These Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies are incredibly simple to make with only 6 ingredients, and no flour or butter required! But don’t be fooled by their simplicity- this flourless peanut butter cookie recipe is a major contender for your favorite cookie recipe yet- they turn out with lightly crisp edges and soft centers. You may want to double this family favorite!
These flourless peanut butter cookies are seriously the easiest, quickest cookies and I almost didn’t want to tell you guys that they were gluten free, or didn’t have any butter or flour, because I know there are people out there who will dismiss this recipe thinking of it simply as a replacement if you can’t have normal cookies. Not the case. This is actually just an amazing cookie recipe and it’s simply a fun side note that they don’t have flour or butter. As proof- I honestly make these more often than any other peanut butter cookie recipe. It’s a bonus that they’re stinking fast. It literally takes me maybe 60 seconds to mix the dough. This is one of our family favorites for our weekly Monday Night Family Nights because I always have the ingredients on hand!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Creamy peanut butter – I recommend Jiff or Skippy style, not natural style peanut butter for texture purposes.
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Table salt
- Chopped chocolate or chocolate chips – Optional.
- Oats – Optional.
- Granulated sugar – For rolling, optional.
How to Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Mix Your Dough: When your ingredients first come together, the dough is very smooth and loose. It doesn’t look thick enough to be cookie dough. The key is to keep mixing! It will quickly come together and magically change texture- this time into kind of a crumbly texture. NOTE: The texture of this dough is different than standard cookie dough, almost oily? It feels funny but it works. Just go with it.
- Optional: Add Chocolate Chips and/or Oats: If you’d like to add chocolate chips, which are optional, you’d do that at this point. Again, the texture of this dough is different- the chocolate chips won’t “stick” in there as well. Just do your best to mix them in. You can also add oats in there, too!
- Shape: I like to roll balls in sugar and give them a little crisscross, but you could simply put spoonsful of dough on the sheet and flatten them a little with a bottom of a cup if you’re in a hurry.
If I add chocolate chips, I usually skip the step with rolling in sugar and crisscrossing and instead I just use a cookie scoop and then lightly flatten the dough balls with my hand or the bottom of a cup. - Bake: You want to bake them just until the edges are set, and not over bake. In my oven 8 minutes is just about perfect. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes so they don’t fall apart on you when you transfer them, and then put them on a cooling rack.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- I love that the basic recipe makes a small batch, about 18 cookies with a standard size scoop. You can easily double it if you want more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Freeze the cookies once they cool and transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. They thaw quickly at room temperature.
I have not tested this recipe with other nut butters. As long as they are the smooth consistency of Jiff or Skippy peanut butter, it would likely work. The more natural peanut butters and nut butters might be a bit more problematic and result in a flat, oily cookie. One reader in the comments says she has better luck with natural peanut butter if it’s cold from the fridge when mixing up the dough, so that may help if your alternative nut butter is a similar consistency. Several people have reported good results using almond butter.
Readers have reported that chunky peanut butter works well!
Easy (Flourless!) Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter we recommend standard Jiff or Skippy, not natural style pb
- ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 large or extra large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (dark or semi-sweet) optional
- ⅓ cup oats optional
- granulated sugar for rolling optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Beat peanut butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix for about a minute. Add chocolate and/or oats, if using.
- Shape into balls, and roll in sugar if desired. Flatten with a crisscross pattern with a fork, or simply flatten with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes. Don't over-bake. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Makes 18-20 cookies.
Notes
- Nutrition information was calculated without the optional chocolate, oats, and granulated sugar.
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Cooled cookies can be frozen, transferred to an airtight, freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, and frozen for up to two months. They thaw quickly on the countertop.
Questions & Reviews
I had to make these cookies just to see if that was possible without flour. Made them,and can”t believe how Great they taste.I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I am not allergic to gluten and will make these quite often.Marvelous tasting cookies. I thank every one for there honest Reviews.
Oh ho, ho!
I used natural peanut butter, cooked for 9 minutes and they came out crumbly and fell apart completely when I picked one up (fully cooled). Maybe it was the natural PB? Just thought I’d let others know. I love all things OBB 🙂
Ya, I’d skip the natural and stick with good ol’ Skippy or Jif 🙂
Made these exactly as directed and they were awesome. Which is a big thing coming from someone who doesn’t even like peanut butter in general. With the standard cookie scoop I got 17 cookies and baked them 8 minutes. I used CREAMY SKIPPY pb, a new jar. I know sometimes old pb that has been sitting in the pantry for a few months gets kind of loose and oily sometimes so I wonder if that is an issue some people have had? In any case, these worked perfectly for me.
These are delicious! I just tried them 😀 Thank you
These are awesome! I’m currently not eating any soy or milk products and have been craving sweets. These cookies hit the spot.
Just made a batch of these and they’re a winner! My family loves PB cookies and this recipe is going to be the one I reach for first from now on. Thanks so much for sharing it!
These cookies were so good! They really did melt in my mouth. I was a little skeptical since there was no flour, and the only negative was that they were a little thin, but other than that they were perfect! I bet you could substitute applesauce or banana puree for the egg to make this a vegan recipe.
I made these tonight and they were fantastic. I had some all natural peanut butter that I wanted to finish off but only had 3/4 cup so I added another quarter cup of traditional Jif peanut butter. I also only had dark brown sugar on hand. I rolled mine a bit bigger – about 3″ in and baked them a bit longer (about 12-13 min) and got 10. These were a hit for us. Perfect warm from the oven with a glass of cold milk. This is will be a great option for a quick homemade weeknight dessert. Thanks so much for sharing.
Sara,
I had the same problem as a few other people too. Flat and extremely oily. They tasted good but the oily-ness was kinda throwing me off. I used chunky peanut butter and mixed it in the Bosch mixer. Should I have used creamy and mixed it with a hand mixer instead? Would you make them again and show a picture of what the dough should look like after it has been mixed? Any help would be great! Thanks for the new recipe.