by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008)
Makes 36 cookies
This cookie is the Frankenstein’s monster of the cookie world. One part oatmeal cookie, one part peanut butter cookie, and one part chocolate chip cookie, it is many things to many people. We re-created this rather large, chewy cookie as an homage to the Monster Cookies we remember eating in grade school, only our version is slightly less sweet and a whole lot better. Don’t leave out the corn syrup — it’s integral for the cookie.—Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
convert Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
5 3/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) M&M’s
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Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add the oats and stir until the ingredients are evenly combined.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth and pale in color. Add the sugars and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
3. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth (about 20 seconds) and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.
4. Scrape down the bowl and add the peanut butter. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add the oat mixture in three additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated.
5. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 5 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop out the dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies just begin to brown. Let cool on the pans for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe ©2008 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. All rights reserved.
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[A. Lee] I’ve seen a lot of oatmeal cookie recipes, and a lot of peanut butter recipes, but not many that combine the two. I used my large scoop as instructed, but I ended up with more than 36 cookies. The other odd thing is that the color of the M&M’s started bleeding as time went on, so my last two to three batches had some faded M&M’s. It’s as if the liquid of the dough wore through the color on the candy coating. This is more of an aesthetic than taste-based problem. The overall taste of these cookies was good. I’ve always liked the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
[Kim Venglar] This recipe surprised us in many ways. First, we were surprised to see how smoothly the butter creamed while cold. The amount of flour called for was minimal, but the dough was very stiff due to the amount of peanut butter and oats. We didn’t have regular-sized chocolate chips, so we used the mini semisweet chips. The recipe was easy to mix together, but the cookies took a very long time to bake— because of their size, you could only fit four on a cookie sheet at a time. Luckily, we read through the recipe first, but notes on prep and cook time would have been helpful. It’s an all-day experience to make these cookies due to the 5-hour chill time, then more than 1 1/2 hours of total baking time. Using the regular ice cream scoop gave me the exact yield stated in the recipe. I would recommend a strong, high-quality ice cream scoop, because the dough is so thick, it will break a weaker scoop (don’t ask).
The recipe doesn’t state to flatten the cookies, but this is a crucial step. The first batch baked as stated gave us little igloo-shaped cookies that were raw in the middle. After those, we flattened the dough, and they all baked in 12 minutes. If you want a soft cookie, 12 minutes is good, and if you like a crunchier cookie, bake for 14 minutes. The baking time should also be adjusted as the dough softens.
The raw dough had a strong peanut butter flavor, so we were concerned it would overpower the cookies—but the finished product provided a nice balance between peanut butter and chocolate. The end result is a great-tasting cookie. These cookies are hand-size, and we’re not talking about palms—this includes fingers, too. I can only eat half of a cookie at a time, but the grandkids didn’t have any problems finishing them whole. Making these is a great way to get kids in the kitchen and cooking.
[Tracey G.] I had initial concerns that these cookies would be too schizophrenic for me, but I was delightfully surprised with the results. I like that the oats made for a less dense peanut butter cookie, and I can’t think of a situation where adding chocolate chips didn’t improve a dessert. These cookies are chewy, and continued to stay soft even a day or two after baking. This recipe does call for a large quantity of several ingredients: peanut butter and oats, most notably. Prepare to delay your gratification, since the dough needs to chill for 5 hours. Were the M&M’s essential to the recipe? Probably not. I wouldn’t worry if you don’t have M&M’s on-hand and you’d like to try this recipe.
[Judy O.] If you love oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate, these cookies are the bomb! This is the best new recipe for cookies that I’ve come across in a long time—and I try lots of cookie recipes. I refer to them as “healthy” cookies because of the quantity of oatmeal they contain. I substituted Reese’s Pieces for the M&M’s, which gave the cookies a more pronounced peanut butter taste, and they were great. Everyone at my workplace loved them. Next time, I’d store them in a tin to try to keep them crisp. I had only covered them, and they softened overnight.
[Kara Vitek] These cookies were fabulous. Everyone who tried them gobbled them up right away, with no complaints. What I especially liked about them is that they weren’t overly sweet—they weren’t very sweet at all, actually. I was skeptical to make the dough with cold butter (rather than room-temperature butter), but it worked very well. The small amount of flour also made me skeptical, but the dough was the perfect consistency. I liked that they baked into chewy cookies with soft centers; it’s the perfect texture for the medley of peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate. I baked some of the cookies after the 5-hour refrigeration, and I baked some after overnight refrigeration. Both batches were perfect. Also, I divided the dough in two. One had the semisweet chips and M&M’s, as called for; the other had semisweet chips and milk chocolate chips. Both types were a hit.