These gluten free monster cookies are chewy, delicious, and full of chocolate! This cookie recipe is nut free and allergy friendly, but doesn’t skimp on flavor or texture. Enjoy these chewy treats with a glass of milk or a cup of cocoa.
If you’re a cookie fan, you probably know what monster cookies are. Monster cookies typically have oats, peanut butter, chocolate, m&ms, and more. They’re definitely not a food allergy friendly dessert, since they contain dairy, eggs, wheat, and nuts.
I had to create an allergy friendly version. These chewy gluten free monster cookies have just about everything, except the allergens.
Oats, chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, candies, and a great nutty flavor…even though they are nut free! You’re going to love these chewy, flavorful treats.
Sometimes it’s fun just to go all out and make a bakery style cookie. Since monster cookies usually contain nuts and other allergens, this isn’t a cookie my boys have ever had before.
But they loved these gluten free monster cookies – they were a huge hit. (Any cookie that also contains candy is bound to be popular, right?)
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Top Tip
Be sure to line your baking sheets with parchment paper so that the cookies come off easily! Using parchment makes clean up a breeze.
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate Candy – The key to making these cookies extra fun is the candy coated chocolate. If you’re looking for an allergy friendly alternative to m&ms, you should check into Choco No No’s from No Whey Chocolate. Choco No No’s are free of the top 8 allergens as well as free of artificial food dyes. These candies are colored with natural food dyes. They hold up really well during baking, making them perfect for this recipe. Read more post on allergy friendly candy for more options.
- Dairy Free Chocolate Chips – We like Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips and Mini Chocolate Chips. You could also use PASCHA Chocolate Chips or any brand that works for your needs.
- Gluten Free Oats – If you are gluten free, please make sure you only buy certified gluten free oats. One brand that is allergy friendly is GF Harvest, which you can find on Amazon.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – We like Namaste Perfect Flour Blend for cookies – it has a nice flavor and texture. This brand can be found in many grocery stores, including Costco.
Nut Butter Alternatives
- Sunflower Seed Butter – that’s what we use, and it gives these cookies a wonderful flavor. Just a note about the sunbutter: no, it won’t turn these cookies green, the amount of baking soda is low enough that it won’t cause that chemical reaction.
- Wowbutter – if soy isn’t a problem for you, you may want to try Wowbutter, which is made from soy.
- Pumpkin Seed Butter – pumpkin seed butter has a great flavor, and works well for baking.
Substitutions
- You can use chocolate chunks or pieces of an allergy friendly chocolate bar
- Try adding toasted coconut flakes for more crunch
- You could add raisins or dried cranberries
- Feel free to use any coated chocolate candy that works for your diet, or just leave it out
- If you aren’t gluten free, go ahead and use regular flour and oats
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Recipe
Gluten Free Monster Cookies (Nut Free, Vegan).
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan buttery spread
- ¼ cup organic cane sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup creamy sunbutter
- ¾ cup gluten free flour blend
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup certified gluten free oats
- ¾ cup dairy free mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
- 2 packages candy coated chocolate candy I used choco no no’s
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the vegan buttery spread, brown sugar, and organic cane sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until well blended. Stop the mixer.
- Add the applesauce, vanilla extract, and sunbutter and mix on medium speed.
- Add the gluten free flour blend, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined. Add the oats and mix on low speed.
- Stop the mixer and stir in the mini chocolate chips and the dark chocolate chips.
- Form the dough into balls that are about 1.5 inches in diameter and place on the cookie sheet. You should be able to fit about 6-8 cookies on the cookie sheet. Press 3 chocolate candies into each cookie.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. These cookies may look slightly under done in the middle – that's ok, just take them out and they will bake a little more as they cool.
- Repeat steps 6-7 with remaining batter. Makes 18 cookies.
Lani
We needed a vegan, GF, nut free cookie for school and these did not disappoint! I must admit that my dough was really crumbly and oily, so it was noticeably a different texture from regular cookie dough, and did not form a ball as easily. That gave me doubts, but I kept going and was thrilled with the results. Delicious cookies!!!! Thank you!!!
Katie
Delicious recipe!
cristina
My son is allergic to sunflower… would coconut butter work as a substitute? Also, he is allergic to cashews, almonds, and peanuts so none of those would work. Thanks!
Kelly Roenicke
I don’t know if coconut butter would work. How about pumpkin seed butter?