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!
Why this recipe works
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.
Recipe ingredients
Here’s a bit about what you need to make these cookies, plus the role each ingredient plays in making these cookies turn out just right:
- 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. Natural peanut butter, the kind that drips, tends to make greasy cookies that don’t hold together well.
- Egg: provides structure and binds the cookie dough together
- Sugar: adds sweetness and locks in moisture for a tender texture
- 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 (step by step photos)
This overview is designed to show you what it looks like to make these cookies in your own kitchen. For the exact ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.
Make the cookie dough
Beat the peanut butter, white sugar and egg with a mixer into a thick, soft dough that lightens in a color a bit, showing that you’ve incorporated some air into the dough. Mix in the baking powder and salt last since that makes it easiest to avoid them clumping and creating bitter pockets.
Portion the dough
I like to use a #40 cookie scoop to create 12 equal portions of 1 1/2 tablespoons each, but spoons work, too. Equal size portions bake evenly in the oven.
Shape the dough
Roll each portion into an even round of dough. Wet the tines of a fork, dip it in some more sugar, and Press the fork down twice on each ball. This flattens the dough since it’s too dense to spread on its own during baking. It also creates a crisscross pattern for some texture that crisps lightly while still maintaining a chewy center.
Round the edges as needed
If the cookies have lost their shape during baking, as soon as they come out of the oven, you can nudge the edges back into shape by circling them with a plain round cookie cutter.
Rest
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes so they’re stable enough to move. If you try to move them when they’re still warm, they’ll fall apart.
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, leading to smooth cookies that hold their shape and aren’t greasy.
Beat the cookie dough 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.
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.
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.
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.
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.