These Christmas Monster Cookies are loaded with all the good stuff: chocolate chips, colorful holiday M&Ms, salty pretzels, festive sprinkles, and little bits of marshmallow tucked throughout. They’re chewy, packed with texture, and have the most fun marshmallow pull when you break one open.
The combination of sweet chocolate, salty pretzels, and gooey marshmallow makes these cookies a little different from your usual Christmas cookie. They’re big, colorful, and perfect for adding something playful to your holiday cookie tray.
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Monster Cookies
- Chewy centers: Old-fashioned oats give these cookies a hearty texture without making them dry or crumbly.
- They’re big!: I use a 3-tablespoon spring-loaded cookie scoop to get large cookies.
- Sweet and salty: Chocolate, M&Ms, and marshmallow bits balance out the salty crunch of crushed pretzels.
- Fun holiday colors: Holiday M&Ms and sprinkles make these cookies perfect for Christmas baking.
- A gooey marshmallow pull: Dehydrated marshmallow bits add a fun little surprise when you break a cookie open.
Ingredients for Christmas Monster Cookies
Butter: At room temperature
Dark brown sugar and granulated sugar: Dark brown sugar adds moisture and a deeper caramel flavor, while granulated sugar helps the cookies spread.
Eggs and egg yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and helps create a chewy texture.
All-purpose flour: Provides the structure needed to hold the oats and generous mix-ins together. Spoon and level when measuring.
Old-fashioned rolled oats: These give monster cookies their signature hearty texture. Use rolled oats rather than instant oats.
Baking soda and baking powder: This combination helps the cookies rise while still allowing them to spread.
Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the flavor.
Mini pretzels: Crushed pretzels add a salty crunch that balances the sweetness.
Chocolate chips: Mini semisweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips give the cookies a mix of chocolate flavor throughout. I like to roughly chop the dark chocolate chips.
Holiday M&Ms and sprinkles: These add festive color and make the cookies extra fun for the holidays.
Dehydrated marshmallow bits: These are the secret to the gooey marshmallow pull. Use dehydrated bits rather than regular mini marshmallows.
How to Make Christmas Monster Cookies
1. Prepare the baking sheets
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugars
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla
Mix in the eggs and egg yolk, followed by the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Mix the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, old-fashioned oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Make the dough
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
6. Fold in the mix-ins
Fold in the M&Ms, crushed pretzels, mini semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, dehydrated marshmallow bits, and holiday sprinkles until evenly distributed.
7. Scoop the cookies
Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon portions and gently roll into balls. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving room for the cookies to spread.
8. Bake
Bake until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Tips for the Best Christmas Monster Cookies
Don’t chill the dough. This helps the cookies spread properly. If they do happen to spread too much, you can chill the dough for about 15 minutes.
Use dehydrated marshmallow bits. Regular mini marshmallows have a different moisture content and won’t behave the same way in the oven.
Don’t overbake. The cookies should still look a little soft in the center when you remove them. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
Roll the dough into balls. Scooping and gently rolling the portions helps create more uniform, round cookies.
Save some M&Ms for the tops. For a colorful finish, reserve a few M&Ms and gently press them onto the cookies while they’re still warm.
How to freeze them
- Scoop the dough into your usual 3-tablespoon portions and roll into balls.
- Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1–2 hours.
- Transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight freezer bag or container. Label with the date.
- Freeze for up to about 2–3 months for best quality.
How to bake them from frozen
- Bake at 350°F.
- Start checking around 12–14 minutes, but expect frozen dough to need a few extra minutes.
- Look for set edges and slightly soft centers.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
The tested batch was baked without chilling, so I recommend baking the dough fresh for the most reliable spread. The effects of chilling this particular dough haven’t been tested.
Can I use regular mini marshmallows?
Dehydrated marshmallow bits are recommended because they have a different texture and moisture content than regular mini marshmallows.
Why didn’t my cookies spread?
Dough temperature, flour measurement, and the balance of dry ingredients can all affect spread. This recipe was tested without chilling the dough, so start there if your cookies turn out too thick.
How should I store Christmas Monster Cookies?
Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. For the best texture, keep them sealed between servings.
More Christmas Cookies to Bake
- Italian Rainbow Cookie
- Italian Ricotta Cookies
- Soft Linzer Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Snowballs
Christmas Monster Cookies
Equipment
- 1 3-tablespoon cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups holiday M&Ms
- 1 cup mini pretzels broken into small pieces
- ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips coarsely chopped
- ½ cup dehydrated marshmallow bits
- ¼ cup holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined and fluffy. Mix in the egg, additional yolk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Add the oats and stir together.
- Fold in the M&Ms, mallow bits, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and pretzels.
- Use a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop. Use your hands to round out the dough balls, and add them to the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Feel free to add a couple of extra toppings on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven to about 14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and set and the top is soft. Let rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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