These chewy, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies have ONLY 4 ingredients and are so tasty, so buttery, so melt-in-your-mouth decadent, you’d never guess they are actually gluten free!
For more delicious desserts, head on over to my recipes for Peanut Butter Fudge, Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites, and Easy, No Bake Peanut Butter Bars.
Why This Recipe Works
Only 4 Ingredients(!) — I know, I’m right there with you. I thought it couldn’t be done, and well, if it couldn’t they surely wouldn’t taste good. But that’s not the case at all! These 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies are so tasty, so moist, and hold up so well, you’d never, ever know they were flourless.
Gluten-free— These flourless peanut butter cookies are great if you’re doing a special diet or avoiding gluten. You won’t even miss the flour, I promise.
Crowd-pleaser — I make these often for my family and extended family get-togethers. They’re always super popular and no one even knows they are only 4 ingredients. That is until I inevitably tell them because I have to share with everyone how amazing they are.
Freezes well — I have frozen this soft peanut butter cookie dough and the baked cookies as well. Both freeze equally well. That means no more last-minute desserts if you always have these in your freezer!
Ingredients
Smooth peanut butter — Smooth peanut butter is the way to go here. Don’t use the kind that separates. Use regular, already-mixed, store-bought peanut butter. It’s the only kind that works.
Sugar — I use refined white sugar in this recipe for gluten free peanut butter cookies.
Egg — Egg is a necessary binder in these 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies.
Flaky sea salt — Possibly the best ingredient in these old fashioned peanut butter cookies is the sprinkle of flaky sea salt you’ll sprinkle across the top before baking. It just gives them a little bit of extra salt that goes so great with the soft peanut butter.
Here’s How You Make It
- First, preheat the oven to 350 F, then line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (not pictured)
- Next, get out a large bowl and mix the peanut butter with a wooden spoon until smooth. Then, add the sugar and mix that in, then the egg and stir it all together to create a smooth dough. (photos 1-4)
- Roll the dough for these easy chewy peanut butter cookies into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls and place them at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. (photo 5)
- Sprinkle each peanut butter cookie top with flaky sea salt, then press the prongs of a fork into the tops to form a classic peanut butter cookie cross-hatch. (The sea salt helps balance out the sweetness of the cookie and can keep the fork from sticking to the cookie dough.) (photos 6-7)
- Put the soft peanut butter cookie dough balls in the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes, then take them out of the oven, leaving the cookies to cool completely on the tray before transferring to a cookie jar or airtight container. (photo 8)
If your old fashioned peanut butter cookies are crumbly and dry it could mean you mixed it too much, thus adding too much air to the batter, causing them to crumble when baking.
Although the peanut butter should be whipped with a wooden spoon until it’s smooth, the other ingredients you can just mix till incorporated, no need to mix those in too much.
Another reason could be that you over baked the cookies. Take care to only leave in the oven for 8-10 minutes. For best results, check at 8 minutes. If the bottoms are starting to brown and the top is firm, then they are done.
In this recipe for gluten free peanut butter cookies, you’ll note that it calls for creamy, smooth peanut butter. This type of peanut butter works best in these cookies. However, if you’re curious about the other types, there are three main kinds:
Smooth peanut butter is the kind you’ve likely grown up with, the basic, run-of-the-mill, creamy, smooth kind made by big-name peanut butter companies like Jif and Peter Pan.
Chunky/crunchy peanut butter is the smooth kind but with bits of peanuts mixed in, thus making it crunchy.
Natural or organic peanut butter is peanut butter that has been made from organic peanuts.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Do not use an all natural brand of peanut butter which separates in the jar, you want to choose a “no stir” brand that stays smooth and homogenous for these cookies to work without flour. If you are gluten-free, double check your peanut butter labels for gluten, just in case.
- If your kitchen is really warm and the dough is a bit too sticky to form into balls, chill it for 20 minutes before shaping.
- These cookies will keep in an air-tight container for approximately 3-4 days at room temperature.
More Cookie Recipes
- Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Gingersnaps
- Sprinkle Cookies
- Peppermint Cookies
- Best Easy Sugar Cookies
- Best Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (4 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter - (see notes)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg - lightly beaten
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl using a wooden spoon, beat the peanut butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until combined, then add the egg, stirring everything together to create a smooth dough.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/2 tbsp balls and place them at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the top of each with flaky sea salt, then press the prongs of a fork into the tops to form a classic peanut butter cookie cross hatch. The sea salt will both help balance out the sweetness of the cookie and help stop the fork sticking to the cookie dough.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, then leave the cookies to cool completely on the tray before transferring to a cookie jar or airtight container.
