Flourless peanut butter cookies are soft, tender, and filled with rich peanut butter flavor. They're perfect for any peanut butter lover and require no chilling time before baking. You can have a batch ready in 30 minutes or less!
Why you'll love this recipe
Flavor: Rich, sweet, and packed with peanut butter flavor.
Texture: Soft and tender with crisp edges.
Easy baking for beginners: One of the easiest cookie recipes out there! The dough comes together in a single bowl, there's no chilling time, and you only need six ingredients.
Yield: 16 cookies
Great for: Baking with kids, last-minute desserts, after school treat.
Similar to: Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies and Mini Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Peanut butter - Store-bought creamy or crunchy peanut butter works best in this recipe (I used JIF brand). I do not recommend using natural/homemade peanut butter in this recipe because the finished cookies turn out oily and dense. Processed almond butter can also work as a substitute.
- Sugars - Sugar adds moisture to the cookies, helps them spread properly, and adds sweetness. I used a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar for added depth of flavor. If you don't have brown sugar on hand, this recipe can be made with all granulated sugar.
- Egg - You'll need one room temperature large egg. To bring your egg to room temperature quickly, place your whole egg in a cup and cover in hot tap water. Your egg will come to room temperature in 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract - Adds flavor to the cookie dough.
- Baking soda - Helps your cookies puff up slightly in the oven.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your cookies. If you're using a particularly salty peanut butter, you may want to cut the listed salt in half.
Making peanut butter cookies
- Add peanut butter and sugars to a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer until creamed and fluffy.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
- It will look a bit crumbly once the ingredients come together, this is normal.
- Dough will hold together when gently pressed between two fingers.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Use a fork to press a cross-hatch pattern into the top of each cookie.
- Allow cookies space to spread while baking.
- Bake until the tops look set and cookies are beginning to lightly brown around the edges.
Tips and tricks
Crumbly dough - Once all of your ingredients are combined, your dough may look crumbly. This is normal! When pressed between two fingers or rolled into a ball, your dough should hold its shape.
Don't use homemade peanut butter - I don't recommend using homemade or natural peanut butter in this recipe because it can cause your cookies to turn out oily and dense.
Greasy dough - Your dough will feel a bit greasy because it's made with mostly peanut butter. This is normal.
Use parchment paper - As with most of my cookie recipes, I recommend using parchment paper or a reusable baking mat instead of greasing your cookie sheet. Adding grease to the cookie sheet causes cookies to spread more than they should in the oven.
Cookies spreading too much? - Refrigerate your dough for up to 30 minutes, then scoop and bake. You can also place your prepared cookie dough balls (on the baking sheet) into the refrigerator for 10 minutes just before baking. Cold dough spreads less in the oven.
Gently transfer cookies to a cooling rack - Peanut butter cookies are very tender and delicate straight from the oven because they're made without flour, which adds structure and stability. Allow your cookies to cool completely and firm up, making them easier to handle.
Frequently asked questions
Your cookies may feel a bit delicate and crumbly straight from the oven. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. If you've used a homemade or natural peanut butter, this can also cause your cookies to turn out crumbly. I recommend store bought peanut butter for this particular recipe. If your cookies are overbaked, they may also turn out brittle and crumbly.
Natural or homemade peanut butter is generally more runny and oily when compared to store bought processed peanut butter. It just doesn't work as well in recipes like this where peanut butter is the main ingredient. The dough will have a crumbly texture and cookies turn out oily and dense when baked.
Peanut butter cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container at room temperature. To elongate the shelf life of your cookies, add a slice of bread to the cookie container. Replace the bread as needed when it feels stale.
Yes, peanut butter cookie dough and baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed, freezer-safe container. Transfer to the refrigerator overnight to thaw, or place on the countertop for 30 to 60 minutes.
This peanut butter cookie recipe is the perfect base for all sorts of fun mix-ins. Try adding ½ cup of chocolate chips, M&M's candies (like my recipe for mini peanut butter M&M cookies), or chopped nuts. You could also roll your dough balls in granulated sugar before pressing and baking.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (270 g) smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53 g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (I do not recommend using a greased baking sheet for this recipe - the cookies will spread too much).
- In a large bowl, add peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix with a hand mixer until creamed and fluffy, about a minute. Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt, mixing until combined, about a minute.
- Scoop dough using a medium (1.5 tablespoon) cookie scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls. Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Press a fork into the balls to create a crosshatch pattern.
- Bake for about 10-11 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely (your cookies will be very tender straight from the oven and are much easier to handle when cooled).
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Baked cookies will keep for 5 days in a sealed container at room temperature. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- Storing raw dough: Raw cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cookie dough balls (and baked cookies) freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen balls to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Can I use natural peanut butter?: I do not recommend using natural/homemade peanut butter for this recipe (the type that separates as it sits). Your dough will be dry and the cookies turn out oily and dense when baked.
- More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Hands down, best peanut butter cookies ever!! So tender and perfect!! I sometimes add chocolate chips to this recipe, and they are also stellar! I also double the recipe and use half brown and half white sugar - 3/4 cup of each - for a bit more flavor. Gluten free, simple, fast, and so delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Just made these today. Doubled the recipe and used ice cream scoop to make 12 huge cookies.
Delicious and easy! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Glad you enjoyed them!