Big & Chewy Monster Cookies (NYC Bakery Style)
These big, chewy Monster Cookies are loaded with M&Ms, chopped milk chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate chips! Perfected to the ultimate cookie goodness by using cake flour for a softer cookie, chilling the dough, and then baking the cookies on stacked cookie sheets to protect their bottoms!
Levain Bakery Style Monster Cookies
Around here I take my cookies pretty seriously. I don’t like to stop until each and every batch is absolutely perfect, leading me to lots of testing and perfecting in the kitchen. So, when I say the very best Monster Cookie Recipe has now arrived, I mean it!
These Monster Cookies are big, satisfyingly chewy, and loaded with lots of chocolate in a peanut buttery oatmeal-based cookie! When sprinkled with flaky sea salt you get a deliciously sweet yet salty treat that checks ALL the cookie boxes!
Though this new and improved cookie recipe is a bit more lengthy with the chill time, its is hands-down worth every single bite!
Ingredients For Monster Cookies
This Monster Cookies Recipe combines cake flour, all-purpose flour, corn starch, and rolled oats to create a perfectly soft and chewy cookie base. In addition, we also need basic cookie ingredients such as baking soda, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, large eggs, large egg yolks, salted butter, and vanilla extract to build up the ingredients list.
In this cookie recipe, I also incorporated malted milk powder to create a delicious depth of flavor to really make an unforgettable cookie. However, since malted milk powder only impacts flavor and not structure, you can omit this ingredient if you’d like.
Lastly, the add-ins because it wouldn’t be a monster cookie without them! In this recipe we use M&Ms, chopped milk chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. To balance the sweetness of the cookie out, I then sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before baking!
Of course, if you see something on the add-ins list you don’t particularly like you can leave them out! Feel free to replace them with one of your own favorite cookie mix-ins!
How To Make Monster Cookies
- Whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, rolled oats, malted milk powder, corn starch, and baking soda. Then set this bowl of dry ingredients aside.
- Cream cold salted butter with light brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, and salt until the mixture becomes smooth.
- Add in the large eggs one at a time, followed by the additional large egg yolks. Then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture a little at a time until the dough becomes smooth.
- Add in the M&Ms, chopped milk chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate chips until thoroughly combined.
- Portion out and weigh each ball of dough and then transfer them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Chill the cookie dough balls in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven and place two baking sheets on top of each other and line the top one with parchment paper.
- Transfer the chilled cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet and then sprinkle them with flaky sea salt.
- Bake the cookies in batches.
- Cool the cookies on the baking pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place the first top pan in the freezer to chill and then place a new pan on top of the original bottom pan and line with parchment paper. Bake the next batch of cookies, continuing this process until all of the cookies have been baked.
- I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe since creaming cold butter by hand would be difficult. I have found that a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment is the best way to get the job done.
- ONLY use cold butter in this cookie recipe! Using room temperature or melted butter would negatively impact the structure of these cookies.
- Stick with creamy peanut butter or regular peanut butter as the extra oil in natural peanut butter may impact the overall taste and texture of the cookies.
- If you’d like more peanut butter flavor in these cookies, you can swap out half of the M&Ms for Reese’s Pieces.
- It’s best to use a kitchen scale to portion out the dough into 6-ounce cookie balls. If you don’t have a scale, we found that a Vollrath No. 8 Scoop hit the 6-ounce mark.
- Double-layering the baking sheets helps to prevent the bottom of the cookies from overbaking.
How To Store Monster Cookies
Transfer the cooled Monster Cookies into an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you need to layer the cookies in a deep container, I’d suggest placing parchment paper between the layers to prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Made the Monster cookies today. Very good and rich. I made them smaller but still a big cookie. I got 32 cookies out of the recipe. Definitely used your tip of 2 cookie sheets stacked to avoid burning.
How To Freeze Monster Cookies
Baking these cookies for a party, celebration, or bake sale? Then check out how to store these cookies in the freezer to get ahead of the rush! I like to make a batch to store in the freezer, allowing us a homemade treat anytime!
Cookie Dough: Once the cookie dough has been portioned out onto a baking sheet, transfer it into the freezer to flash freeze for one hour. Afterward, place the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag with the excess air squeezed out of it and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To bake, remove the cookie dough balls from the bag to thaw in the fridge. Then bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes.
Baked Cookies: Flash freeze the cooled cookies on a baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer the frozen cookies into a freezer bag with the excess air squeezed out of it and then store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To enjoy, thaw the cookies at room temperature or nuke them in the microwave for 15 seconds.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Cowboy Cookies – Loaded with shredded coconut, pecan pieces, and chocolate chips!
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies – Sweet chocolate meets robust coffee flavor!
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies – Bakery level goodness made right at home with step-by-step instructions!
- No Bake Avalanche Cookies – A 6 ingredient no bake treat that’s perfect for any occasion!
- Sausalito Cookies – The best Pepperidge Farm copycat recipe there is!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
This post was originally published in June 2013 and was updated in March 2025 with a new recipe for NYC style cookies.
NYC Bakery Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cake flour 195g, spoon and leveled
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 195g, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup rolled oats 100g
- 1 tablespoon malted milk powder 10g
- 1 tablespoon corn starch 8g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 6g
- 1 cup cold salted butter 227g
- 1⅓ cups light brown sugar 266g, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- ½ cup peanut butter 130g
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 additional large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 10 ounces M&Ms 284g
- 8 ounces milk chocolate 250g, chopped
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 260g
- flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together the 1½ cups cake flour, 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 tablespoon malted milk powder, 1 tablespoon corn starch, and ½ teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.1½ cups cake flour, 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1¼ teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon corn starch, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the 1 cup cold salted butter, 1⅓ cups light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup peanut butter, and 1¼ teaspoons salt. Mix at medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl about every minute.1 cup cold salted butter, 1⅓ cups light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Once combined, add in the 2 large eggs one at a time, followed by the 3 additional large egg yolks. Then, mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.2 large eggs, 3 additional large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Once smooth, mix in the flour mixture a little at a time until smooth.
