These 4-ingredient gluten-free peanut butter cookies are so easy to make, are ready in under 30 minutes, and will satisfy any sweet tooth. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free too, these flourless peanut butter cookies make the perfect anytime snack. If you’re a peanut butter lover, you definitely need these soft, rich and chewy cookies in your life!
Jump to:
- Peanut Butter – A Super Useful Pantry Staple
- The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies
- Why This Recipe Works:
- Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- How to Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies (Step by Step):
- Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Recipe FAQs:
- Other Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes to Enjoy:
- Dessert Recipes You’ll Love:
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless, Dairy-Free)
Peanut Butter – A Super Useful Pantry Staple
If you’re a peanut butter lover, then you probably already know how handy it is to have a jar of peanut butter in your pantry at all times. While you can easily buy a jar from the store, making your own peanut butter is very easy and you can have it ready in just 10 minutes!
It’s such a useful ingredient to have on hand, and the amazing things you can make with it are endless: from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a quick breakfast, to peanut sesame zucchini noodles for lunch, to peanut butter fudge, peanut butter buckeye balls or homemade peanut butter cups for dessert, and of course, these peanut butter cookies for an anytime snack.
The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies
I first made these flourless peanut butter cookies (which I adapted from Cottage Grove House) a long time ago back in July 2013, when my mum and my sister Valerie were in Buenos Aires visiting me.
I remember baking a batch of these cookies one day when they had just returned home from another round of horse riding. The thing they first noticed when they arrived was the thick, rich aroma of peanut butter wafting in the air, swirling around the apartment we’d rented, betraying the original source that was baking in the oven.
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Recently, I decided to make these cookies again, because I had a jar of peanut butter waiting to be used, and cookies are always a good idea – especially these ones!
Why This Recipe Works:
- Super Easy to Make: These soft and chewy cookies are literally foolproof and impossible to get wrong – the sort of forgiving recipe that anyone (including beginner bakers without baking experience) can make and enjoy. You have to take my word for it when I say these cookies are downright simple (and probably the best peanut butter cookies ever!)
- Just 4 Ingredients Required: You only need four simple ingredients to make this peanut butter cookie recipe, and I’m betting you already have them in your pantry.
- Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Flourless: Unlike traditional peanut butter cookies which normally use wheat flour, these cookies are totally gluten-free, dairy-free and do not require flour at all (not even an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend)! This means that even Celiacs and those with gluten allergies or lactose intolerances can enjoy them without any worries!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required to make these gluten-free peanut butter cookies. You’ll need peanut butter, sugar, an egg and vanilla extract. For exact quantities and measurements, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- Peanut Butter: You can use either storebought natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter (here’s my recipe for 10-minute creamy peanut butter). For best results, I prefer using creamy peanut butter, but crunchy peanut butter works too if you like extra texture and crunch.
- Nut Butter Substitutes: Alternatively, if you have an allergy to peanuts, or just don’t like the taste of peanuts, you can use other nut butters such as almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter to replace the peanut butter in equal quantities.
- Sugar: I used granulated white sugar in this recipe, but feel free to use brown sugar instead or a mix or both white and brown sugar. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that has zero glycemic-index).
- Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract to give it a bit of extra flavor. However, if you don’t like vanilla or don’t have it on hand, feel free to leave it out.
- Egg: The egg is required to bind the ingredients together. If you want to make this simple recipe completely vegan, or have egg-allergies, simply substitute the egg for an egg replacer (such as the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer) or a chia egg, or a flax egg.
How to Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies (Step by Step):
1. Preheat and Line
Preheat oven to 350F and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
2. Mix Peanut Butter with Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter with the sugar until sugar has dissolved.
3. Add Vanilla and Egg
Add in the vanilla extract and egg, and then stir until you get a homogeneous brown cookie dough (you will get a soft dough that’s also sticky but that’s fine).
4. Scoop Cookie Dough into Balls
Using a teaspoon or a cookie scoop, scoop one tablespoon of cookie dough and then roll it between both palms until you form a golf-ball sized ball. Repeat until you have used up all the cookie dough (you should get between 12 to 14 balls).
5. Place Dough Balls on Cookie Sheet
Place balls of cookie dough in one single layer on the parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each of them (you may need to bake the cookies in 2 batches depending on the size of your baking sheet)
Once baked, these cookies will stay in roughly the same shape and size as before baking, so don’t worry about them spreading apart as they cook in the oven.
6. Use Fork to Press Criss-Cross Pattern
Use the back of a fork to press down the balls in a crisscross pattern to flatten the dough slightly and to get the classic peanut butter cookie look.
In my opinion, the fork marks don’t have to be perfect, in fact I think the more imperfect they look, the better!
