Monster Cookies

OK folks, it's time for another recipe share.  I keep taking pictures of baking projects, but get distracted and never finish taking photos of the process.  But I was successful today!  On today's agenda is Monster Cookies, yet another of my favorites from childhood with a slight variation. 

Monster Cookies are packed with chewy goodness: oatmeal, peanut butter, flax seed, chocolate chips, and M&M's.  They taste oh so yummy (especially with a tall glass of ice cold milk!) and they freeze really well.

You will need:
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I used natural)
1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cups ground flax seed
2 teaspoons water
4 cups quick oats
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup M&M's

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

Be sure to soften your butter if it's been refrigerated, just make sure you don't melt it.  I usually warm the stick of butter in the microwave for 15 seconds, turn it, cook for another 15 seconds, and continue until it's soft. 

Here's a side-note about peanut butter:  we have switched to eating natural peanut butter.  I love the taste (maybe a little too much considering how quickly we go through it), and it's made with just peanuts and a little salt.  Watch the labels, though.  I've noticed manufacturers are starting to hide sugar and other random stuff in their "natural" peanut butter. Natural peanut butter needs to be stirred before using it.  

When measuring peanut butter, the Pampered Chef Measure-All measuring cup works really well because you can set it to the amount you need to measure, fill it up, and just push the bottom up so the peanut butter comes out.  No more scraping the sides of a regular measuring cup.

Anyways, on with the recipe!  Stir up the butters and sugars until well blended. 

Then add eggs, vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda, ground flax seed, and water.  Stir until well blended. 

Time to digress again.  Flax seed is awesome.  It is really good for your health (lowers blood pressure among other things) and can be mixed into a lot of different things and you'll never know it's there.  In order for flax seed to be digested it has to be ground up, also called flaxseed meal.  That's another thing manufacturers try to be tricky about.  They like to put whole flax seed in their products, which really doesn't do your body much good.  Flax seed comes in two colors, brown or golden.  The nutritional benefits are the same, but I usually buy the golden color because it's easier to hide in food.

Add oatmeal.  The dough will be stiff; stir well. 

Then add chocolate chips and stir.  

 Drop dough onto a baking stone.  I like to use Pampered Chef baking stones and the Pampered Chef medium scoop because they both work really slick!  The mounds of cookie dough are nicely rounded and uniform in size. 

Add some M&M's to the top and press them into the cookie slightly. By the way, do you like my Christmas M&M's? It's what was in the cupboard. :)

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes.  If you're using a regular cookie sheet it may take less time.  Cookies are done when they are a very light golden brown on the edge.  This pan was in the oven just a minute or so too long.  I guess I was too busy fussing around with the camera.  Oops.  :)

Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pan and then move cookies to a cooling rack.  YUM!!

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