Monster Cookies

I came across a recipe on a blog, while I was surfing, about two weeks before petal was born. The recipe was for Monster cookies. I had never heard of such a cookie. I became intrigued with it as soon as I saw the ingredients. I mean, come on! How can one not LOVE a cookie with peanut butter, chocolate chips, m&m's (I care the least about this part) and oatmeal! I made the recipe, and with the first bite -and all other cookie recipes faded away from my memory. Ok, Ok, so maybe I am exaggerating a little, but these are seriously my favorite cookies now.
Fast forward to yesterday. I had a serious hankering for some monster cookies. So I started going through my favorited page to find that blog. I looked, and looked, and looked, and LOOKED! But alas, apparently the page was an unknown casualty of my previously pregnant brain. I thought I have saved the page- but it was gone. After hours of blindly using google to try and find the page again(who was I kidding?)- I gave up. All I could remember was the ingredients listed above- and that there was no flour. So I began to search for a new recipe, and after a while was rewarded with one that I felt was a great option.
Mickle and I began making the cookies. Always fun baking with a over eager 4 year old. Need I say more? As if that wasn't enough. Apparently it was time for "new mommy" trial by fire. Petal awoke with a roar, and wouldn't stop howling. So there I was- with Mickle in the kitchen, barely containing himself as he desperately wanted to dump every ingredient within reach into the bowl, Petal in the bedroom howling like only a 5 week old can, and Allan no where around (he had gone to put Petal's diapers and a load of towels in the dryer at the laundry mat because our dryer decided to stop working today!). I scooped Petal up, and placed her in the sling, while rushing back into the kitchen. Oh the excitement! Mickle and I scrabbled to finish mixing the cookies, and put a batch in the oven- then off I rushed to nurse Petal- while keeping an eye on the timer. Nothing ruins cookies in my opinion like overbaking them!

I was quite pleased with the outcome. These are just great cookies. The recipe makes A TON, and actually couldn't be mixed in my kitchenaid. I'll be making some adjustments to the size and ingredients- but I thought I would share this version in the meantime.

Monster Cookies

1 cup butter soft

3 1/4 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy- I like crunchy)

2 1/3 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp corn syrup

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 tsp baking soda

6 eggs, beaten

1 1/2- 2 cups M&M's

2 cups chocolate chips

9 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, corn syrup. Add vanilla and soda mixing well. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

I'd like to reinterate- HUGE recipe. You'll probably want to cut it at least in half. Chances are- unless you come from a larger family- or have a larger family- you won't have a bowl big enough to mix the whole recipe.

My plan is to make these cookies as close to a healthy snack as possible. I'll post my progress as I'm working on them. I was thinking of substitution applesauce for half the butter, dropping the sugar amount down, substituting raisins for the m&m's, and using a super dark chocolate chunked instead of the semi-sweet chips. Oh! and I'm gonna try almond butter instead of the peanut butte. But that's all....the oatmeal doesn't need any substituting - lol.