mega monster cookies

prep: 20 MINUTES | bake: 14 TO 18 MINUTES PER BATCH | makes 16 LARGE COOKIES

I say, when it comes to cookies, the bigger, the better! These cookies—as their larger-than-life name suggests—are pretty much as big as they come because they’re loaded with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, M&M’s, and chopped pretzels. The sweet and salty combo is pretty tough to beat, and when they’re sitting out on the counter, their enormous, bakery-style size make any child’s—or grown-up’s!—eyes light up. Don’t forget a glass of cold milk.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (½ pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup M&M’s candies

1 cup chopped pretzels

Maldon sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.

3 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until creamy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the oat mixture and mix until just combined. Use a spoon to stir in the chocolate chips, M&M’s, and pretzels.

4 Form the dough into about 16 large round balls, about ⅓ cup of dough per cookie. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Not all the cookies will fit on the sheet for one batch; I usually put 5 cookies per sheet. Lightly press down on the dough balls with the palm of your hand.

5 Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges but still soft in the middle. Sprinkle the cookies with the salt flakes and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the baking sheet has cooled completely, repeat with the remaining dough.

6 Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

NOTE: When the cookies come out of the oven, you can stick additional M&M’s on top to make these extra colorful. Just press them in gently.