Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

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These outrageously good flourless peanut butter cookies are made from just 5 ingredients – and they’re gluten and dairy-free.

Peanut butter cookies, one of which is broken.

Rich, chewy, and flecked with sea salt, these outrageously good peanut butter cookies from Ovenly are made with just five ingredients – and they’re naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. As someone who has baked a lot of cookies, I honestly don’t know how the magic happens, but somehow the combination of peanut butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla bakes up into gorgeous, puffy cookies that taste like the inside of a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

If you’re a peanut butter lover and are in search of another flourless dessert option, you’ll love these peanut butter rice krispies treats — a fun twist on the classic rice krispies treats.

“Absolutely delicious! I would eat the whole tray if it were socially acceptable.”

Yvonne

What You’ll Need To Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

peanut butter cookie ingredients

  • Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a chewy texture. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
  • Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and provide structure.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances the cookies’ flavor with sweet, aromatic notes.
  • Creamy Peanut Butter: The primary ingredient, providing flavor and richness. For best results, use a smooth and creamy commercial peanut butter, like Skippy. (I do not recommend all-natural or chunky peanut butter.)
  • Coarse-Grained Sea Salt: Tops off the cookies with a contrasting flavor and enhances the overall taste.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-By-Step Instructions

To begin, combine the light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl.

Whisk until well combined.

Whisk in a bowl of brown sugar mixture.

Add the peanut butter.

Peanut butter in a bowl with brown sugar mixture.

Mix with a rubber spatula until well combined and the dough is very thick.

stirring peanut butter cookie batter

It will take about 3 minutes of stirring to get to the right consistency (it gets thicker as you continue to stir).

Spatula in a bowl of thick peanut butter dough.

Using a #20 (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheets. (If you don’t have the right cookie scoop, form the dough into balls by hand; they should be the size of generous golf balls.)

If you often find yourself making cookies, you may want to invest in a few cookie dough scoops. Using a spoon will definitely work just fine, but the advantage to using a cookie scoop is that it makes each ball of dough exactly the same shape and size so that the cookies bake evenly.

Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with the sea salt. Slide the baking sheets into the freezer for 15 minutes, or into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.

Scoops of flourless peanut butter cookie dough on a lined baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Flourless peanut butter cookies on a lined baking sheet.

The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.Flourless peanut butter cookies, one of which is broken.

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

These outrageously good flourless peanut butter cookies are made from just 5 ingredients – and they’re gluten and dairy-free.

Servings: 16 to 18 cookies
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes, plus 15 minutes to chill dough in the freezer or 45 minutes to chill in the refrigerator

Ingredients

  • 1¾ cups (packed) light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cups creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy (see note)
  • Coarse-grained sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line two 13x18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the peanut butter and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined and the dough is very thick. It will take about 3 minutes of stirring to get to the right consistency (it gets thicker as you continue to stir). (Note: Do not use an electric mixer for this process, as it can cause the peanut butter to separate.)
  3. Using a #20 (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheets. (If you don't have the right cookie scoop, form the dough into balls by hand; they should be the size of generous golf balls.)
  4. Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with the sea salt. Slide the baking sheets into the freezer for 15 minutes, or into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.
  5. Bake the first pan for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
  6. Note: For best results, use a smooth and creamy commercial peanut butter, like Skippy. (I do not recommend all-natural or chunky peanut butter.)
  7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, sprinkle with salt (and press lightly so it adheres), let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.

Nutrition Information

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  • Per serving (17 servings)
  • Serving size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 253
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Saturated fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 28 g
  • Sugar: 25 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 7 g
  • Sodium: 128 mg
  • Cholesterol: 22 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • Can I substitute kosher salt for sea salt?

    • — Linda on May 23, 2024
    • Reply
    • Yep!

      • — Jenn on May 24, 2024
      • Reply

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