Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
These are the easiest, most irresistible peanut butter cookies ever! Our recipe is flourless, made without butter, and dairy-free, yet the cookies are shockingly good. My family can’t get enough of them! You won’t believe how amazing these peanut butter cookies taste with just a handful of simple ingredients. They’re soft, chewy, perfectly sweet, and full of peanut butter flavor. These cookies are a staple in our house. Whenever I need a quick and easy treat that everyone will love, these are my go-to. Our recipe is based on an old-fashioned 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe, but to make them irresistible, we add a few extra simple ingredients. If you’re as much a fan of peanut butter as I am, you should also see our homemade peanut butter, no bake peanut butter pie, peanut butter rice krispie treats, and these peanut butter cookie cups! Key Ingredients Peanut Butter: You can use crunchy or creamy peanut butter—it’s totally up to you! Use very well-stirred peanut butter or the jarred peanut butter sold pre-mixed at the store for the best results. For cookies that are completely from scratch, try making your own homemade peanut butter (make sure it’s well stirred before making the cookie dough). You can also swap the peanut butter for almond butter, I love homemade almond butter. Egg: We use one egg for 1 cup of peanut butter, which adds structure, flavor, and moisture to the cookies. For extra soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, add one more egg. Keep in mind that if you add an additional egg, the dough will be stickier, so you may need to chill it for a few minutes before scooping. Sugar: You can use pretty much any sugar here! We love a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. This combination gives the cookies a wonderful flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. As a base recipe, we use 3/4 cup of sugar total, but for a slightly less sweet cookie, you can reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup without any issues. Baking Soda: Baking soda is a key ingredient in these cookies. It creates a chemical reaction that helps the cookies rise and brown beautifully, adding a lovely texture. If you’re wondering whether or not you can make peanut butter cookies without baking soda, you can! They will be softer and more cake-like in the middle. Vanilla Extract: It’s rare to see us making cookies without a splash of vanilla extract! It adds a lovely richness and depth of flavor to sweet recipes. Molasses (optional): This is an optional ingredient you rarely see in peanut butter cookies, but I swear by it. If you have some light or dark molasses in the kitchen, try adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to the cookie dough. It adds color, richness, and a slight tanginess that cuts through the sweetness of the peanut butter. Cinnamon (optional): Here’s another unusual ingredient, but I love the combination of cinnamon and peanut butter! The warm notes of cinnamon complement the rich peanut butter flavor perfectly. Peanut Butter: You can use crunchy or creamy peanut butter—it’s totally up to you! Use very well-stirred peanut butter or the jarred peanut butter sold pre-mixed at the store for the best results. For cookies that are completely from scratch, try making your own homemade peanut butter (make sure it’s well stirred before making the cookie dough). You can also swap the peanut butter for almond butter, I love homemade almond butter. Egg: We use one egg for 1 cup of peanut butter, which adds structure, flavor, and moisture to the cookies. For extra soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, add one more egg. Keep in mind that if you add an additional egg, the dough will be stickier, so you may need to chill it for a few minutes before scooping. Sugar: You can use pretty much any sugar here! We love a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. This combination gives the cookies a wonderful flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. As a base recipe, we use 3/4 cup of sugar total, but for a slightly less sweet cookie, you can reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup without any issues. Baking Soda: Baking soda is a key ingredient in these cookies. It creates a chemical reaction that helps the cookies rise and brown beautifully, adding a lovely texture. If you’re wondering whether or not you can make peanut butter cookies without baking soda, you can! They will be softer and more cake-like in the middle. Vanilla Extract: It’s rare to see us making cookies without a splash of vanilla extract! It adds a lovely richness and depth of flavor to sweet recipes. Molasses (optional): This is an optional ingredient you rarely see in peanut butter cookies, but I swear by it. If you have some light or dark molasses in the kitchen, try adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to the cookie dough. It adds color, richness, and a slight tanginess that cuts through the sweetness of the peanut butter. Cinnamon (optional): Here’s another unusual ingredient, but I love the combination of cinnamon and peanut butter! The warm notes of cinnamon complement the rich peanut butter flavor perfectly. How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies To make my family’s favorite peanut butter cookies, you need a bowl and a spoon (that’s it!). Stir all the cookie ingredients together, roll into balls, and bake! Seriously, these are some of the easiest cookie recipes on Inspired Taste, and they taste so good! These cookies are excellent plain, but as you can see from our photos, you can have some fun and make jam-filled or chocolate-drizzled cookies. I’ve even added chopped peanuts or chocolate chips to the cookie dough before baking. If you are like me and find yourself sneaking cookie dough before your cookies go into the