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These flourless peanut butter cookies are made simply with just 5 regular pantry ingredients, and have that crispy outside and soft and chewy inside.
I've modified the “classic” recipe you've seen elsewhere to improve the cookie texture, shape, and even taste. All without changing the ingredients very much at all!
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
How to make flourless peanut butter cookies
Make the cookie dough by beating the peanut butter, white sugar and egg with a handheld mixer (or by hand) into a thick, soft dough. Mix in the baking powder and salt.
I like to use a #40 cookie scoop to create 12 equal portions of 1 1/2 tablespoons each, but spoons work, too. Roll each piece into a dough ball.
Then, wet the tines of a fork, dip it in some more sugar, and press the fork down twice on each ball to create a crisscross pattern.
If the cookies have lost their shape during baking, as soon as they come out of the oven, you can coax them back into shape by circling them with a plain round cookie cutter.
Let them sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then you can move to racks to cool completely, if needed.
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.
Flavor variations
This is such a simple recipe, but you can make a few swaps to change it up a bit:
- Add chocolate chips: add up to 2 ounces of miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips to the raw cookie dough.
- Add cocoa powder: replace the 10 tablespoons granulated sugar with 6 tablespoons (82 grams) light brown sugar, add 1/4 cup (20 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, and replace the baking powder with 1 teaspoon baking soda.
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. ✨
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Handheld mixer for the best cookie shape and texture (but optional)
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 (or 35 grams) each. A #40 ice cream scoop works great, or you can use 2 spoons.
- Place the pieces of dough 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 slightly thicker cookies, or if you just think that your peanut butter was a little oily and soft, 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 about 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. If they've lost their shape at all, quickly run a round cookie cutter around the edges of each cookie on the baking sheet to coax it back into shape.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet or until firm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
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!
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!
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
Just wondering if you can use crunchy peanut butter in the flourless peanut butter cookies? My granddaughter loves crunchy peanut butter
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.
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.
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.
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.
Je vais essayer de faire la recette.Tres bon.J ai essayer plusieurs de vos recettes.Tous très facile à faire.Le pain blanc pour les sandwichs.Super bon.Super contente d avoir ses recettes.Merci.
J’ai utilisé Google Translate pour cela, alors pardonnez ma faible tentative de français, mais je suis heureux de savoir que vous appréciez les recettes !
Can I substitute powdered Stevia and/or Xylitol for the sugar, or a mix of half each?
No, I don’t recommend that, Lorna. Please see the text of the post under the heading “Can you make these cookies sugar-free?” for my thoughts.
Delicious recipe! I made them bite size (which is just an excuse to have more than 1) and just kept an eye on them in the oven. I also used salted caramel flavored peanut butter since that’s what I had on hand and we all loved them!
Hi Nicole, these were really yummy! (and I’ll admit, I did have one for brekkie!) I did try and substitute (yes, I can see you shaking your head!) 2 Tablespoons of Splenda for the brown sugar…they did still work & were yummy…BUT…they would probably have been less crumbly if I’d just used all the sugar. Which is what I will do next time, to see. I weighed it all and everything else was right, so I’m thinking that was why they were crumbly…Not too much sugar really. And for those interested in the calories, I popped it into a calculator, and because I ended up with 13 biscuits/cookies, not 12, it worked out to aprx 153 calories per biscuit/cookie. I only added 2 choc chips per cookie, but they were Reece’s Peanut butter choc chips that we found in Woolies here in Aus! Yummmmmmm… Might be some left for the kids to try on the weekend…maybe…. ;D
You’re all the way on the other side of the world, but you can still see my head shake. You’re good! ? At least you knew without my having to say a word, Carolyn. So glad you enjoyed them!
I would like to make these cookies, they look so good. But I really don’t know what you mean by “no stir peanut butter”. I usually buy natural peanut butter without any sugar, salt or oil. Will it be ok?
As I explain in the text, Diane, if your peanut butter separates, then it won’t work.
I made this recipe…however they spread out across the entire pan…what did I do wrong? They looked similar to yours before the oven. Any guidance greatly appreciated.
Hi, Kellie, I would always begin with the ingredients. Did you make any substitutions? As I explain in the post, especially in such a simple recipe, every ingredient really counts—as does the proper amount of each ingredient. Did you use no-stir peanut butter? Did you measure by weight? These will work when made as written. You’ll need to retrace your steps to see where you deviated, at all, from the recipe as written.