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Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies

October 21, 2020 by becky 4 Comments

These fun Halloween Monster Cookies are a healthier way to enjoy a Halloween treat. There is no butter, oil, or flour in this recipe and it’s low in sugar. Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies are a delicious soft and chewy peanut butter oat cookie that kids and adults love! These are gluten-free.

MORE FUN TREATS USING CANDY EYES: Spooky Cookies, Bat Oreos, and Banana Mummies

Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies

Halloween is such a fun time of year! My kids absolutely love it. There’s so much excitement from dressing up, trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, and enjoying all the candy! But so often October turns into candy and sugar overload. That’s why I decided to make a healthier Halloween treat for you guys this year! The cookies truly are delicious and just because they are healthier than your average Halloween cookie doesn’t mean they don’t taste as good. In fact, in my family’s opinion, these are our favorite Halloween cookies!

It’s so soft, chewy, and full of flavor! For years you all have been loving my recipe for Healthier Monster Cookies. It practically was begging to become a Halloween cookie! It just needed the addition of candy eyes. I looked at a few different stores for Halloween M&M’s but it’s 2020! Not everything is in stock this year so I just used regular mini M&M’s and took the reds out.

Halloween Monster Cookies

How to Make Healthier Halloween Cookies:

This is an easy one-bowl recipe! No need to chill.

1- In a bowl, mixing with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, stir together peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar.

2- Add in the oats, salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract.

3. Stir in the egg then mini chocolate chips.

4. Scoop onto the prepared cookie sheet.

5. Top with mini M&M’s.

6. Bake at 350 F for 4 minutes, remove and quickly top with the candy eyes.

7. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

8. Let cool and enjoy!

Monster Cookies

BAKING TIPS: 

Use a cookie scoop and press the dough in to help it keep its shape.

These cookies don’t spread very much so press down to slightly flatten them.

Use creamy peanut butter and not natural peanut butter.

As you may notice I didn’t use mini chocolate chips in this only because I didn’t have them so I used chopped up chocolate chunks. Regular chocolate chips would work as well.

Adding the candy eyes in the middle of baking helps make sure the eyes won’t melt and once the cookies are half-baked they puff up a little making it easier to place the candy eyes exactly where you want them. You can even add more mini chocolate chips or M&M’s at this point if you’d like.

Don’t be scared to pull these out of the oven at 7 or 8 minutes. They will seem really soft, and they are, but as they cool they will firm up.

I couldn’t find candy eyes at Walmart this year (2020!) but I’ve seen them before at Hobby Lobby. I ended up buying mine on Amazon.

Halloween Monster Cookies

These cookies are healthier because it has the addition of oats, only 1/4 cup of brown sugar, no oil, butter, or flour. 2 tablespoons of honey is added to give it a nice sweetness. I love peanut butter and honey together so it makes these cookies even better! These Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies are gluten-free. Just make sure the oats are certified gluten-free.

My kids LOVED these cookies and had no idea they were a healthier cookie. Yay for a cookie with less sugar that they love! My husband usually hates peanut butter cookies because they are so dry but he really enjoyed these cookies. And I personally think these are some of the best cookies I have ever had! I know you guys will love it because my recipe for Healthier Monster Cookies has been on my blog for 5 years and are still one of the most viewed recipes! This recipe is a keeper!

Happy Healthier Halloween!

Enjoy!

OTHER FUN HALLOWEEN RECIPES:

Spooky Cookies

Bat Oreos

Banana Mummies

15 Quick and Fun Halloween Recipes

Yield: 16 cookies

Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies

Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats (or quick oats)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup mini M&M's (take out the reds)
  • candy eyes

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) stir together the peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar.
  3. Add the oats, salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Stir well.
  4. Add the egg to the mixture and mix until incorporated.
  5. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
  6. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. (2 tablespoons of dough.) Press the dough very tightly in the cookie scoop to form the balls if using your hands squeeze the mixture tightly into a ball so it doesn’t crumble.
  7. Form the balls onto a cookie sheet, press down slightly, top with the M&M's and more mini chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 4 minutes, remove from oven and quickly top with the desired amount of candy eyes. Put back in the oven and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes. (7-8 minutes total.)
  8. Watch the cookies closely and remove when the bottom barely starts to brown even if they don't look completely done (they cook more as they cool).
  9. Remove and allow to cool completely.
  10. Enjoy!
© becky
(some links are affiliate links) 

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Healthier Halloween Monster Cookies

Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts, Halloween

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Comments

  1. Tana Hales says

    October 21, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    I only buy natural peanut butter. Will it make a huge difference if I use natural instead of creamy?…

    Reply
    • becky says

      October 21, 2020 at 7:56 pm

      I can’t say because I haven’t tried it with natural peanut butter. Let me know how it works for you and I will try to make it soon with natural peanut butter to see.

      Reply
  2. Melinda P. says

    October 26, 2020 at 9:43 am

    I love the eyes, what a fun way to decorate these cookies. I’m going to have to try this.

    Reply
    • becky says

      October 26, 2020 at 12:48 pm

      Thank you! Candy eyes make cookies more fun! 🙂

      Reply

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I'm Becky. My recipes are easy and delicious and taste-tested by my husband and kids. I love creating in the kitchen and hope you enjoy! More…

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