Monster Mix Cookies

I have a dirty little secret to share... I waste food. Too much. You see, I often get cravings (and believe me, this happened long before pregnancy) and I need the food NOW. For instance, Doritos. I'll NEED them. So I run out, buy a bag, eat a serving, and then I'm over it. The almost-full package will sit and sit until I find it in the back of the cabinet and throw it out. I've overcome this issue by paying more for smaller packages (which annoys me... but I digress) so that I don't throw as much out. I recently bought small packs of Monster Trail Mix from Target and ate all 6 packs (that were supposed to be for John... oops!) in a matter of days. So the next time I went to Target I bought a tub of this stuff. I kid you not, a tub. And what happened? I lost interest. Ugh. The curse. I'm not one of those people who can push through it and eat stuff that doesn't interest me, no, it just sits.

So with this tub I knew I needed to get crafty. I decided to bake them into some cookies, and ta-da! These little delicious loves were born. I was a big fan of this recipe. They were soft, peanut buttery, and loaded with goodness. I was hesitant to throw whole peanuts in but they worked out great! If you don't have the Monster Mix you can just do a combo of the ingredients, which are listed below.

Source: Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 cup flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups Monster Mix (combo of peanuts, raisins, M&Ms, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips)

Directions:
1- In a large bowl mix together the melted butter and peanut butter until the peanut butter melts in. Add the sugars and mix well.
2- Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well until well incorporated.
3- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, flour, oats, and stir well. Once well incorporated stir in the Monster Mix.
4- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
5- Preheat the oven to 375.
6- Scoop rounded tablespoons onto a coated baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly than remove to a wire rack. Enjoy!