Healthier Mini Monster Cookies

A fun treat to serve your little monsters … this healthier version of monster cookies includes peanut butter, whole wheat flour, oats, peanut flour and (surprise!) zucchini. Crispy on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside, with a good oat-y chew and nice bits of crunch from the added peanuts and candies, just like you would expect a good monster cookie should taste. Although you might see a few tiny specks of green here and there, the zucchini really fades into the background, allowing the peanut butter, oats and the colorful candies to shine.

Also, I added chopped peanuts, dark chocolate and of course the signature monster cookie-style M&M candies (I used peanut butter M&Ms, but you can choose whichever style you prefer) … and just to note: if you don’t have any PBFit or PB2 available to you, you can leave it out. I like the extra peanut-buttery taste, protein and fiber that it adds.

I adapted this recipe from Goodie Goodie Lunchbox.

I call these “mini” monster cookies because these beauties are much smaller than the traditional BIG cookies you might think of when you picture monster cookies, but they are the perfect size to fit in little hands. Also, for those of us grown ups that want a sweet treat, it’s helpful portion control. One cookie is just under 100 calories!

Do I have to squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini?

No! I did not do any zucchini squeezing and my cookies came out absolutely perfect. Trust me, you won’t regret putting zucchini in your cookies. I know, it’s a vegetable, but zucchini adapts itself so nicely to sweets.

How to adapt for peanut (or nut) allergies?

If you have a peanut or nut allergy to take into account, you can use another nut butter or even sunflower butter in place of the peanut butter. Skip the peanut flour too and use sunflower seeds or chopped almonds or cashews instead of chopped peanuts. Your cookies will still be delicious!

Can I make these monster cookies gluten free?

There are two options to make these cookies gluten free. First you can use a gluten free flour blend in place of the whole wheat flour. I’ve tried this before to make gluten free peanut butter oatmeal cookies and it worked really well. Also, I’ve seen gluten free monster cookie recipes like this one that use certified gluten free oats with no flour at all, so I’m certain it would be fine. I’ve definitely made oat cookies without any flour in the past, so it’s doable!

What is Oat Bran? Why use Oat Bran?

Oat bran is the outer layer of the oat groat, which sits just beneath the inedible hull. Typically sold as a cereal and often enjoyed as a hot cereal similar to oatmeal, oat bran is the healthier cousin to the rolled oats or quick oats we’re all used to seeing on the shelves. While people tout oatmeal for its cholesterol lowering and heart health boosting properties, oat bran is all of that and more. Higher in fiber than oatmeal, oat bran is linked to many health benefits, such as improved blood sugar control, healthy bowel function, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Oat bran may even help you lose weight!

You can use oat bran to replace much or all of the flour in many baked goods and as a hot cereal, it’s even easier and quicker to cook than oatmeal. Any brand of oat bran is great for this recipe (and for baking in general), but I’m a little more particular when it comes to making oat bran cereal. I’ve discovered I’m NOT a fan of Bob’s Red Mill oat bran, partly because it has less fiber than other brands of oat bran I’ve purchased, but also because it has more of a mushy texture when you make it into a cereal. My personal favorite brand is Be Still Farms organic oat bran … it just has a better texture and higher fiber content (7 g of fiber per serving). I like to buy their oat bran in 5-lb bags because yes, I use it a LOT! I’m not getting paid anything to say that either … I just seriously love it.

That said, if you don’t have oat bran, don’t fret. Just use your favorite brand of quick oats in this recipe. Your cookies will still turn out fine.

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