Monster Cookies on the "Iron Monster"

Our nephew came to visit last Saturday.  Now that we can bake with comparative ease, we had invited him over to help us make Monster Cookies.  If you've never heard of them, Monster Cookies are indeed monstrous.  I first had them while I was in college at Iowa State University.  They weren't my favorite cookie then, and they aren't my favorite cookie now, because of the fact that they have peanut butter in them.  I detest peanut butter with a passion.  However, while I was at Iowa State, I was shopping in an antique store somewhere and ran across a $5 copy of the 1968 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  This cookbook is one of my mom's go-to cookbooks, so I was familiar with it and happy to get it for such a reasonable price.  Upon further inspection once I got it home, I discovered a loose sheet of paper in it on which was written the recipe for Monster Cookies. 

Thus, we baked Monster Cookies in the "iron monster" in our kitchen.  As you can see from the pics, we all had fun.

Nancy and our nephew mixing the cookie dough by hand.
When you see the proportions of ingredients below, you'll know
why this has to be done this way. 

The cookies are dropped by ice cream scoop, so not very many fit on a cookie sheet.

The mounds of Monster Cookies put into the hot oven of
Marjorie the Margin Gem.  The oven of the Margin Gem seems
cavernous compared to the oven of our old Qualified Range,
even though the measurements are only a little larger.

A finished monster cookie resting on a six-inch diameter dessert plate.
Judging from the size, I'd say they are appropriately named!

Our nephew enjoying his chicken casserole and homemade
applesauce for noon dinner while Monster Cookies baked in
the oven of the Margin Gem cookstove.

Monster Cookies

1 dozen eggs

1 lb. butter or oleo

2 lb. brown sugar

4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup vanilla

3 lbs. peanut butter

8 tsp. soda

18 cups quick oatmeal

1 lb. nuts (we didn't use)

1 lb. M&Ms (not really enough)

12 oz. chocolate chips (we probably doubled this)

Cream eggs, butter, and sugars.  Add rest, mixing thoroughly by hand.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until light brown.  We did not grease our cookie sheets, and we discovered that the cookies stayed together better and were easier to remove from the cookie sheet if we let them cool on the cookie sheet for about ten minutes before endeavoring to remove them to a length of paper toweling to cool the rest of the way.

One thing to note about this recipe is that there is no flour in it.  If you are cooking for someone who has a dietary issue with wheat products, I would think that this recipe would be quite a find.

The Margin Gem baked these cookies beautifully, but I'm still learning the quirks of this stove.  When I feel confident about understanding it all, I'm planning to post a very informational blog entry.  Stay tuned!