While us Brits are going bonkers over banana bread and sourdough, in America, the baking craze over there is monster cookies.
Soft, chewy and super sweet, they are an ideal lockdown treat as they are super easy to make.
What makes them different to your typical cookie is that they are made with peanut butter and oats - two ingredients you can easily pick up from the supermarket.
They are colourful too from the sugar coated chocolates you stir in it at the end.
Shared thousands of times on social media, foodies have been using sweets such as Smarties and M&Ms to make them.
Instagram baker @cakeontherun has shared her monster cookie recipe below.
Make sure you read her top tips first so you achieve the tastiest results.
Top tips:
- For the recipe use half and half of each ingredient or play around with the ratio to suit your taste. If you really like oats, use more oats than flour or if you don't like peanut butter use more margarine. The recipe gives you flexibility.
- Brown sugar is the secret to giving them a caramel, chewy texture.
- Take the cookies out of the oven before they are fully cooked as they continue cooking on the baking tray afterwards. This will ensure they have a crisp shell and chewy middle.
- Leave to cool before you attempt taking them off the baking tray as they could fall apart.
Monster cookie recipe (makes 5-6):
Ingredients:
- 130g oats/ self raising flour
- 100g light brown sugar/ caster sugar
- 100g peanut butter/ margarine
- 150g chocolate chips/ sugar coated drops
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ gas mark 4.
- Cream together the butters and sugars.
- Stir in the egg.
- Stir in the flour, oats and baking soda.
- Stir in the chocolates.
- Oil spray a baking tray and spoon the mixture into lumps with enough space in between for spreading. You can make them whatever size you want.
- Oven bake for 12-15 minutes. They make look under-baked but they will continue cooking on the baking tray while cooling.
- Leave to cool fully before removing from the tray.
