Halloween Monster Eye Cookies

These fun spooky Halloween Monster Eye Cookies are soft, chewy, thick, and loaded with M and M’s, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.

Halloween monster cookies on a wire rack in a baking sheet.

Why You’ll Love These

We love our original Monster Cookie recipe, so we made a Halloween dessert giving them creepy and cute candy monster eyeballs to enjoy during the Halloween festivities.

Halloween themed cookies will certainly get the whole family into the Halloween spirit. And if you’re looking for easy Halloween cookies, this is the one!

These super easy homemade Halloween cookies are not only cute, but they taste heavenly! Chock full of fun candy, peanut butter, and oats.

They are perfect for Halloween parties. Your guests will admire your talent!

Some of our other favorite cookie recipes are Hello Dolly Cookies, Butterball Cookies, Sugar Cookies with Heavy Cream, Glazed Maple Shortbread Cookies, and Almond Joy Cookies.

Labeled ingredients needed to make Halloween Monster Eye Cookies laid out on a dark surface.

Key Ingredients

Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

  • Cookie Base – This eye cookie recipe uses all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, eggs, creamy peanut butter, cornstarch, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, old-fashioned oats, vanilla extract, and kosher salt.
  • Candy Add-Ins – Ghoul’s mix M&M’s, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and candy eyeballs. The candy eyeballs are in most grocery stores located in the cake decorating section.

How to Make Halloween Monster Eye Cookies

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Set aside. Cream the softened butter and peanut butter together in a separate bowl until smooth. Add dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
M and M's, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and candy eyes on a black marble counter top.
Cookie dough in a metal mixing bowl with the candies and oatmeal on the side.
  • Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently stir in the oats, M and M’s, mini chocolate chips, and butterscotch. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping 1/4 cup-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 to 3 inches apart. This makes these cookies monster sized!
  • Press a few extra M and M’s on the top of the cookies. (This is not absolutely necessary.) Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cookies may appear slightly underdone in the center; this is normal, and they will continue to set as they cool.
  • Immediately when you remove them from the oven, gently press candy eyeballs into the cookies. This is optional, but they make really cute eye cookies! Cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Halloween monster cookie dough in a metal mixing bowl.
Baked Halloween monster cookies with candy eyes on a parchment lined baking sheet.

These sinfully scrumptious treats are a mash-up of flavors that’ll leave you craving bite after monstrous bite.

Halloween monster cookies with eyes on a wire rack in a baking sheet.

Tips

  • Measure the flour correctly. Aerate, spoon, and swoop level.
  • For the best monster cookie use regular peanut butter like Jiff or Skippy. Do not use all-natural peanut butter it doesn’t have added oil, sugar, and salt that could change the texture and taste of the monster cookies.
  • Do not overbake. Undercooking the cookies slightly will help keep them soft and chewy.
  • Of course, if you like a crunchier cookie you can bake 1-2 minutes longer.
  • Remember the cookies will continue to cook and set while cooling on the baking pan.
  • I don’t recommend adding the candy eyes before baking. You take the risk of them turning brown.
  • To help the candy monster eyes adhere try placing a few extra chocolate chips on top of the dough ball before baking. When you remove them from the oven place the eyes on the warm chocolate chips.

Variations

  • Monster cookies are one of the best cookies to switch up the theme for any holiday. Use seasonal colors (M&M’s) for any occasion.
  • You can add some colored sprinkles to the tops of the cookies.
  • Use leftover Halloween candy. Chop up candy bars, whoppers, toffee bits, Reese’s pieces, or even pretzels.
  • Our favorite for these cookies is using mini M and M’s but I can only find those in the standard colors.

These chocolate chip crazy-eyed Halloween Monster cookies are a great Halloween treat for parties or a fun, festive treat for the family for a scary movie night!

So, for your next Halloween party, try this fun Halloween cookie. It’s the perfect spooky treat. The entire family will love these cute monster cookies with all the wonderful Halloween colors and cute candy eyes.

Halloween monster cookies with eyes on a wire rack in a baking sheet.

FAQs

What are Monster cookies?

Monster cookies or bars are a combination of peanut butter, oats, M and M’s, and chocolate chips. Some recipes have other add-ins like butterscotch chips (like ours), shredded coconut, or chopped nuts. The result is thick, big, and chewy cookies!
Think of them as a peanut butter oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips.

What is the best type of oats to use in cookies?

Old-fashioned rolled oats will hold their structure during baking, giving the cookies more texture and chew. Quick oats or instant oats are smaller and thinner and will absorb more moisture during baking, making the cookies very soft with less texture and chew. Steel-cut oats will not work in cookies because they will not cook thoroughly during the baking process.

How do I keep my cookies from getting dry?

All ovens are different. As stated above, remove the cookies when the very center looks slightly underdone. The cookies will continue to cook while cooling on the baking sheet.
You may also need to reduce the baking time by 1-2 minutes.

Can these be made ahead?

Yes, you can make the dough ahead and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to Store

Let the cookies cool completely, place them in an air-tight container or bag, and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Can you freeze monster cookies?

Yes. As with most cookie doughs, you can form the dough balls, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze them until solid for about 1 hour. Then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To Bake The Cookies From Frozen

Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. You might need an additional 1-2 minutes of baking time.
You can also thaw in the fridge for about 2 hours and then bake as instructed.

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Halloween monster cookies on a wire rack in a baking sheet.

Halloween Monster Eye Cookies Recipe

Fun, spooky Halloween cookies with eyeballs are soft, chewy, thick, and loaded with M&M's, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cookie, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 24 minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 284kcal
Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup Dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
  • 2 large Eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup Ghoul's Mix M&M's candies plus extra for the tops
  • 1/2 cup Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup Butterscotch chips
  • 1/4 cup Candy eyeballs or more as desired

Instructions

  • In a large bowl cream together the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
    1/2 cup Unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Creamy peanut butter
  • Add the brown sugar & granulated sugar, creaming together until fluffy.
    3/4 cup Dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla, beating well.
    2 large Eggs, 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and flour, until combined.
    1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
  • Stir in the oats, M&M’s, chocolate chips, and butterscotch until just combined.
    1 cup Old-fashioned oats, 1/2 cup Ghoul's Mix M&M's candies, 1/2 cup Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup Butterscotch chips
  • Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
  • Drop heaping 1/4 cup-sized balls of dough onto the baking sheets, about 2-3" apart. (Roll into balls for best results.)
  • Press a few extra M&M's on the top of the cookies. (this is not absolutely necessary)
  • Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes. Cookies may appear slightly undone in the center; this is normal and they'll continue to set as they cool. Press the candy eyes lightly on each cookie while it is still hot.
    1/4 cup Candy eyeballs
  • Cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes then transfer to racks.

Notes

I don’t recommend baking the cookies with candy eyes on them. You take a risk of them turning brown during baking. Press them on the cookies right out of the oven.
Freezing: Freeze formed cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet for at least 1 hour or until hard. Place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Bake From Frozen: Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. You might need an additional 1-2 minutes of baking time.
You can also thaw in the fridge for about 2 hours and then bake as instructed.
Originally Published 10/02/2022

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

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