Flourless monster cookies are a healthier version of the classic cookie. The cookies don’t contain any flour, eggs, or butter but are so soft and chewy. They are packed with oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and candy-coated chocolate. Plus, it’s an easy one-bowl recipe, no mixer required.

I’ve always been drawn to monster cookies because of how colorful they are. But classic monster cookies are definitely an indulgent cookie, and I wanted to make a healthier version. I got the idea to make these flourless monster cookies after making my 4 Ingredient Healthy Oatmeal Cookies.

Monster cookies are cookies that contain oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and candy-coated chocolate (usually M&M’s, but any brand works). They taste like soft oatmeal cookies flavored with peanut butter and packed with chocolate.

Ingredients

Creamy natural peanut butter
Maple syrup
Unsweetened applesauce
Rolled oats
Chocolate chips
Mini M&M’s

Peanut butter: Make sure to use creamy natural peanut butter. Creamy peanut butter processed with hydrogenated oils will be too thick. I also use unsweetened so I can control the sweetness in the recipe. You can use sweetened, but you will need to reduce the amount of syrup used.

Maple syrup: Since these cookies are supposed to be healthier, I used maple syrup to sweeten the cookie base rather than white or brown sugar.

Applesauce: I use unsweetened applesauce to make the cookies healthier. You can use sweetened applesauce, but you will want to reduce the amount of syrup in the recipe. If you don’t like or have applesauce, it can be replaced with mashed bananas.

Oats: Make sure to use rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats) and not quick oats. Quick oats will not hold together as well.

Chocolate Candy: I used M&M’s Minis Milk Chocolate Baking Bits. Mini M&M chocolate candies can be replaced with any candy-coated chocolate. You can use a healthier brand to make the cookies even healthier. Unreal is a brand that makes healthier candy-coated chocolate. Their chocolate gems have no artificial flavors and use vegetables to color the gems.

How to Make Them

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the peanut butter and syrup in a large mixing bowl. As you mix, the mixture will form a paste. Once this happens, mix in the applesauce and stir well until the dough is well combined. Mix in the oats and the chocolate chips.

Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough to form each cookie and place them on a prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies two inches apart.

Lightly press down on each cookie dough balls to form a disc. The cookies won’t spread much, so you want to press them enough so they have a round cookie shape after they are baked.

Press six to eight mini M&Ms on the top of each cookie and then bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. Leave them to cool on the baking sheet before removing them.

Recipe Tips

Cookie sweetness

If you are looking to reduce sugar in your recipes, you can use 2 tbsp of maple syrup. The cookie base will barely be sweet, but the chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolate will provide a lot of sweetness.
If you want sweet cookies, be sure to use the full 4 tbsp. The cookies won’t bind together quite as firmly as when using 2 tbsp, but they will still hold together.
I usually use 2 or 3 tbsp of maple syrup when making these cookies.

Recipe Variations

If you’re looking to make this monster cookie recipe healthier, here are a few things you can do.

To eliminate syrup, use mashed bananas instead of applesauce and maple syrup. The bananas are sweet enough on their own that you won’t need to add any syrup or sugar to your cookie base. You would use 1 cup of bananas, and you need to mash them until they are a puree-like consistency.
Use less chocolate. When I make these for others, I tend to use a lot of chocolate as it makes the cookies look better. But when it’s just for my family, I try to make them healthier and use less chocolate.

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