Finally it’s October. Time for cool weather, bright foliage, fires in fireplaces – blah blah blah! What it’s really time for is Monster Mash Cookies! It would be a big fat lie to claim we only make these fantastic treats in the fall, but the start of October means it’s definitely the season to stock the cookie jar with Monster Mash Cookies. Oh wait, I forgot – they don’t fit in the cookie jar. That’s right, we make them with an ice cream scoop so not only are they gigantic, hence the name Monster Mash Cookies, but they are so good you absolutely must eat two. Call me naïve but I really thought Monster Mash Cookies were a Swor family invention. In reality, I did a search and there are lots of recipes out there, they just aren’t as good as ours. Now that’s a bold statement, but if you don’t agree, that’s fine, just “mash” in your choice of ingredients and have your own customized cookie. You can even name it for your family or your pet, or whatever suits your fancy. I don’t think you can really go wrong with the basic recipe.
Here’s how our Monster Mash Cookies came to be. I made oatmeal cookies with raisins and both of my guys were relatively disgusted because they thought the raisins were chocolate chips. So I made them again with chocolate chips and added in walnuts. That was a hit. The next time I made them I didn’t have enough chocolate chips and so I added peanut butter chips. That was even better, but I’m a crunch fanatic and they didn’t have that little extra bite I was looking for. I thought I might add Rice Krispies but some revolting poltergeist had put an almost empty box back in the cabinet so I decided to give Rice Chex a shot instead.
Well that’s all she wrote - sheer perfection in cookie world. I wish I could say I left well enough alone, but I’ll admit to trying various dried fruits, butterscotch chips, coconut, different cereals and candies plus other weird stuff. Several of the results were OK, but most were kind of dicey. (White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts made the cut for me, but not the boys.) Now we’ve got our “mash” exactly right and have shortened the title to just plain Monster Cookies. They are our “house cookie”. Go ahead and make them yours, just be prepared to bake a batch every few days since the recipe makes about 18 cookies. I hate to steal a popular slogan – but no one can eat just one. Hmmmm wonder if you could mash in potato chips?
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1½ cups oats (regular or quick cooking)
½ cup walnuts
1½ cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips (I like the Reese’s kind with a candy coating)
2½ cups Rice Chex
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. (I use two sheets at a time.)
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add eggs beating well. Add vanilla.
Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
Add in oats, chips, and nuts. (You can adjust to your own taste – more of one less of another- it’s your mash!)
Add Rice Chex at the end, mixing until just combined.
Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to put balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. I usually put 6 per sheet.
Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes
Allow to cool on a rack or waxed paper.
Buy extra milk!
