A warm and deliciously doughy deep-dish peanut butter oatmeal cookie brimming with M&M’s, chocolate chips, and pockets of creamy peanut butter!
As far as drop cookies go, Monster Cookies are definitely in my top five. Loaded with chocolate chips, M&M’s, chewy oats AND peanut butter, the Monster Cookie is absolutely exploding with all kinds of delicious flavors and textures. As much as I love the classic chocolate chip cookie, it ain’t got nuttin’ on the infamous Monster Cookie, in my opinion.
So what would happen if you were to take the classic Monster Cookie, stuff it with MORE peanut butter, and make it ten times the size?
Well, you would end up with this beauty right here…
Honestly, have you ever seen a more photogenic pizookie?
I know I haven’t!
This Monster Pizookie is a monster in more ways than one. First, it’s absolutely MASSIVE. I mean, just look at it!
Second, it’s loaded with DOUBLE the peanut buttery goodness, thanks to the fact that there’s peanut butter in the dough as well as pockets of peanut butter throughout the whole pizookie.
And third, there’s an entire cup of chocolate chips AND an entire cup of M&M’s baked into this pizookie. Needless to say, there’s absolutely no shortage of ooey gooey lusciousness in this pizookie.
Also known as a skillet cookie, the pizookie is truly a genius idea. Think about it. You cut out so much time since you don’t have to roll dozens of individual dough balls before baking. Also, baking everything in one skillet creates the softest, warmest, doughiest cookie imaginable, which means PLENTY of melty chocolate chips throughout.
Another benefit of making pizookies is that you can easily stuff them with an extra layer of goodness! For obvious reasons, I stuffed this pizookie with peanut butter. However, I’ve done everything from Nutella, to cream cheese frosting, to cookie butter, to blueberry jam, you name it! The possibilities are endless.
This recipe is pretty straightforward, however I do have a few helpful tips to create stellar results:
- Freeze the peanut butter. At least 30 minutes before making the cookie dough, scoop the peanut butter in teaspoon-sized dollops and place them onto a plate lined with parchment paper. (The paper ensures that they don’t stick to the plate.) Freezing the peanut butter dollops will make them hard, so they won’t smash when you place the dough on top. This will give you those nice pockets of peanut butter.
- Create a dough wall. To ensure that the peanut butter doesn’t touch the hot skillet and melt all over, I like to create a little wall along the edges of the skillet. It doesn’t have to be very high, just enough to create separation between the peanut butter and the skillet.
- Allow pizookie to REST for several minutes. Maybe even an hour. I know, I know. After a freshly-baked cookie comes out of the oven, the LAST thing you feel like doing is waiting for it to cool off. As opposed to regular-sized cookies, which only require a few minutes to cool off, pizookies need A LOT more time–at least 40 minutes. And since this pizookie is filled with peanut butter, I’d recommend an hour.
- Reserve chocolate chips and M&M’s for the top. Now this last tip is really only for prettiness purposes, but it also gives you the perfect dispersement of chocolate chips and M&M’s. Instead of just stirring them into the dough, reserve 3-4 Tablespoons of both the chocolate chips and M&M’s, then push them into the top of the pizookie immediately after you remove it from the oven. Once they hit the hot dough, the chips begin to melt and the M&M’s soften.
Oh, and one more CRUCIAL thing!
Make sure that your freezer is stocked with ice cream BEFORE you make this pizookie. Preferably vanilla ice cream.
Don’t get me wrong, this Monster Pizookie is absolutely divine on its own. However, when you top it with a cool and creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream, you’ve just entered a whole new realm of euphoria. In fact, if you have the patience to let the ice cream sit on the warm slice of pizookie, allowing it to soften and melt, DO IT. Your tastebuds will be HEAVILY rewarded.
Monster Pizookie
Ingredients
To Assemble:
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
Monster Cookie Dough:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole (old-fashioned) oats
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup plain M&M's, divided
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Spoon teaspoon-sized dollops of the peanut butter onto a parchment paper-lined plate. Freeze until solid, about 30 minutes.
Make the Cookie Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oats together; set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Stir in 3/4 cup of the M&M's and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips by hand.
- Press half of the cooking dough into the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Place the frozen dollops of peanut butter evenly over the dough. Cover with the remaining dough by pressing portions of dough between your palms, then piecing them together on top of the peanut butter. Make sure all of the peanut butter is covered.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set. Immediately, press remaining 1/4 cup M&Ms and 1/4 cup chocolate chips into the top of the pizookie.
- Allow to cool for at least 30-40 minutes. Slice and serve with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.