Monster Cookies

I love baking and trying new recipes.  This year church starts at 1:00 which gives me plenty of time to make cookies for school lunches for me and my sisters family.  In college one of my roommates used to make us cookies on Sundays and one of our favorites was her Monster Cookies.  I have been looking for something similar and I might have stumbled upon something here thanks to the powers of Pinterest and Sally's Baking Addiction!

         Ingredients

• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup Crisco
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats (not instant or whole-rolled oats)*
• 3/4 cup M&Ms (any size or variety - I used peanut butter, plain, and mini M&Ms)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla (in that order). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Do not over mix. Fold in the quick oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips. If the dough is very soft and unmanageable by hand, chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Rolls balls of dough, about 2 Tablespoons of dough per ball, onto prepared baking sheet. Press a few extra M&Ms on top for looks, if preferred. Bake for 9-10 minutes - do not bake past 10 minutes. The cookies will appear undone. I too mine out at 9 minutes, which is recommended. Slightly press down the baked cookies with the back of a spoon, since the cookies only slightly spread in the oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Store cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies freeze well.

Notes

* Please use quick oats in this recipe. You need the slightly finer texture from the quick oats in order to give the cookies a more uniform texture. Quick oats will act more as a binder in this recipe than whole oats would, since the consistency is more powdery and the oats are smaller in size.

Recipe Source: SALLYSBAKINGADDICTION.COM