container. To keep the cookies soft and fresh, store them in a sealed container. They will keep for up to 5 days. For longterm storage, place them in a ziplock bag inside the freezer. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

    a bite taken out of a vegan monster cookie beside a bowl of vegan m&ms and chocolate chips

    More vegan cookie recipes

    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Vegan Oatmeal Cream Pies
    • Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
    • Vegan Trail Mix Cookies
    • Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

    If you try these Vegan Monster Cookies, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Instagram and YouTube!

    Print
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    five googly eye vegan monster cookies on a small metal cookie rack beside bowls of oatmeal, chocolate chips, m&ms, and peanut butter

    Vegan Monster Cookies

    ★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Kaylie Grace
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 12 cookies 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Vegan monster cookies are soft and chewy, super thick, and easy to make! They’re packed with peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and vegan M&M’s. It’s a healthy twist on the classic dessert, made with one bowl and dairy-free ingredients (with a gluten-free option). Great for Halloween, kids, parties, birthdays, and gifting! #cookies #chocolatechipcookies #vegancookies #vegandessert #peanutbuttercookies #halloweenparty #halloweenideas #cookierecipes


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water)
    • ½ cup vegan butter, slightly softened
    • ½ cup peanut butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup rolled oats
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ cup vegan M&M style candy or candy coated chocolate gems
    • ½ cup vegan chocolate chips

    Instructions

    1. Combine ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the mixture thicken.
    2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
    3. Add vegan butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar to a large bowl. Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, cream ingredients together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the flax egg and vanilla extract. Cream together until combined.
    4. Add all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together until the flour is evenly incorporated. Add the vegan M&M style candies and chocolate chips. Mix together.
    5. Scoop cookie dough into 12 balls. Transfer cookie dough to the baking sheets.
    6. Bake cookies for 15 minutes, or until the edges are light golden-brown and the center is still gooey. Remove cookies from the oven while they appear slightly underbaked. They will de-puff and firm up while cooling.
    7. Allow cookies to cool before devouring. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • For soft and chewy cookies, remove them from the oven while they still appear slightly underbaked. They will continue to cook and firm up a bit while cooling on the baking sheet.
    • Keep cookies stored in a sealed container. They will keep for up to 5 days.
    • Read full post for a list of vegan M&M style candies.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cookie
    • Calories: 336
    • Sugar: 22g
    • Fat: 18g
    • Saturated Fat: 5g
    • Carbohydrates: 39g
    • Fiber: 3g
    • Protein: 6g

    Keywords: vegan monster cookies, healthy monster cookies

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @purelykaylie on Instagram and hashtag it #purelykaylie

    This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use, trust, and love!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. laura

      July 05, 2022 at 12:29 pm

      I just baked them, they are sooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe!! Can I freeze them?

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        July 05, 2022 at 3:05 pm

        Thank you so much, Laura! Yes, you can freeze these cookies. They will stay fresh for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. For longterm storage, keep in the freezer inside a sealed bag or container for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Elaine

      April 07, 2022 at 7:56 am

      We made these with a chia egg because we were out of flax. They turned out great! Some of the best egg-free cookies we have made.

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        April 07, 2022 at 9:12 am

        So glad you enjoyed them, Elaine! Thank you! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Jana

      January 15, 2022 at 10:13 pm

      Best vegan cookie recipe I’ve tried yet! I used a gluten free flour mix and used a few tablespoons less of sugar and they still turned out just perfect and plenty sweet (especially for the kids).
      This is now my go to recipe, thank you!!

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        January 16, 2022 at 1:05 pm

        Thank you so much, Jana! I am so happy to hear that you loved these vegan monster cookies 🙂

        Reply
    4. Sadie

      December 03, 2021 at 8:46 pm

      Amazing monster cookie recipe, my boyfriend brought some to his work, and his head chef was blown away that they were vegan.

      Thank you for this amazing recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        December 04, 2021 at 7:17 pm

        Aw I love this! Thank you for sharing, Sadie! So glad everyone enjoyed these vegan monster cookies 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jen

      September 03, 2021 at 4:12 pm

      I made these today. They are fantastic. I topped them with a pretzel. Two thumbs up!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kaylie Grace

        September 03, 2021 at 4:16 pm

        Such a great idea, Jen! Thank you for sharing & so happy to hear you loved them 🙂

        Reply

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