82°F
weather icon Clear

Grenier’s monster cookies take second place

Boulder City resident Tammie Grenier earned second place in the Boulder City Review’s inaugural Christmas cookie contest for her monster cookies.

“I’ve been a baker since probably always,” said Grenier, who is from the West and has baked most of her life with her grandma, mother, aunt and kids.

She has also been baking monster cookies for a long time, first stumbling upon the recipe in 1993 when she was living in Pennsylvania.

“I was sad because my parents lived in (Las) Vegas, and I missed home,” she said.

One day, her mom sent her a spiral recipe card notebook filled with different recipes.

“The monster cookie recipe came from that,” she said.

Monster cookies and baking are a major holiday tradition for Grenier and her family. The monster cookie is one of three types of cookies she makes every year. The other two are Kisses cookies, peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss, and Rolo cookies, cookies baked with a Rolo in the middle.

Grenier also spends time making cookies for others.

At the end of September or beginning of October, she makes several dozen of one kind of cookie. After keeping a dozen out for her family, she then freezes them and makes another kind the following weekend. At one time, she had 15 different kinds of cookies in her freezer. When the holidays arrive, she makes cookie bags for friends and neighbors as well as a cookie platter for her family.

In the past few years, Grenier has cut back on the number of different kinds of cookies she makes. This year she has seven in her freezer.

Grenier said that her favorite part of Christmas is being with her family. She and her husband have three children and three grandchildren.

Monster cookies

1 cup butter or shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups peanut butter

4½ cups oatmeal

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

6 ounces M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter (or shortening) and sugars. Then add peanut butter, eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Add oatmeal and stir. Batter will be thick. Then add chocolate chips and M&Ms and mix.

Drop large scoops onto greased cookie sheet (or use wax paper) and bake for 11-14 minutes.

Let cookies cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

These cookies freeze well. You also can change the color of the M&Ms to correlate with a particular holiday or use the regular multicolored ones.

Note: This recipe has no flour in it.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Chugging Along

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

Class In Session: Bobcats hit the ground running

The 2025-2026 school year is off to an exciting start at Garrett Junior High School. From impressive academic growth to new STEAM classes, our Bobcats are showing what it means to learn, lead, and succeed.

BCHS going strong at 85

The 2025–26 school year is off to a fantastic start at Boulder City High School.

Falls at home place seniors at significant risk

We may crack up watching slip and fall accidents on TikTok or “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, but in real life, especially for seniors, it’s no laughing matter.

Wine Walk returns with new lineup of themes

September kicks off the busiest time of the year in terms of community events in Boulder City.

Local schools welcome new staff faces

Author John Steinbeck once wrote, “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”

Who’s supposed to weed out the weeds?

“In the weeds” is a phrase used in the restaurant industry to describe when the front and/or back of the house becomes overwhelmed with orders, creating kitchen chaos.

Howdy, partner! Western Inn Motel has new owners

For nearly 90 years, the Western Inn Motel has served as a temporary place for residents as well as travelers on their way to Hoover Dam, Las Vegas and beyond.

Healthy aging at any age

Healthy aging is the process of maintaining good physical, mental, and social health and well-being as we grow older. It is not just for older adults. It starts at any age. There are key areas of health that can help you stay strong and healthy throughout your life.

When household products overpromise and actually deliver

Every now and again you come across a product that makes you stand back and say, “Wow, that worked way better than I thought it would!” These gleeful moments come as a welcome surprise when we’re often disappointed by products that overpromise and under-deliver. When I find these little gems, I store them away in my mental DIY toolbox. This past month, I was happy to add a few more “must have” products that exceeded my expectations.