Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Flourless peanut butter cookies are soft, tender, and filled with rich peanut butter flavor! Perfect for any peanut butter lover. These cookies are gluten-free and require no chilling time before baking - ready in less than 30 minutes!

You're going to love these flourless peanut butter cookies. Not only are they soft and delicious, they're shockingly simple to make! Plus, they're gluten free - you won't even realize the flour is missing.

Since there's no flour, the rich peanut butter flavor really shines - any peanut butter fanatic will love them!

These cookies are easy to make with kids, since they require minimal ingredients and no chilling time. Or, make as a last minute party dessert! Since they're ready in less than 30 minutes, there's no need to plan ahead.

Ingredients and substitutions

Store-bought creamy peanut butter works best in this recipe (I used JIF brand). Crunchy peanut butter would also work. I do not recommend using natural/homemade peanut butter in this recipe - the dough turns out dry and does not hold together well.

I used a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar for added depth of flavor. But, all granulated sugar will work if needed.

You'll need one room temperature large egg. To bring your egg to room temperature quickly, place your whole egg (in the shell) in a cup and cover in hot tap water. Your egg will come to room temperature in minutes.

Lastly, you'll need vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Make sure you grab the baking soda, not baking powder. They react differently in baking recipes and are not interchangeable.

Mixing your dough

When mixing your peanut butter cookie dough, you'll first cream together your peanut butter and sugars.

Next, you'll add your remaining ingredients - egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Once all of your ingredients are combined, your dough may look crumbly.

However, when pressed between two fingers or rolled into a ball, your dough should hold its shape (as shown in the photo below).

Your dough will feel a bit greasy (it is made with mostly peanut butter, after all!), but will bake up into a normal-looking cookie in the oven.

Storage and freezing

Raw cookie dough can be refrigerated for 3 days in a sealed container (or wrapped in plastic). Raw peanut butter cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed, freezer-safe container. Or, form your dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag.

Baked peanut butter cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container at room temperature. To elongate your cookie shelf life, add a slice of bread to the cookie container. Replace the bread as needed (it will get stale as it helps keep your cookies fresh).

Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, set them on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature. This can take between 30 to 60 minutes.

Cookie tips and tricks

Room temperature ingredients make a consistent, creamy, and even dough. When beaten, the eggs and peanut butter form an emulsion, which traps air in the dough. This turns into a soft, even, perfectly baked cookie.

Using parchment paper helps prevent your cookies from spreading too much while baking. A greased baking pan will guarantee your cookies spread more than they should, so I always suggest parchment paper (or a reusable baking mat) instead.

Cookies still spreading too much? Refrigerate your dough for up to 30 minutes, then scoop and bake. Or, place your prepared cookie dough balls (on the baking sheet) into the refrigerator for 10 minutes just before baking. Colder dough spreads less in the oven.

Optional mix-ins

This peanut butter cookie recipe is the perfect base for all sorts of fun mix-ins! Try adding ½ cup of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, M&M's candies, or chopped nuts to your dough.

Or, roll your dough balls in additional granulated sugar (or sprinkles) before baking.

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