Hello!! I know it’s been a while and I do hope you and yours are all safe and healthy during this crisis.
Today’s blog is less about the recipe and more about the helpful hint you may appreciate if you live in a household of few people. Empty nesters and young couples, I am talking to you!
As you know I love cookies! I love baking cookies! However, my hubby and I can not get through a batch of cookies before they start going stale. In my opinion, baked cookies are only good for a day or two. After a few days, I feel the freshness is just not there especially if you enjoy them most right out of the oven like I do.
Therefore, my helpful hint is to allow you to always have that fresh from the oven cookie. (Not to mention the added benefit of the wonderful comforting aroma of baking cookies throughout your home.)
Lately, I started making batches of cookies and scooping them all onto a sheetpan and flash freezing them. Flash freezing simply means placing in freezer for a few hours until frozen, then removing to another container for keeping.
When I made this batch of Monster Cookies, we were at our lake house and really REALLY craving fresh baked cookies. So I made a batch and froze all but two (maybe four) I can’t really remember.
The nice thing about this shortcut is that I could pull out a few more cookie dough balls in a day or two (or week or two or even a month or two if they last that long) and have fresh baked cookies at any time.
Once the cookies on the sheetpan are frozen, place them into a freezer bag or plastic container. Label with date. They will last in the freezer for up to three months so you have plenty of time to bake them off whenever you want that little bit of sweetness at the end of the day.
Enjoy!
Here’s the recipe. If you aren’t familiar with Monster Cookies, they are an “everything” cookie in my opinion. They combine all your favorite cookies in one, chocolate chip, oatmeal, M&Ms, and peanut butter in one fantastic cookie!
Monster Cookies
An everything cookie combining all your favs like peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips and M&Ms.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter* (salted) softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
- 1 12 oz pkg chocolate chips**
- 2 cups M&M's candies*** and extra for topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line sheet pans or cookie sheets with silicone pads or parchment if you wish.
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In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix together softened butter and peanut butter till combined. Add sugars and cream together. Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined.
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Add flour and baking soda and mix until combined.
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With mixer on low, add oatmeal, chocolate chips and M&M's.
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Using medium cookie scoop (2 Tablespoons), scoop on to cookie sheet and press in a few additional M&Ms to top of each cookie dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Recipe Notes
*If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt to recipe
**I use semi sweet chocolate chips. My favorite brands are Guittard or Ghirardelli.
***Buy a large bag of M&M’s. Having extra on hand is never a bad thing! And you can decorate each cookie top with the extras.
You can scoop cookies onto sheet pan and flash freeze. Remove cookie dough balls to a freezer container or freezer bag, Dough will last for up to three months.
No need to defrost frozen cookie dough , just place on cookie sheet and increase bake time to 12-15 minutes.