7. Bake Until Golden Brown
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until they turn a lighter brown (they will look slightly undercooked, but that’s fine as they will continue cooking with the residual heat).
8. Let Cool Fully Before Moving
Allow cookies to cool at least 20 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them and letting them cool totally on a wire rack (this is important because if cookies are still too hot, they will break when you move them).
Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Optional Add-Ins: Think of this cookie as a base cookie recipe to which you can add to make your own creation depending on your personal preferences! Some fun ingredients you could add to these cookies include chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or even cacao nibs.
- Smaller Cookies: If you prefer smaller cookies, simply use a heaping teaspoon for each cookie instead. You will get 24 smaller cookies (as opposed to 12 regular-sized cookies) with each batch.
- Let Cookies Cool Fully: It’s important to let the gluten-free peanut butter cookies fully cool or they will break when you try to remove them from the sheet.
Recipe FAQs:
When I say “flourless”, I mean that these cookies do not use any flour at all, be it normal wheat flour, gluten-free flour or even grain-free flours such as almond flour, almond meal, or cashew flour.
To store, place the fully-cooled in an airtight container and store for up to 1 week at room temperature.
To freeze, place the fully-cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let cookies thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator before eating. Alternatively, you can reheat the frozen cookies in the oven at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes until ready to eat.
If you have an allergy to peanuts, or just don’t like the taste of peanuts, you can use other nut butters such as almond butter or cashew butter to replace the peanut butter in equal quantities. Just note that the taste will change depending on which nut butter you use, but the consistency will be the same.
Other Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes to Enjoy:
- Almond Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Cashew Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Chewy Molasses Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Easy Gingerbread Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Easy Buckwheat Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Dessert Recipes You’ll Love:
P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!
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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless, Dairy-Free)
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 12 large cookies or 24 small cookies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These 4-ingredient gluten-free peanut butter cookies are so easy to make, are ready in under 30 minutes, and will satisfy any sweet tooth. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free too, these flourless peanut butter cookies make the perfect anytime snack. If you’re a peanut butter lover, you definitely need these soft, rich and chewy cookies in your life!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups of white sugar (or brown sugar or a mix of both)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten (see recipe notes for using egg substitutes)
Instructions
- Preheat and Line: Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Mix Peanut Butter with Sugar: Mix the peanut butter with sugar until sugar has dissolved.
- Add Vanilla and Egg: Add in the vanilla essence and egg, and then stir until you get a homogeneous cookie dough.
- Scoop Cookie Dough into Balls: Using a teaspoon or a cookie scoop, scoop one tablespoon of cookie dough and then roll it between both palms until you form a golf-ball sized ball. Repeat until you have used up all the cookie dough (you should get between 12 to 14 balls).
- Place Dough Balls on Cookie Sheet: Place cookie dough balls in one single layer on the baking paper, leaving about 2 inches of space between each of them (you may need to bake the cookies in 2 batches depending on the size of your baking sheet)
- Press Criss-Cross Pattern: Use the back of a fork to press down the balls in a criss-cross manner to flatten the dough slightly.
- Bake Until Golden Brown: Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until they turn a lighter brown (they will look slightly undercooked, but that’s fine as they will continue cooking with the residual heat).
- Let Cool Fully: Allow cookies to cool at least 20 minutes before removing them from the pan (this is important because if cookies are still too hot, they will break when you move them).
Notes
Peanut Butter: You can use either storebought natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter (here’s my recipe for 10 minute creamy peanut butter). I prefer using creamy peanut butter, but if you prefer you can also use crunchy peanut butter if you like some extra texture in your cookies.
Nut Butter Substitutes: If you have an allergy to peanuts, or just don’t like the taste of peanuts, you can use other nut butters such as almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter to replace the peanut butter in equal quantities.
Sugar: I used granulated white sugar in this recipe, but feel free to use brown sugar instead or a mix or both white and brown sugar. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that has zero glycemic-index).
Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract to give it a bit of extra flavor. However, if you don’t like vanilla or don’t have it on hand, feel free to leave it out.
Egg Substitutes: If you want to make this completely vegan, or have egg-allergies, simply substitute the egg for an egg replacer (such as the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer) or a chia egg, or a flax egg.
Optional Cookie Add-Ins: Some fun ingredients you could add to these cookies include chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or even cacao nibs. Think of this recipe as a base recipe to which you can add things to make your own creation depending on your preferences!
Smaller Cookies: If you prefer smaller cookies, simply use a heaping teaspoon for each cookie instead. You will get 24 smaller cookies (as opposed to 12 regular-sized cookies) with each batch.
