Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

my take

Nicole's Recipe Notes

These are not your “regular” flourless peanut butter cookies. They're better in taste, texture, and even appearance.

The most classic recipe you've no doubt seen before is simply 1 egg + 1 cup peanut butter + 1 cup granulated sugar. But that makes a cookie that's much more fragile, more crunchy than chewy and has those jagged, cracked edges.

So I cut back on the sugar and added some baking powder to create a classic “3-ingredient” peanut butter cookie that holds together so well. I was even able to create the classic crosshatch pattern of our classic gluten free peanut butter cookies without flour, and without getting those broken edges.

what's in it

Recipe Ingredients

• Peanut butter: creamy, no-stir peanut butter (the oil doesn't separate in the jar) provides the flavor and much of the support for the cookies.
• Egg: provides structure and binds the cookie dough together
• Sugar: adds sweetness and tenderness to the cookies
• Baking powder: helps provide a slight rise in the cookies and create a more uniform shape
• Salt: balances and brightens the flavors

substitutions

Ingredient substitutions

Peanut free

You can try replacing peanut butter with a no-stir variety of almond butter (Barney Butter is a good (if expensive) option). Either way, you'll need a “no-stir” variety.

Cashew butter might also work, as long as it's no-stir. I also think that it's worth trying the recipe with no-stir Wowbutter, which is made from soy beans.

Egg-free

Try replacing the egg in this recipe with a “chia egg” each (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) or a “flax egg.” Bob's Red Mill's egg replacer might also work.

Sugar-free

If you can find a no-stir peanut butter that doesn't have any regular sugar, you can make these sugar-free. I've made this recipe with Lankato brand granulated monkfruit sugar alternative, and although the texture wasn't exactly the same, it worked. Swerve might also work.

My Pro Tip

Expert tips

Use a “no stir” peanut butter

A nut butter is “no stir” if, when you open the jar, the liquid oil hasn't separated from the solid nut butter. It's all integrated (and not drippy). It usually has palm oil added to it to keep the peanut butter stable and fully emulsified at room temperature.

Beat the cookie batter well

It's mostly the balance of ingredients that creates the proper texture in the cookie that's crispy outside and chewy inside. But beating the batter a bit extra helps, too.

In a traditional cookie made with flour, creaming butter (or other fat) with sugar creates a bond between the two that allows the heat of the oven to cause them to rise and crisp. If you want crispy-chewy cookies, try beating the batter a bit more.

Use a mixer

This recipe can be made with a bowl and spoon, by hand. But making it with a stand mixer or hand mixer makes cookies with the best smooth texture and the most tender cookie.

Press a fork on top for even baking

Flattening the dough ball helps the cookies bake evenly, and spread properly. For that distinctive peanut butter cookie look, press a fork in that criss cross pattern on top of each cookie dough ball.

The granulated sugar on the outside of the cookies is absolutely optional. But dipping the fork in water first, and then in some granulated sugar first does help create a bit of a crust on the outside. And you really don't need much granulated sugar to make that sort of magic happen. ✨

make ahead/leftovers

Storage instructions

These cooled baked cookies will keep well and maintain their texture in a sealed glass container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Storing them on the counter in plastic may lead to a change in texture.

For longer storage, place the baked and cooled cookies in a sealed plastic zip-top bag with as much air removed as possible, or wrapped tightly in freezer-safe wrap. Then, place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.