These gluten free peanut butter cookies are rich and chewy peanut butter filled cookies with a classic crosshatch pattern. They’re made with simple ingredients that come together quick and easily. You’d never guess these peanut butter cookies are gluten free!
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
Take a look around my blog and you’ll find a few gluten free recipes. My Almond Flour Chocolate Cake, Almond Flour Brownies, Salted Tahini Swirl Brownies, Peach Buckwheat Bars and Chocolate Rose Water Tart, are my favorites. These wonderfully thick and chewy gluten free pb cookies are another delicious addition to my growing collection of easy gluten free recipes.
- They are quick and easy. All you need to do is bring the butter and eggs to room temperature. Then simply mix everything up in one bowl, scoop and bake!
- You love cozy classic cookies. These easy gluten free peanut butter cookies taste just as cozy and delicious as the classic cookie recipe. They’re full of rich peanut butter flavor with a background of cinnamon. Gluten free or not, these grain free peanut butter cookies are wonderfully cozy, thick and chewy.
Ingredients
These homemade gluten free peanut butter cookies require only a handful of simple pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
Dry ingredients: Gather gluten free flour, baking soda, ground and salt. Ground cinnamon is optional, but provides a nice cozy background flavor.
Wet Ingredients: Gather natural peanut butter, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully chewy chocolate pecan cookies:
- Gluten free flour: This recipe was developed using a 1-1 gluten free flour. Make sure to check your flour. If there isn’t any xanthan gum added, make sure to add ½ tsp xanthan gum or cornstarch. Make this recipe with regular flour by using 1 ¾ cup (210 g) of all purpose flour.
- Baking Soda: A double acting baking powder is the best substitute for baking soda. The final texture of the cookie will be different, but it will still be a delicious chocolate chip cookie! For this recipe, use 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) baking powder in place of the baking soda.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt. For a dairy free gluten free peanut butter cookie, use a plant based or vegan butter.
- Peanut Butter: Make sure to use a natural peanut butter. This is peanut butter made with only peanuts (and maybe a little salt). The dough will be a little greasy before baking, but will bake up really beautifully. If you want use creamy peanut butter. Cashew butter makes a beautiful substitute for peanut butter. Sunflower butter is a great nut free substitute for peanut butter.
- Light Brown and Granulated Sugars: A blend of both sugars is what creates that classic peanut butter cookie taste. 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.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs. If you make this recipe without eggs or using an egg substitute, let me know!
Variations
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies: Add 1- 1 ½ cups semi sweet or mini chocolate chips into the peanut butter cookie dough.
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies: Mix 1 cup peanut butter, 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 egg, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp cinnamon together until well combined. Chill the dough for 1 hour or until the flourless peanut butter cookie dough easily holds a ball shape. Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, make the cross hatch pattern and bake at 350 F (177 C) for 8-10 minutes.
- Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies: Prepare the gluten-free peanut butter cookies according to the recipe directions. Melt 4 oz. chocolate with 1 tsp coconut oil or butter. Dip half the cookie into the melted chocolate, sprinkle with flaky salt, set and enjoy!
How To Make
Let me show you how to make gluten free peanut butter cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- In another large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined. If adding chocolate chips, mix in the chocolate chips now.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of gluten free peanut butter cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet . Place 5-6 balls of peanut butter cookie dough on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Use the tongs of a fork to press a cross hatch pattern on top of the cookie.
- Bake the gluten-free peanut butter cookies for 10-14 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Freeze, Thaw and Store
Freeze the 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 chocolate chip pecan cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Thaw the cookie dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cookie dough balls to room temperature before baking.
Store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For the best cookie eating experience, heat the cookies in the microwave for 20 seconds for that “fresh from the oven taste.”
M's Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale for many reasons (like less dishes to clean), but the main reason is to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Use a cookie scoop: This make the cookies uniform in size and shape.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: For cookies that are soft and chewy for days, the secret is to bake them until the edges are set.
- For the best tasting cookies the next day: The easiest way to give your cookies that “fresh from the oven” taste the next day is to microwave them for about 15-20 seconds and enjoy immediately.
FAQ's
Regular all purpose flour contains gluten which provides structure, elasticity and acts as a binding agent in the baked good. In gluten free flours, gluten is missing. Xanthan gum (or cornstarch) acts as a replacement for the role glutens play in baking.
Xanthan gum (or cornstarch) helps prevent the gluten free dough from being too crumbly. Resting the dough for about 30 minutes will help it from being too gritty.
Slightly underbaking the cookies also keeps them soft with chewy centers. Storing them in an airtight container also helps them to stay soft and chewy for longer.
Other Peanut Butter Cookies To Try
If you try this Gluten Free 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
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 2 large baking sheets
- 1 parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (204 g) gluten free flour add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or cornstarch if the flour doesn't contain this already.
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, optional
- 1¼ cup (320 g) peanut butter
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- In another large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of gluten free peanut butter cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. If the dough doesn't hold a ball shape, chill the cookie dough for 15-30 minutes in the fridge.
- Place 5-6 balls of peanut butter cookie dough on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Use the tongs of a fork to press a cross hatch pattern on top of the cookie.
- Bake the gluten-free peanut butter cookies for 10-14 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
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