Monster Cookie Bars

There are probably no less than a gajillion recipes for monster cookie bars online, but over the past couple months I've been playing around with one my sister gave me and we think it's practically perfect.  For us.  Hopefully it will be for you too.


One time I cooked these too long and it was terribly disappointing.  In an attempt to try to help you avoid the same, I took the batch I made last week out of the oven and straight to the table for pictures.

See how the edges are just barely starting to brown?  And do you see my shoelace in the bottom left hand corner?  This is almost as good as an I Spy book.

Here they are raw, spread out in the pan.  I just use my hands to mash them down and fill the pan.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

Monster Cookie Bars

Yield: one cookie sheet 

Adapted from my sister, Holly

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter*
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats**
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats**
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mini M&Ms
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips (we use semi-sweet)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Grind your oats to flour (I just put them in our all-powerful blender and let it run until it's all ground).
3. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, and butter.  Beat with a hand mixer on medium for two minutes, until it's fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract.  Blend together.
5. Add in the salt, baking soda, oats, chocolate chips, and M&Ms.  If your beaters are strong enough, mix this whole batch with that, otherwise grab your rubber spatula and start stirring.  Stir until well combined.
6. Spread the mixture on your lined/greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 16-18 minutes.  The edges will be very lightly browned and the middle will still look a bit underdone, but it will finish baking as it cools.

The recipe I was given says to let them cool for at least an hour so they can firm up, but...I usually last about 15 minutes and then we cut into them and get chocolate all over our faces while we eat a quarter of the pan warm.  I recommend that route.

NOTE: as usual, we freeze these.  They're great.  TJ likes them straight from the freezer to his mouth but I usually set mine out for 20 minutes or throw it in the microwave.  

*Recently I've found Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Butter and we're pretty in love with it.  (It's cheaper in our grocery store than on Amazon, but now you know what it looks like).  It's extra great in this recipe because their 16 ounce jar is the exact amount you need, so you can just empty it out without fiddling with a measuring cup covered in peanut butter.  And...now that I typed that I realize you could just use any peanut butter jar that comes in 16 ounces.  :) I've used other kinds and they're good, but this coconut one is our favorite. 

**If you want this to be gluten free be sure you're using gluten free oats.


Recipe adapted from my sister: I blended the oats, changed the butter to be unsalted and added salt,, and changed the amounts of M&Ms and chocolate chips.