Name: Healthy Gluten-Free Monster Cookies (Flourless and Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup gluten-free quick cooking oats; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon fine salt; 1/2 cup unsalted creamy almond butter (or any nut or seed butter); 1/4 cup maple syrup; 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegan, soy-free butter (softened not melted); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/3 cup vegan/dairy-free chocolate chips (+ more for topping if desired); 1/3 cup dye-free vegan, soy-free dark chocolate gems (+ more for topping if desire)

Calling all cookie monsters! Are you ready for the ultimate nothing-excluded cookie recipe? This healthier monster cookie has it all: oats, nut butter, chocolate chips, colorful dye-free candies...and it's totally vegan and gluten-free! Include chopped up leftover Halloween candy for even more cookie fun.

A hand holding a gluten-free monster cookie above a stack of monster cookies with a white background.

Have you ever had monster cookies before?! This classic cookie recipe is kind of an "everything but the kitchen sink" style of treat. It's got oats, nut (or seed!) butter, chocolate chips and pieces of candy! They're basically the Frankenstein monster of cookies: a little bit of everything, all mixed together in one delicious recipe.

My version of healthy flourless monster cookies is made without dairy (no eggs, butter, or milk!) and it's totally gluten-free. I love that it's a sweet treat that gives your system a break from the Halloween sugar rush!

Gluten-free monster cookies and blue, purple and pink chocolate pieces on parchment paper.

Ingredients

These chewy gluten-free monster cookies are made with whole, simple ingredients and is completely flourless!

Oats - Use certified gluten-free oats if that's important to you, and I always recommend quick-cooking oats for baking. Old-fashioned oats work just as well but I prefer the texture of quick oats more.
Baking essentials - Baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract! Baking soda gives the cookies some rise, salt balances all the flavors, and vanilla adds just a bit of warmth.
Almond Butter - Any nut or seed butter works in this recipe! I love raw, runny homemade almond butter and find it's the easiest to measure and bake with.
Maple Syrup - This is my sweetener of choice! Pure maple keeps my recipes free of refined sugar and sweetens with a totally natural ingredient, made from just the sap of maple trees.
Coconut Oil - You want coconut oil that's soft but not totally liquid. You can also opt for vegan, soy-free butter. My favorite vegan butter is the Miyokos brand.
Vegan/dairy free chocolate chips - Hu brand's dark chocolate gems are my go-to for all of my favorite chocolatey treats! They have a clean ingredient list and taste incredible.
Dye-free vegan, soy-free, dark chocolate gems - I used UNREAL brand and I love the colors they came in!

Instructions for Gluten Free Monster Cookies

This recipe is REALLY simple to make and requires no fancy equipment...just a large mixing bowl! An electric hand mixer will make your job easier, but you can mix by hand if you don't have one.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a half sheet baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, add quick oats, baking soda and salt. Whisk well.

Oats, baking soda and salt in a glass mixing bowl next to a whisk.

Oats, baking soda and salt whisked together in a glass mixing bowl next to a whisk.

3. Mix in the wet ingredients. Add the almond butter, coconut oil (or melted butter), maple syrup and vanilla to the dry ingredients and beat with an electric hand mixer.

Almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a glass mixing bowl with a white background prior to being mixed.

Almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a glass mixing bowl with a white background after being mixed.

4. Add the chocolate chips and chocolate gems. Beat again with the hand mixer.

Chocolate chips and candies added to cookie dough mixture in a glass mixing bowl with a white background.

Monster cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl with a white background.

5. Form the cookies. Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Add more chocolate pieces to the top of the cookies if desired.

Monster cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper prior to being baked with a white background.

6. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to fully cool on baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack. If your cookies are crumbling slightly, then add the entire cookie sheet to the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will help the almond butter and vegan butter/coconut oil harden a bit which helps hold the cookies together more.

Monster cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper after being baked.

Hands breaking apart a monster cookie overtop other monster cookies.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. You can store them in your refrigerator for up to one week. Bring them back to room temperature before enjoying for best results.

Using Oats in Monster Cookies

I kept this recipe totally flourless by relying on oats as the monster cookie dough base. This works out perfectly since traditional monster cookies have oats included as well.

Quick cooking oats are my favorite for baking. They hold up really well in the oven and keep the round shape of the cookie. Oats have more protein than most other whole grains and they're full of soluble fiber and healthful fats. I love including oats in my diet for an energy boost!

Dairy-Free Monster Cookies stacked on top of each other with a white background.

Almond Butter Monster Cookies

Another classic ingredient in traditional monster cookies is creamy peanut butter. To keep this recipe allergen-friendly, I used creamy almond butter instead. It might sound crazy to some but my husband actually prefers almond butter over the peanut butter flavor anyway!

Almonds are low in carbohydrates and high in protein. They also offer a good source of fiber, healthy fats, vitamin E and magnesium in addition to providing iron and calcium.

You can use any nut or seed butter in this recipe; sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter would make this a nut-free monster cookie!

Monster cookies next to nut-butter filled chocolate with a white background.

Vegan Chocolate Chips

This recipe has two different kinds of chocolate inside (major heart eyes!): dark chocolate chips and chocolate candies. I used Hu chocolate gems for the chocolate chips, and then UNREAL brand dye-free gems for candy.

You can include any of your leftover Halloween chocolate candy for this part of the recipe. Just chop it up and include it in the monster cookie dough for delicious gluten-free Halloween candy cookies! You could also use leftover homemade candy if you've made any of my vegan, refined sugar-free recipes:

Monster cookies next to chocolate treats with a white background.

CLICK HERE for my Ultimate Halloween Recipe Roundup!

Halloween Fun with Food: Themed, Healthy Snacks!

Halloween Toast: Healthy, No-Waste, Totally Spooky Toast Recipes

I hope you enjoy these fun gluten-free cookies! Please leave a comment below or tag me @eatingbyelaine so I can see how these bring out the cookie monster in all of us!