These flourless peanut butter cookies are made simply with just 5 regular pantry ingredients, and have that crispy outside and soft and chewy inside. Use a sugar substitute and they're an amazing low-carb cookie!
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Why you'll love this flourless peanut butter cookie recipe
The most classic recipe for flourless peanut butter cookies 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.
When I first made flourless peanut butter cookies, I was only satisfied with a chocolate flourless PB cookie. It was the only way I could make them soft and chewy.
I finally decided to revisit the classic “3-ingredient” peanut butter cookie version—and make it right. By cutting back on the sugar and adding a bit of baking powder, the cookie held together so much better. I was even able to create the classic crosshatch pattern in a flourless cookie without getting those broken edges.
Is peanut butter gluten free?
Yes, in its pure form, peanut butter is made of peanuts and salt and is naturally gluten free. If you place peanuts (roasted or raw) in a high-speed blender and add salt to taste, eventually you will have peanut butter.
I rarely make my own peanut butter, though, and typically don't bake with truly natural peanut butter. You'll know that your peanut butter is entirely natural when it has only those two basic ingredients, and when it separates as it stands at room temperature into a ring of liquid oil on top and a solid below.
The original ingredients (peanuts, salt) are naturally gluten free, as are all of the potential additives we've mentioned. Make sure you're using a gluten free peanut butter in this recipe or just in a sandwich, you have to read labels—and know your brands.
What brands of peanut butter are reliably gluten free
Some brands, like Jif, will label its peanut butter (and other products) “gluten free” if it fit the U.S. definition of “gluten free,” but may have been prepared on manufacturing equipment that has been shared with gluten-containing products.
Most types of Skippy peanut butter are gluten free, except for those that contain other ingredients. The safest peanut butter brands only make gluten free varieties, like Peanut Butter & Co. Most often, I purchase Skippy peanut butter for my family, but you have to do what makes you most comfortable—and fits in your budget.
Tips on baking flourless peanut butter cookies
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.
Beat that peanut butter cookie batter
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 flourless peanut butter 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.
The granulated sugar on the outside of the cookies is absolutely optional. But it 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. ✨
FAQs about ingredient substitutions
These flourless peanut butter cookies are already dairy-free and gluten free naturally, with only a few ingredients. The secret to their crispy and chewy success is in the balance of ingredients. So keep that in mind as you consider whether to make changes to the recipe.
Since these are peanut butter cookies, if you don't like nut butter, I suggest you stay away! These are really for peanut butter lovers.
If you're allergic to peanuts, you can try replacing it 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 don't think that any of the other, more alternative nut-replacement butters would work. Nutella is just a different ingredient entirely, so it won't work here.
Maybe. You could 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). The egg really does help to hold this recipe together and make it puffy and chewy rather than crunchy.
I've made this exact recipe with a granulated sugar substitute and although the texture wasn't spot on, it worked. I used Lankato brand monkfruit granulated sweetener, but you could also try Swerve brand. Made with a sugar alternative, the cookies are low carb, high protein, and really satisfying.
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (125 g) granulated sugar plus more for topping
- 1 cup (256 g) smooth no-stir peanut butter See Recipe Notes
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the granulated sugar, peanut butter, and egg, and mix to combine very well. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer) will help get the perfect cookie texture, but it’s not necessary. Add the baking powder, and salt, and mix again to combine.
- Divide the dough into portions of 1 1/2 tablespoons each (a #50 ice cream scoop works great), and place about 1 1/2-inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet. Roll each piece of dough between clean palms, and return to the baking sheet.
- For thicker cookies, place the baking sheet in the freezer to chill for about 10 minutes.
- Wet the tines of a salad fork, press into the extra granulated sugar, and then press into a crosshatch pattern on each piece of cookie dough. Wet the fork as often as necessary to prevent it from sticking to the cookie dough. You can just use the wet tines without the sugar if you prefer.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and the dough no longer glistens on top (although the granulated sugar will glisten where it has clumped).
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet or until firm.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Ria van Niekerk says
Best peanutbutter cookies I’ve ever tasted or made. Never again any other recipe for me. Here in South-Africa we struggle to get a good blend of gluten free flour, so if I’m too lazy to mix my own blend, this recipe is my go to from now on. Thank you so much!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Ria, and I understand the difficulty of sourcing an all purpose gluten free flour blend. Be sure to check out the other flourless recipes on the site, which I’ve developed with just that idea in mind!
D Anderson says
These are so delicious. We love them.
Thank you Nicole for all you do for us. It is so appreciated.
Being an empty nester is tough. It takes quite awhile to to adjust. My heart is with you.
Take care,
Donna
Margaret S. says
Just wondering if you can use crunchy peanut butter in the flourless peanut butter cookies? My granddaughter loves crunchy peanut butter
Nicole Hunn says
No, I don’t recommend using crunchy peanut butter since it won’t blend as well and you’ll have less smooth peanut butter since it’s an ingredient, but if you want to mimic the crunch, you could try mixing in some chopped peanut as you shape each individual cookie.
Dee says
I just stumbled upon your recipe and noticed you specifically mentioned NOT to use natural peanut butter that you have to stir. You can make these with all natural peanut butter. I make them all the time. They may not be perfectly round and as pretty but they are just as good if not better.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m glad you are happy with your recipe and results, Dee. If you want the results I describe and picture, you should avoid anything other than no-stir peanut butter.
Tracey Israel says
She did not say that you could not use natural peanut butter, she said to make sure it is no stir peanut butter. The natural peanut butter I use all the time is no stir peanut butter, I use it in Allrecipes and it works fine.