Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
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Made with just five ingredients, these flourless peanut butter cookies are thick and chewy, packed with peanut butter flavor, and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt.
It’s hard to believe you can make such a good PB cookie without any flour or butter, but this flourless peanut butter cookie recipe from Ovenly really works. The cookies are thick and puffy with chewy centers, intense peanut butter flavor, and a sprinkle of sea salt to balance the sweetness. They taste a little like the inside of a Reese’s peanut butter cup—in the best possible way.
They’re also incredibly simple to make: whisk together brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla, stir in the peanut butter, scoop, chill, and bake. As a bonus, they’re naturally gluten- and dairy-free.
“This peanut butter cookie recipe is so good—delicious and packed with peanut butter flavor! I would eat the whole tray if it were socially acceptable.”
What You’ll Need To Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Use a smooth commercial peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter can separate and has a different consistency, so I don’t recommend it here.
- Light Brown Sugar: Sweetens the cookies and contributes to their soft, chewy texture and caramel-like flavor.
- Eggs: You’ll need two large eggs. They give the flourless cookies the structure they need to hold together.
- Vanilla Extract: A generous splash rounds out the peanut butter flavor.
- Flaky Sea Salt: Sprinkled over the cookies before baking, it balances the sweetness and makes the peanut butter flavor pop. Maldon is my go-to.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla. Add the peanut butter and stir until completely incorporated. Keep stirring—the dough will thicken considerably and become more cohesive as you go.
Scoop and chill: Scoop the dough into generous mounds and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with sea salt and then refrigerate or freeze briefly until firm. Chilling helps the cookies hold their thick, puffy shape in the oven.
Bake and cool: Bake until the cookies are lightly golden and cracked on top. They’ll still be quite soft when they come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a rack. They’ll firm up as they cool while staying soft and chewy in the center.
More Peanut Butter treats You’ll Love
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
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
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line two 13 x 18-in (33 x 46-cm) baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
- For best results, use a smooth and creamy commercial peanut butter, like Skippy. (I do not recommend all-natural or chunky peanut butter.)
- Freezing 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
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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These sound yummy. But…I don’t have sea salt flakes or otherwise! lol If my grocery store doesn’t have it, is there a substitute? I do have coarse salt. Thanks.
Hi Anne, Kosher salt (or any coarse salt) will work.
Hi Jenn. I have two scoops; one has no markings but the bowl is 2 1/4” diameter and the other is 1oz. Will either one be correct to use? Can’t wait to make these. Thanks Sharon
I’d use the 1 oz. scoop and load it so that it’s heaping. And I’d eye the first one or two to make sure they’re about the size of generous golf balls. Enjoy!
Jenn, first of all, I have to say that I have been using your recipes on and off for the past 2-yrs and EVERYTHING has been spectacular! Crab cakes, cakes, salads … thank you for the detailed instructions and the science too 🙂 And I really appreciate how you respond to all your readers! I just looked up your marble cake and know that I won’t go wrong with it! I wish to make peanut butter cookies that are crisp after they’ve baked up. Not a tough crisp cookie. Not necessarily thin cookies either, but just a deliciously soft crisp peanut buttery mouthfeel. I know these sound demanding requirements and I hope I am making sense. I don’t want the soft center; is there a recommendation you have? Any thoughts or input is appreciated!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Faye! Check out these peanut butter cookies — they are wonderful.
Jen,
Am anxious to try these ASAP, but have a question: your photo shows natural peanut butter, but in the description, you recommend not using natural kinds. Do you mean we should use something like original Kraft with sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil?
Sorry for any confusion. The one I use has “natural” on the label but that’s honestly just their marketing tactic. 🙂 What I use is not all-natural peanut butter which is just peanuts and salt. Mine has the standard ingredients (peanuts, sugar, salt, and oil).
Have you tried adding small chocolate chips? Or maybe a chocolate chunk imbedded in the top?
I haven’t but I think you could – please LMK how they turn out if you try it! 🙂
Will this recipe work using a Medium (1.5 TBS) cookie scoop? Should I reduce the baking time?
Hi Ruby, yes, it will work. I’d start checking them at 12 to 15 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Can’t wait to make these cookies! I’m curious about the scoop you recommended. Do you have a source for where I can purchase cookie scoops?
Thanks!
Jan
Hi Jan, They are very useful for baking cookies. You can find a set here. 🙂
Thank you, your responses are always so quick-much appreciated!
🙂
it’s 9:51am and I am pulling the ingredients out – thank you Jenn
These look just delicious and easy, but I have a little problem: in my cupboard I have kosher salt that is coarse and also some fine sea salt. But, no coarse sea salt. I am assuming for sprinkling the coarse kosher salt would be the best one to use. But, would love to know what you think.
Thank you!
Kosher salt is totally fine here – hope you enjoy! 🙂
Can we use peanut butter from the health food store which is just peanuts
I don’t recommend it, Thomas – sorry!
Don’t have any brown sugar. Could I use Splenda brown sugar blend or Truvia brown sugar? Love your recipes. Thanks so much.
Hi Marcia, So glad you like the recipes! I don’t have any experience with sugar substitutes so I can’t say confidently how using Swerve or Truvia would impact the cookies, but I worry that there are so few ingredients in these cookies, that it wouldn’t work. I’m sorry!
Hi Jenn,
Just made these tonight and they are delicious! I wasn’t expecting them to be so yummy, but they truly taste like the inside of a peanut butter cup. I am never disappointed in your recipes. Keep posting more! Thanks, Mitzi
I really want to make this but my son has an allergy to hazelnut and peanut butter. What would a good substitute be? Almond butter perhaps?
Hi Sarah, because the recipe contains so much peanut butter and almond butter is generally not as smooth as peanut butter, it’s worth a try, but hard to say if you’ll get the same soft, puffy cookies. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!