These thick bakery-style Gluten-Free Monster Cookies are made with shredded coconut, peanut butter, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and M&M's. This amazing no oat option tastes just as good as traditional monster cookies. We love the chewy texture with crunchy candy pieces!
This recipe is made in one-bowl, has a tested dairy-free option, and is well-loved by kids and adults.
Gluten-Free Monster Cookies are the perfect gluten-free dessert recipe to make year-round! They are super versatile for the holidays and we love substituting chopped Cadbury Mini Eggs for Easter, Christmas colored M&Ms for the winter holidays, and festive candies and M&M colors for Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Fourth of July!
For more amazing gluten-free cookie recipes, check out our Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coconut Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies, Maple Brown Sugar Cookies, Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies, Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Cut Outs, and Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you're making these for the holidays, also check out my Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies, Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake, Paleo Molasses Cookies, Christmas Rocky Road, and Dairy-Free Tiramisu!
Or consider turning these amazing gluten-free M&M cookies into Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches!
New to a gluten-free diet? Be sure to also check out our post on how to go gluten free.
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What are monster cookies?
Monster cookies, also sometimes called candy cookies or M&M Cookies, usually have a peanut butter and butter base. What makes them "monster" are all the mix-ins, which include things like oats, shredded coconut, and various bits of candy.
How to make it (with photos)
Ingredients Notes
This gluten-free monster cookies with coconut recipe uses simple and easy-to-find ingredients.
- butter - Regular butter and dairy-free vegan buttery sticks, softened at room temperature both work great in this recipe.
- peanut butter - Use creamy peanut butter for a smooth monster cookie dough. I like to use unsweetened so I have more control over how sweet they are.
- sugar - I used coconut sugar but regular white sugar or other granulated baking sugar can be swapped 1-for-1.
- gluten-free all-purpose flour - I recommend a gluten-free rice flour blend like Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 or Pamela's All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour.
- shredded coconut - Choose an unsweetened variety, otherwise your cookies could be too sweet.
- M&M's - Plain M&Ms are considered gluten-free and celiac-safe in the USA. Check our substitutions below if you need a dairy-free version.
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list with quantities.
Substitutions
The following substitutions can help you fit these gluten-free monster cookies to your preferences:
- Oats - Instead of using shredded coconut, substitute the same amount of gluten-free quick oats.
- Grain-free Flour - Make this recipe grain-free by substituting the gluten-free flour blend for cassava flour with a one-to-one ratio.
- Dairy-free - Use vegan butter in this recipe and No Whey Choco No No's as a dairy-free M&M substitution for dairy-free. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and vegan. Regular M&M's are gluten-free but not dairy-free. Also, choose dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Certified Gluten-Free M&Ms - UNREAL Milk Chocolate Gems are an alternative to M&M's with a clear gluten-free guarantee (all recent batches are now certified gluten-free).
- Peanut-Free - Use sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or another nut butter spread of your choosing. M&Ms do not have peanuts as an ingredient but may contain peanuts, so you will want to consider one of the above M&M substitutes.
Variations
Try a new variation of Gluten-Free Monster Cookies each bake by choosing alternative ingredients!
- Almond Butter Monster Cookies - Use almond butter instead of peanut butter and change one of your mix-ins to almond slivers.
- Peanut Butter Chip Monster Cookies - Switch the chocolate chips for peanut butter morsels and the M&M's for Reeses Pieces.
- Christmas Monster Cookies - Use green and red Christmas M&M's, gluten-free pretzel stick pieces, and white and dark chocolate chips.
- Easter Monster Cookies - Use chopped Cadbury mini eggs in place of M&Ms, or M&Ms in spring colors.
- Other Mix-ins - This is a great opportunity to get creative and use what you like. You can switch out the chocolate chips for peanut butter or white chocolate chips, add walnuts or mini marshmallows, the sky is the limit for this gluten-free cookie recipe!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Our step-by-step instructions with photos will make sure you get these gluten-free monster cookies just right on the first try!
- Prep: Grease or line two cookie or baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and use an electric mixer to cream until smooth. Add peanut butter and sugar and cream again for at least one minute until well-mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Add dry ingredients: Add gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Add mix-ins: Add coconut, M&M's or alternative, and chocolate chips. Mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Make dough balls: Use a large ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) ice cream or cookie scoop to make balls. Lightly compact each one with your hands before placing on the baking sheet, allowing a couple inches between them for spreading.
