On The Trail Monster Cookies Recipes

THE BEST MONSTER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and peanut butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well mixed and fluffy.
• Add eggs and vanilla; continue to beat until well combined.
• In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and mix until just combined.
• Add quick oats and mix until just combined.
• By hand, stir in chocolate chips and M&Ms.
• Drop dough by 3 tablespoon scoops onto a baking sheet, scooping only 8 cookies to a sheet (because these cookies are big) and spacing the cookies apart. Use your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten each dough ball into a patty.
• Place additional chocolate chips and M&Ms on the top of each dough patty.
• Bake at 350℉ for 10-11 minutes until set and light golden brown. Allow to cool on pan for 3 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Use regular creamy peanut butter, not crunchy or natural peanut butter. Crunchy and natural peanut butter are drier than creamy, and will therefore make dry cookies. (I use JIF creamy peanut butter.)
• Be sure to scoop these cookies large -- a full 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie (a cookie scoop makes this step extra easy). Scooping Monster Cookies large creates a nice-sized, nice-thickness, soft and tender cookie.
• Placing additional chocolate chips and M&Ms on the top of each dough patty before baking is key to get that characteristic colorful and extra-loaded Monster Cookie top. Press the chocolate chips and M&Ms just slightly into the dough to embed them on the top of the cookie.
• Do not over bake, as the Monster Cookies will turn rock hard. Bake for just 10-11 minutes only, no more. I always bake mine on the 10 minute end.
• Once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 3 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely. They are prone to cracking and crumbling if you try to move them off the baking pan too soon.
• As a side note, 3/4 cup M&Ms is about 9 Halloween fun size packs, if you happen to be using up extra Halloween candy to make these!

ON-THE-TRAIL MONSTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat sugars, peanut butter, butter, shortening, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in oats. Stir in flour, baking powder and baking soda thoroughly. Stir in candies, peanuts and raisins.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls about 2 inches apart. Flatten to 3/4-inch thickness with bottom of glass.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or just until cookies are set and begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

WEST COAST TRAIL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, flax seed meal, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Beat together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy; Stir in eggs and vanilla. Stir flour mixture into creamed butter mixture until dough is just combined. Fold oats, chocolate chips, cranberries, coconut, and pumpkin seeds into dough just until evenly combined.
• Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls or drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart; press to flatten slightly.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly golden at the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

MONSTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls about 2 inches apart. Flatten to about 1/2-inch thickness with bottom of glass that has been greased and dipped into granulated sugar.
• Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 3 minutes; carefully remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.