Monster Cookies

Quick!  There is only 2 days left until Halloween and you have to make these cookies!  Halloween is the best excuse to make these peanuty, oatmealy, chocolatey, Monster Cookies...all 5 dozen of them.  Yup, 5 dozen delicious, holiday appropriate cookies.  They are just begging to be made and given away to friends and Halloween drop-ins.  These cookies have very little flour, they are all about the mingling of peanut butter and oatmeal.  You can customize them with whatever treats you want to add in, nuts or m&ms are popular additions.  This mix of chocolate chips and Reece's Pieces is scrumptious, and perfect for Halloween.

Monster Cookies

Origin: Unknown

Notes:  Hurry up and get started...these cookies need to rest in the fridge for at least 5 hours!  I think it's to help soften the loads of oatmeal in them.

Ingredients:

5 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Reese's Pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda and salt until combined.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (I'm sure a bowl and a hand mixer will work for this), cream the butter until smooth and pale in color (a few minutes). Beat in the sugars on low speed until incorporated. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.  Add the corn syrup and vanilla and beat just until combined. Add the peanut butter and beat on low just until smooth. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time (in three additions) on low speed until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and Reese's Pieces by hand. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (I left it overnight).

When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the middle position.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

Scoop the dough with a small  ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons worth) and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown.  Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking.  (I baked 2 trays worth of cookies at a time on 2 oven racks - one in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third.  My cookies took about 16 minutes to bake when I did this.  Make sure you alternate racks and rotate the baking trays halfway through baking.)


Cool cookies in their pan for 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Spiders

 Our street is pretty quiet.  On Halloween we only get a handful of trick or treaters if we're lucky.  It's usually a pretty dull evening around here.  I need to indulge in a few extra Halloween themed activities and treats to get the most out of the holiday.  These sweet, salty, crunchy snacks are totally addictive.  They are very simple to make and they always help fill my Halloween void.

Spiders
Origin: Unknown

Notes:  I like to cover my peanuts and noodles with chocolate separately so that I can better control the shape of the spiders...they taste equally delicious and still look pretty spider-like when you mix them together in one bowl. 

Ingredients:

2 cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 cups of fried chow mein noodles
1 cup roasted salted peanuts

Lightly grease or spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil.

Set a large glass bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Melt the chocolate chips in the glass bowl stirring with a spatula until smooth and melted.  Remove from heat.

Stir melted chocolate, peanuts and chow mein noodles together, coating everything evenly with chocolate.  Alternatively,  place peanuts in a bowl and toss with about 1/4 cup of melted chocolate.  Toss the chow mein noodles with the remaining chocolate.

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto prepared baking sheet.  If the noodles and peanuts are kept separate, drop spoonfuls of noodles onto baking sheet first and then top with peanuts.   You can manipulate the shape of the spiders a bit after you place them on the baking sheet.  I used tongs for this task but two forks or spoons would work well.  Let the spiders set, the chocolate will solidify after a couple of hours or you can speed it up by placing the baking sheet in the fridge.

Makes approximately 24 Spiders.