4 ingredient peanut butter cookies are rich, soft and chewy peanut butter cookies made with only four simple ingredients. These 4 ingredient pb cookies are easy to make, flourless, gluten free and filled with sweet and salty peanut butter flavor.
Jump to:
Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have a few peanut butter cookie recipes on the blog that I adore. My Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, Fluffernutter Cookies and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are few of my favorite peanut butter cookie recipes from the blog. I know you’ll love these four ingredient pb cookies because:
- They are quick and easy to make. All you need to do is mix everything up, scoop, roll in sugar for some extra crunch and bake.
- You love cozy classic cookies. These easy to make flourless peanut butter cookies taste just as cozy and delicious as the classic pb cookie recipe. They’re full of rich peanut butter flavor with a crunchy sugar coating, all while being flourless and gluten free.
Ingredients
This homemade gluten free peanut butter cookies require only 4 simple pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go.
Gather creamy peanut butter, sugar, an egg and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully soft, no flour peanut butter cookies.
- Peanut Butter: Use a creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter works well. Cashew butter makes a wonderful substitute for peanut butter. Sunflower butter is a great nut free substitute for peanut butter.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Egg: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an egg substitute.
- Vanilla Extract: This is for background flavor. Omit the vanilla if needed and make these as 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies.
Variations
- Chocolate Chips: Feel free to mix in ½ cup chocolate chips into the peanut butter cookie batter as the last ingredient. Follow the remainder of the recipe as written.
- Other Mix - Ins: Add ½ cup of any mix-ins you like such as chopped nuts, mini M&M’s, mini marshmallows or even mini peanut butter cups.
How To Make
Learn how to make 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter and sugar together on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. On low, mix in the egg and vanilla until combined and the mixture begins to clump together.
- Pour some sugar in a shallow bowl. Using a 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cookie scoop, scoop the creamy flourless peanut butter dough into cookie balls. Roll each cookie ball in the sugar until fully coated. Place the sugar coated peanut butter cookie balls 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Using a fork, press the classic cross-hatch pattern on top of each cookie.
3. Bake the gluten free peanut butter cookies for 9 - 11 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. Use a small biscuit or cookie butter to reshape any cookies back into a circular shape. Cool on the hot baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Although these chewy and soft pb cookies are easy to make and come together rather quickly, they can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies through to mixing all the ingredients together.
- Store: Baked pb cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Place the cooled, room temperature cookies onto a lined baking sheet or large plate. Transfer the cookies to the freezer for about 20 - 30 minutes. Remove the cookies from the freezer and transfer them to a freezer safe, airtight container. Cookies can remain in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw baked chewy pb cookies at room temperature for a couple of hours or in the microwave using 10 second increments until heated through.
- Freeze Cookie Dough: Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place the frozen cookie balls into a ziplock bag. These 4 ingredient cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge or a couple of hours at room temperature, roll in sugar and then bake as directed.
M's Expert Tips
- Use your favorite creamy peanut butter. These pb cookies are full of peanut butter flavor so choose your favorite creamy peanut butter for the best tasting cookies for you.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Lining baking sheets with parchment paper promotes even baking and allows the cookies to release from the pan more easily.
- Use a cookie scoop. This make the cookies uniform in size and shape.
- Avoid overbaking the cookies. For cookies that are soft for days, the secret is to bake them until the edges are set and lightly golden brown. The cookies will look slightly underbaked, but will continue to “bake” while cooling on the hot cookie sheet.
- Let the cookies cool. Many cookie recipes call for 3 - 5 minutes of cooling time. These 4 ingredient cookies need to cool for about 5 - 10 minutes on the hot baking sheet and another 5 - 10 on a cooling rack.
FAQs
4 ingredient peanut butter cookies have a soft center with crisp edges and a crunchy sugar coating. They are full of nutty peanut butter flavor.
Every peanut butter cookie contains peanut butter, an egg and sugar.
Most of the time adding too much flour is the reason. For this flourless peanut butter cookie recipe, the reason could be overbaking the cookies.
Other Minimal Ingredient Recipes To Try
- 3 Ingredient Mug Cake
- 3 Ingredient Brownies
- 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
- 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars
If you try this 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 small bowl
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml)
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup (256 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter and sugar together on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. On low, mix in the egg and vanilla until combined and the mixture begins to clump together.1 cup (256 g) creamy peanut butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, plus more for rolling , 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour some sugar in a shallow bowl. Using a 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cookie scoop, scoop the creamy flourless peanut butter dough into cookie balls. Roll each cookie ball in the sugar until fully coated.
- Place the sugar coated peanut butter cookie balls 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Using a fork, press the classic cross-hatch pattern on top of each cookie.
- Bake the gluten free peanut butter cookies for 9 - 11 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. Use a small biscuit or cookie butter to reshape any cookies back into a circular shape.
- Cool on the hot baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
Leave a Reply