Stuffed Monster Cookies

These cookies have old fashioned oats in them. Processing old fashioned oats can be summarized into a few steps.

The first step is cleaning the oats. Once cleaned the inner portion of the oats need to be exteracted this is called hulling. In order to roll the oats, they must be steamed. Finally the flakes are dried prior to being packaged into what we may recognize at the store. Below is a link to a video from Grain Millers showing the process. Normally, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are the highest oat producers in the U.S.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup M&M’s candies (mini)

Center filling:

Select candies for filling your cookies; I used Reese’s peanut butter cups, peanut butter, soft caramels, and marshmallow (mini would work best). These fillings should be placed in the freezer a few hours before baking your cookies. For peanut butter filling lay out a narrow strip of cling wrap dropping a half tablespoon of peanut butter space out fold like a ravioli and place in the freezer.   

Instructions:

1.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.

2. Beat in the egg, then add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Side note if you forget the vanilla it won’t be the end of the world. 

3. Combine the oats, flour, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s, until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

5. Place dough in the fridge covered for at least 2 hours to chill. Covering the dough is very important, it may begin to dry out if it is uncovered. 

6. Before preparing your dough for the oven, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I prefer parchment for this recipe.

7. After chilling, using a one ounce cookie scoop or an overflowing tablespoon, drop rounded dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. 

** I usually use a smaller cookie sheet and place 6 large cookies on each sheet. 

8. After placing the first scoop onto the pan add your filling on top of the scoop of dough as shown below. Then place another scoop on top, shaping with your hands to cover the stuffing. You may need to grab pinches of dough from your bowl to cover the stuffing depending on the size. 

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges. If you use marshmallows or caramel filling watch the cookies carefully, they tend to cook faster. 

10. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

11. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.

**Protip microwave leftover cookies for a few seconds and dunk in milk**

Enjoy your delicious homemade Stuffed Monster Cookies!