Chocolate Monster Cookies

Recipe by: Pat Sinclair | from Baking Basics and Beyond

Cookstr

Course: Dessert

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Michael Maes

We call these “dishpan” cookies at my house because if you make the whole recipe, you need a dishpan to mix all the ingredients (or a very large bowl). These cookies traveled with my kids on many team trips and were always “winners.” You can use any combination of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or M&Ms.

Yield: Makes about 32 jumbo cookies (or 8 dozen standard cookies)

INGREDIENTS

3 1/3 cups (403 g) all purpose flour
½ cup (43 g) unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons (10 mL) baking powder
2 teaspoons (10 mL) baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
2 cups (454 g) butter, softened
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
2 cup (456 g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups (180 g) quick-cooking oats
2 cups (120 g) cornflakes, lightly crushed
2 cups (360 g) semisweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or M&Ms (12 ounces)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) with oven rack in middle (see Notes). Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a very large bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in bowl of a heavy-duty mixer on Medium-High speed until creamy, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.

Reduce mixer speed to Low and add the flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat until dough forms.

Scrape dough back in to the very large bowl. Add the oatmeal, cornflakes, and chips and stir until well mixed.

Using a ¼-cup (59-mL) ice cream scoop (or cup measure), drop dough onto cookie sheets. Drop 6 cookies onto each cookie sheet.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until set in the center and edges are lightly browned. For softer cookies, reduce baking time slightly. The cookies will still look a little moist in the center. Cool cookies 1 minute on the cookie sheets and then place them on wire cooling racks.

These cookies should be stored loosely covered at room temperature.

Notes

Baker’s Notes:

I usually place my oven racks on the second and fourth levels and bake two cookie sheets at once. If the heat in you oven is uneven, rotate the sheets halfway through baking.

I often make half of the dough into jumbo cookies and the remaining half into smaller cookies. Make smaller cookies by dropping dough, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) at a time, 2 inches (5 cm) apart onto greased cookie sheets. The baking time will be about 10 to 13 minutes.

Secret to Success: After measuring the cornflakes, I crush them lightly before adding them to the dough so they mix in better.