- Bake: Bake for 9-11 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set and the dough has a light brown crust.
- Flatten if needed & enjoy: If the cookies have not spread, use the back of a measuring cup to press them down slightly to flatten. This will occur if you used cold (rather than room temperature) butter and eggs. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about making Gluten-Free Monster Cookies. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftover gluten-free monster cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
A gluten-free rice flour blend is best for cookies because it tastes most like traditional flour. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 and Pamela's All Purpose Flour are both excellent options for gluten-free cookies.
Monster cookies are a flour and peanut-butter-based cookie that is chock full of mix-ins like chocolate chips, M&M's, oats, and other seasonal favorites. Other optional mix-ins include shredded coconut, peanut butter chips, pretzel pieces, or seasonal favorites like Cadbury mini eggs.
Expert Tips
Use these expert tips to make your perfect gluten-free monster cookie on the first try.
If using a silicone pan liner, increase the baking time.
When we tried this recipe with silpat, the baking time was 3-5 minutes longer.
Don't Over-bake.
These cookies are perfectly baked when the edges are golden brown and the center is still soft, but not wet or gooey.
Don't overstuff these cookies with mix-ins.
It can be tempted to get creative pile in more of your favorite mix-ins! But to keep the structure of this cookie, make any swaps 1-for-1 with a similar sized mix-in.
For example, swap mini marshmallows for the M&Ms or chocolate chips, oats for dried coconut, etc. We made sure to add as many fun mix-ins as possible to this recipe!
Related gluten-free cookie recipes to consider...
Looking for more cookie recipes like these incredible Gluten-Free Monster Cookies? Check out these other great recipes!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comment section or recipe card below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Monster Cookies with coconut (no oats)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or dairy-free butter , softened at room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups gluten-free all purpose flour , I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 or Pamela's All-Purpose gluten-free flours)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Mix-Ins
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 ¼ cup M&M's or alternative , see notes
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep: Grease or line two cookie or baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and use an electric mixer to cream until smooth. Add peanut butter and sugar and cream again for at least one minute until well-mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Add dry ingredients: Add gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Add mix-ins: Add coconut, M&M's or alternative, and chocolate chips. Mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Make dough balls: Use a large ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) ice cream or cookie scoop to make balls. Lightly compact each one with your hands before placing on the baking sheet, allowing a couple inches between them for spreading.
- Bake: Bake for 9-11 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set and the dough has a light brown crust.
- Flatten if needed & enjoy: If the cookies have not spread, use the back of a measuring cup to press them down slightly to flatten. This will occur if you used cold (rather than room temperature) butter and eggs. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Brenda says
I made these for Easter with Cadbury mini eggs and they were a hit! Honestly better than any gluten free cookie I’ve had and most regular ones too. My celiac granddaughter was so happy 🥹🎉🐣
Jamie says
I'm so glad to hear it!
Charlotte says
I made these and the maple brown sugar cookies for a work holiday party and OMG! They went faster than the gluten cookies! Both of them. I didn't feel like the weird gluten free person at all. Thank you! looking forward to trying all your other recipes lol.
Janice P says
Made these with shredded coconut and loved them! We dos not miss the oats or the gluten. Really glad I stumbled across this blog and I can’t wait to try some more cookies!
Jamie says
I hope you love the other cookies too! I'm glad you enjoyed them Janice!
Jen says
I love how these turned out! I ate a ton of the dough and prefer coconut over oats. I’ll be making these again for a bake sale next month!
Jamie says
A bake sale sounds so fun! I'm glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Margaret Fortier says
These were by far one of the best GF cookies I have made ! I am so thankful for your recipes ! Even my husband ( who is not GF ) loves them ! Thank you ❤️
Jamie says
I am so glad your family loved them Margaret! Thank you so much for your kind review.
Ashley says
I love that these are made without oats since I can’t have them. My whole family loves these. And a note for other readers, it’s so worth it to get the big cookie scoop. It feels like they came from a real bakery but are so easy. Thank you!
Asha says
Made these as soon as I saw them for my son with celiac and we all gobbled them up! They are every bit as good as a traditional monster cookie.