- Add in the 10 ounces M&Ms, 8 ounces milk chocolate, and 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Mix just until combined.10 ounces M&Ms, 8 ounces milk chocolate, 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Weigh each dough ball out to 6oz and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (NOT A TYPO) and place two 12×17-inch baking sheets on top of each other. Line the top one with parchment paper. Double layering the baking sheets helps prevent the bottom of the cookies from overbaking.
- Add 4 cookies to the lined baking sheet and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake for 9 to 11 minutes.
- Allow them to set on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- Place the first top pan in the freezer to chill, and place a new pan on top of the original bottom pan and line with parchment paper and bake the next four cookies. Rotate once more to bake the remaining 4 with the sheet from the freezer.
Notes
- Once baked and cooled, these cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to four days.
- Do not use room temperature or melted butter in these cookies – cold butter only.
- Feel free to use half M&M’s and half Reese’s Pieces for extra peanut butter flavor.
- To make sure the cookies are uniform in size, it’s best to use a kitchen scale. This is also the best way to ensure that your ingredient measurements are correct by using grams instead of cup measurements. This is our favorite kitchen scale (affiliate link).
- These cookies are 6 ounces each, and while a kitchen scale is necessary to ensure your weighted measurement is correct, the dough is fairly soft, and a cookie scoop will help portion it out and shape it. We used our Vollrath No.8 Scoop (affiliate link). Most scoops hit the 6-ounce mark, but we took away or added a little cookie dough if needed.
- I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe instead of mixing by hand or with a hand mixer. Since this recipe uses cold butter, it is much more difficult to cream properly, so a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (affiliate link) is the best way to get the job done.
- How To Freeze Dough: Portion the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (the balls can be close together) and flash freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and remove any excess air and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the bag before thawing in the fridge, so the dough doesn’t stick to the bag. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes once thawed.
- How To Freeze Baked Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely after baking, then flash freeze for 30 minutes on a baking sheet to make sure the exterior bits of chocolate is firm and reduce the risk of making a mess. Transfer the cookies to a freezer bag and remove as much excess air as possible before freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature a nuke in the microwave for 15 seconds before enjoying.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Made the Monster cookies today. Very good and rich. I made them smaller but still a big cookie. I got 32 cookies out of the recipe. Definitely used your tip of 2 cookie sheets stacked to avoid burning.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These are amazing! Followed the recipe (didn’t have sprinkles) and my family raved about them. .
So festive and fun recipe! kids will love this!
Oh my! Now *that’s* a cookie!! Thanks so much for sharing at All my Bloggy Friends – I can’t wait to see what you share this week!
I’ve never heard of monster cookies either. But, anything with M and M’s must be good! Thanks for posting on the Tried and True Recipe Party! http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/06/tried-and-true-recipes-16.html
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve always LOVED these cookies and now there’s a recipe! Yaay! Always happy to have you @ My Favorite Posts SHOW OFF Weekend Blog Party 🙂
Jessica
The Wondering Brain
Thanks for having me, Jessica! These cookies really are awesome aren’t they?
Thanks so much for sharing at A Peek Into My Paradise TGIF Link Party! I can’t wait to see what you link up next week! I hope to see you at the (Not SO) Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/
Have a terrific week!
Hugs, Cathy
Linked up at the blog hop! Thanks for stopping by! Looking forward to next week!
All right. That was uncalled for. Now I’m starving. 🙂 Your friend, Linda
Haha… glad I could trigger the sugar craving! Thanks for stopping by Linda!
I’ve just posted my Tasty Tuesdays link party on my blog & wanted to tell you that this recipe has been featured & that I’m now following you socially! You can find the feature here: http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/tasty-tuesdays-14-plus-16-dad-approved-fathers-day-recipes.html Don’t forget to grab our features button and link up again!
Thank you Anyonita! Shared and linked up!
Oh my, those look good. Mmmmm…. Thanks for sharing:)!! J
Thanks for having me!
You take such pretty photos – what a great idea, tying them up like a gift! They look delicious! Thanks for sharing!!! 😀 zannie @ mymixingspoon
Thank you Zannie! Happy to share, looking forward to next week!
Thank you so much for linking up with me this week at Tasty Tuesdays! I’ve pinned this & shared it with my followers!
Thank you, Anyonita! I always love your parties!
Found you on Swap ‘n Share Sunday. These look delicious!
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ll consider following me via Facebook or GFC so you never miss a post! Have a great day!
These look so good! I love a good cookie and M&Ms makes almost anything better. 🙂
Yes they do! Thanks for stopping by Kati! I hope you’ll consider following me via GFC or Facebook so you never miss another post.
Mmmm, my husband would be all OVER these! 🙂 They look so delicious; I love the nostalgic baker’s twine too! That adds such a nice, homely touch to the photos; makes you want to just dig in! Also, I’d like to invite you to come link up with me at my link party! I’d love it if you could stop by & link up some of your best Man Food recipes in honor of Father’s Day! Here’s the link: http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/tasty-tuesdays-13-i-want-your-man-food.html
I’ll be sure to stop by and link them up! I love Baker’s twine, so many things you can do with it and it adds such a nice touch to gifts.