oven, take a look at our recipe for edible cookie dough. There’s a peanut butter cookie version shared in the recipe. Easy Peanut Butter Cookies PREP 5 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 15 mins PREP 5 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 15 mins You can make these flourless peanut butter cookies in less than 15 minutes! They are soft and absolutely delicious plain and are extra delicious with a dollop of jam or a drizzle of chocolate on top. We prefer these with a granulated and brown sugar blend, but you can use just one type of sugar. (We use 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated) **If making the jam-filled cookies, adding the jam on the day of serving is best. The cookies will soften too much from the extra moisture if left overnight. Makes 16 cookies You Will Need 1 cup (270g) well-stirred peanut butter 1 large egg 3/4 cup (150g) sugar, use granulated, brown sugar, or a combination 1 teaspoon baking soda Pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon molasses, optional 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional Directions 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats. 2In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, egg, sugar, baking soda, a pinch of salt, vanilla, molasses (optional), and cinnamon (optional) together until blended and scoopable. 3Scoop or roll into 1-inch balls and place two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press the mounds down with the back of a spoon or the tines of a fork to flatten them into cookies. 4Bake until the outer edges turn light brown and the tops look dry, for 8 to 11 minutes. 5Cool the cookies on the baking sheet, without moving them, for 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. (The cookies will firm up as they cool). 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats. 2In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, egg, sugar, baking soda, a pinch of salt, vanilla, molasses (optional), and cinnamon (optional) together until blended and scoopable. 3Scoop or roll into 1-inch balls and place two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press the mounds down with the back of a spoon or the tines of a fork to flatten them into cookies. 4Bake until the outer edges turn light brown and the tops look dry, for 8 to 11 minutes. 5Cool the cookies on the baking sheet, without moving them, for 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. (The cookies will firm up as they cool). Adam and Joanne's Tips Best peanut butter: Use very well-stirred peanut butter or the jarred peanut butter sold pre-mixed at the store. Salt: Before making the cookies, taste your peanut butter. If it is on the saltier side, you may not need to add a pinch of salt to the cookie dough. Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies: Stir 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup chocolate chips into the batter before rolling and baking. Jam-filled cookies: Before baking, use a spoon to make a small indent in the middle of the dough balls. When the cookies are baked and cool, spread a teaspoon of jam into the middle of each cookie. Chocolate drizzled cookies: Once the cookies are baked and cool, melt 1/3 cup chocolate chips and drizzle over cookies. For chocolate-peanut butter drizzled cookies, add one tablespoon of peanut butter to the chocolate chips before melting. Reduced sugar cookies: Use 1/2 cup sugar. The cookies will be a little stickier and won’t be as easy to indent with the fork. They still bake well and taste great, just not as sweet. Make ahead tips: The cookie dough keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Even though you can bake immediately, chilling cookie dough makes even better cookies. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months and bake it from frozen (add 1 to 2 minutes of bake time). Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months. Jam-filled cookies are best the day you make them. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates and are for the plain cookies. Best peanut butter: Use very well-stirred peanut butter or the jarred peanut butter sold pre-mixed at the store. Salt: Before making the cookies, taste your peanut butter. If it is on the saltier side, you may not need to add a pinch of salt to the cookie dough. Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies: Stir 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup chocolate chips into the batter before rolling and baking. Jam-filled cookies: Before baking, use a spoon to make a small indent in the middle of the dough balls. When the cookies are baked and cool, spread a teaspoon of jam into the middle of each cookie. Chocolate drizzled cookies: Once the cookies are baked and cool, melt 1/3 cup chocolate chips and drizzle over cookies. For chocolate-peanut butter drizzled cookies, add one tablespoon of peanut butter to the chocolate chips before melting. Reduced sugar cookies: Use 1/2 cup sugar. The cookies will be a little stickier and won’t be as easy to indent with the fork. They still bake well and taste great, just not as sweet. Make ahead tips: The cookie dough keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Even though you can bake immediately, chilling cookie dough makes even better cookies. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months and bake it from frozen (add 1 to 2 minutes of bake time). Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months. Jam-filled cookies are best the day you make them. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates and are for the plain cookies. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 cookie / Calories 128 / Total Fat 8.6g / Saturated Fat 1.8g / Cholesterol 11.6mg / Sodium 163.5mg / Total Carbohydrate 10.5g / Dietary Fiber 0.8g / Total Sugars 8.5g / Protein 4g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us