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Monster Cookie Bars are the perfect treat for Halloween! Homemade treats are the best, and these healthier oatmeal cookies are studded with dark chocolate chips and dye-free chocolate candy pieces. These monster cookie bars without peanut butter use a nut-free swap that’s possibly even more delicious!

Stacks of cookies surrounding a glass of milk.

*This post is sponsored by SunButter, a sunflower seed spread perfect for allergy-safe baking and cooking! Thanks for supporting the brands that keep Sunkissed Kitchen running.

Contents

We love our Monster Cookie treats! My little guy has always been an M&M fan, so once a year, we make a special “monster cookie” treat together.

You will want to check out our Monster Cookie Caramel Corn, and our classic Monster Cookies recipes.

Those two recipes use the same delicious, peanut-free swap that this Monster Cookie Bars recipe uses – SunButter! It’s a delicious nut/seed spread made from sunflower seeds. It’s the perfect healthy trade for PB in pretty much any recipe.

SunButter comes in different varieties — smooth, crunchy, and the one I love to bake with, No Sugar Added. They also have a Chocolate SunButter you’ll want to get your hands on!

Hop on over to the SunButter website to learn more about where to buy it!

For this recipe, you’ll need:

SunButter No Sugar Added
Maple syrup
Egg
Coconut Oil
Oats (gluten free, if necessary)
Brown Rice Crisp cereal
Coconut (unsweetened)
Dark Chocolate Chips
Dye-free Candy Coated Chocolate Pieces (Trader Joe’s brand is also dye-free)

The ingredients needed to make monster cookie bars.

Step 1: Add the SunButter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and egg to a bowl, and mix well to combine.

Step 2: Into the same bowl, add the salt, oats, brown rice crisp, and coconut, and mix into to fully coat the dry ingredients.

Step 1 shows mixing the wet ingredients, and step 2 shows mixing in the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Add the dark chocolate chips, and fold in to combine.

Step 4: Add the cookie dough to a baking dish lined with parchment paper (or just greased with coconut oil), and press it down into an even layer.

Step 3 shows adding the chocolate chips, and step 4 shows pressing the cookie dough into a baking pan.

Step 5: Add the candy coated chocolate pieces to the tops of the cookies, and press them in.

Step 6: Bake the cookies on 350º F for 16-18 minutes, until starting to brown around the edges. Allow to fully cool, or chill in the fridge, before slicing into bars. Store the cookies in the freezer for best results.

Step 5 shows pressing candy coated chocolates into the cookie dough, and step 6 shows baking the cookies and cutting them in squares.

Variations for Making the Best Oatmeal Bar Cookies

Omit the Candy Pieces: If you prefer to not use candy at all in this recipe, try other colorful toppings instead, like pumpkin seeds, cranberries, or chopped dried fruit like pineapple, kiwi, or mango.

Make it Vegan: Omit the egg, and add an egg replacer. The rest of the recipe is vegan as written.

Make Classic Monster Cookies: The recipe is almost identical — but use the method in this Gluten Free Monster Cookies post.

Make them Gluten Free: Oats are naturally gluten free, but use a brand that’s certified gluten free to avoid contamination.

A white baking dish with cookies cut into squares in it.

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Monster Cookie Bars

Variations for Making the Best Oatmeal Bar Cookies