Storing/Freezing: To store, place the fully-cooled in an airtight container and store for up to 1 week at room temperature. To freeze, place the fully-cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let cookies thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator before eating. Alternatively, you can reheat the frozen cookies in the oven at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes until ready to eat.
Adapted from: Cottage Grove House
This recipe was originally published in 2013 but has since been updated to include clearer step-by-step instructions, tips, and ingredient photos.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free peanut butter cookies
I haven’t made these yet but I will. Do you have a YouTube Channel for cooking?
★★★★★
Hi Susan! Hope you enjoy these PB cookies when you make them! I currently don’t have a Youtube cooking channel, all the recipes can be found on the blog 🙂
Have a good weekend!
I usually have only chunky pb on hand. Could I use that??? Thanks
Hi Suzanne! I believe it should work just as well! Just bear in mind the cookies will have chunks of peanuts in them 🙂
Super quick and delicious! I put them on a piece of parchment and cooked them in my air fryer for 6 minutes at 350. I was to lazy to preheat my oven:)
What modifications need to be made to bake these in high altitudes? I live in Colorado and when I baked these, they were super flat.
Hi! I’ve actually never baked these peanut butter cookies in the air fryer, so I’m not sure how that would work! However, I believe that to prevent them from spreading out, you can try to chill the dough (once rolled into balls) before cooking them in the air fryer!
Hope this helps, and see you around the blog again sometime soon!
Just found this website, and the first recipe I see is for PB cookies! A win-win day for me. Peanut butter is going on the grocery list right now. Will be making them soon. Thank you! Diana
Hi Diana! Glad to have you on the blog, and yes peanut butter cookies are always a goooood idea! Hope you enjoy these cookies and would love to see you on the blog again sometime soon! Have a great week ahead!
Good Job Felicia 🙂
These cookies ae just so good and yummy for any time of the day especially for peanut butter lover with a sweet tooth – that’s me actually!
However, not to spite my blood sugar, I will enjoy them sparingly (only a few at a time) to stretch the enjoyment throughout the day.
Really good to go with a cup of kopi-O!
Lots of hugs and kisses from me,
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy, glad you enjoy these peanut butter cookies! 🙂
Love you too!
Hi Felicia,
It is so wonderful to see these cookies being posted again with updated pictures and instructions accompanied by suggestions of complementary recipes for easy referencing.
There you have it – all in one post – making it so easy for us to make our choices 🙂
Love you lots 🙂
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy, do you remember when I made them when you can Val where in BA in 2013? We were staying in the apartment together and I had just started my food blog!! Can’t believe 7 years have passed. Love you too, thanks for your constant support!
Thank you so much for joining my party with your great cookies. They look so yummy! Your recipe is now featured in the Giant cookie party: http://www.delscookingtwist.com/2014/02/02/giant-cookie-party-with-a-twist/
Thanks for the link back and for dropping by Del!! Will check out your round-up soon! xoxo, felicia
I won’t ever be able to narrow it down to one cookbook. I do have old binders and hand-written books with heritage recipes. Now, there are so many ways to get recipes it’s a bit overwhelming. Lovely cookies! Can’t go wrong with pb and gluten free Felicia!
Ahhh Paula! Yes, I can imagine all those precious & treasured hand-written recipes passed down from family & friends! : ) Yes, I have some too, but most of my recipes are from the internet!
This was the first time I’ve made gluten-free cookies, and also the first time I’ve cooked with PB, and amazingly it turned out so good, and so easy!
Que tengas un dia hermoso!!
un beso!
Oo, yum; those look amazing! Especially the part where you roll them in chopped peanuts at the end. 🙂 So clever.
HI Allison!
thanks so much for dropping by and reading! : ) I’m not usually a big fan of peanut butter, but this recipe was really easy and I got hooked! If you do try it, let me know how it goes!
felicia
Thanks Seana for the cookie recipe. I have the honor and the privilege to eat the peanut butter cookies Felicia backed at the apartment. They were so deliciously great for tea. I will bake some for my family back in Singapore.
I’m glad I had the change to bake these cookies for you mummy : ) Missing you!!! And so happy that Val will be staying in BA for another few more weeks!!
Oh my goodness Felicia, you are so sweet and kind to say such nice words about me! You clearly gave these cookies the attention they deserve with your photographs and narrative of their deliciousness. Thank you very much for kind compliments, you made my day! Now I want to make more of those cookies! 🙂
Hey Seana!! Thank YOU for introducing the recipe to me! These cookies were really as simple as the recipe promised (very few recipes are like that!) and I’m looking forward to using many more of your tried & tested recipes!!
So true. Even my 15 year old son loves making them! He’s hilarious too because he thinks you have to be a girl for cookies to turn out! hahaha. He doesn’t think that about cooking anything else…just cookies. 🙂