Pumpkin Monster Cookies
Published 9/25/2021
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A batch of fall cookies doesn’t get much better than these flourless Pumpkin Monster Cookies!
We took our classic monster cookies recipe and added pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, fall-colored m&m’s, and butterscotch chips to make these extra delicious!
Best Fall Cookies
Is there anything better than baking a batch of Fall Cookies on an autumn day? You guys are going to absolutely love these Pumpkin Monster Cookies.
They are a spin-off of our Flourless Monster Cookie Recipe, but with a hint of fall. What is so fall-y about this recipe you ask?
- Pumpkin puree
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Fall-colored m&m’s
- Butterscotch chips
Once you make a batch of these cookies, I know you’re going to go back for seconds and thirds (speaking from experience).
Why you’ll love them!
- Flourless
- Naturally gluten-free
- Fall-inspired
- Kid-friendly
- Easy to freeze
What You Need
- Quick cooking oats: the base of these flourless fall monster cookies is quick cooking oats. You can sub rolled oats, but you will get the best results with quick-cooking.
- Peanut butter: classic monster cookies call for peanut butter. Make sure to use creamy!
- Eggs: eggs help bind the cookie ingredients together.
- Butter: a little bit of butter will do the soul good. We don’t suggest swapping for coconut oil.
- Light brown sugar: we found the best results use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar works too!
- Maple syrup: we love the warmth maple syrup adds to these cookies.
- Pumpkin puree: these wouldn’t be pumpkin monster cookies without the pumpkin puree! Feel free to use store-bought or homemade.
- Pumpkin spice: pumpkin spice adds all those yummy fall flavors. We love our homemade pumpkin spice recipe.
- Butterstoch chips, fall m&m’s, chocolate chips: classic monster cookies call for lots of yummy add-ins and we aren’t skimping in this recipe!
Ingredient Swaps or Add-Ins
Swaps
Oatmeal: Feel free to swap the quick-cooking oats for rolled oats.
Nut butter: while traditional monster cookies call for peanut butter, you can use a drippy almond butter or cashew butter.
Brown sugar: light brown sugar definitely tastes the best in these fall cookies, but you can absolutely swap them for coconut sugar.
Add-Ins
If you’re looking to make these fall cookies extra fall-y, here are more fall add-in ideas!
- Toasted coconut
- Pepitas
- Dried cranberries
Easy Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar: First, cream the butter and sugar until there are no lumps. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until combined,
- Add dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients (including all of the chocolatey add-ins) and mix until combined.
- Refrigerate: place dough into the refrigerator and let set for around 20 minutes.
- Roll into balls: Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie batter into your palms and roll into a ball. Place 6 of them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and slightly press down into a cookie shape. Repeat until all dough is gone,
- Bake: Bake cookies in batches at 350ºF for 11-13 minutes
A Few Tips
Don’t overbake: the last thing you want to do is overbake these fall cookies! Monster cookies are supposed to be ooey-gooey and they will continue to bake as they come out of the oven. Remove them from the oven when they begin to turn golden brown.
Top with sea salt: sea salt is one of my favorite things to sprinkle onto cookies that have chocolate in them. A little salt will bring out all of that amazing flavor in the Pumpkin Monster Cookies.
Let cool completely: make sure to let your cookies cool completely so that they can fully solidify. Since there are lots of add-ins, they will seem pretty soft when you take them out. This is normal! Transfer them onto a wire rack and let them cool for 30 minutes before eating or storing.
Storage
Let cookies cool completely and then transfer them into a large, gallon-size bag. You can store them on the counter for up to 3-5 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
Freezer Instructions
- Make the cookies as written. Then, let them cool completely.
- Transfer them onto a baking sheet and place them into the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour (this is so they don’t stick together during the freezing process).
- They should be partially frozen at this point. Transfer them into a large, gallon-size plastic bag and remove as much air as possible.
- Seal the bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Pumpkin Monster Cookies (Best Fall Cookies!)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, cashew and almond butter work too
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats, gluten-free if desired
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, feel free to make ours or use store-bought!
- ¼ cup butterscotch cups
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup m&m’s, autumn colors if you can find them!
- optional: coarse sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, combine melted butter and brown sugar until there are no lumps. Then, add maple syrup, egg, peanut butter, pumpkin and vanilla and mix again.
- Add salt, quick-cooking oats, pumpkin spice and baking soda and mix until everything is combined. Add in chocolate chips, butterscotch cups, and m&m’s and mix one more time.
- Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes to set.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter into your hands and form it into a ball. Place it onto the cookie sheet and slightly press down to form a cookie shape. The batter will feel a bit wet, but they will be so soft and chewy when done baking!*
- Repeat the process above until you’ve fit 6 cookies on your baking sheet. Optionally sprinkle on a little coarse sea salt to the tops of your cookies.
- Bake cookies at 350ºF for 11-13 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove cookies and let cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling for at least 20 minutes to firm up
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m going to cook this with my boyfriend this weekend. Wish me luck!
What would you suggest substituting for the egg? My husband is allwrgict
We haven’t tried this without using eggs, but you could try a flax egg!
These are chewy on the outside and soft in the inside when they’re fresh. When they’re a day old, the suggestion of adding to the freezer was perfect. We’ll be keeping these stocked in our freezer! Highly recommend.