“Quick and simple 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies made with only peanut butter, sugar and egg. It’s a delicious dairy-free and gluten-free dessert that you can prepare in about 20 minutes!”

Are you ready to make the one of the easiest cookie recipe ever?! Just like my banana oatmeal cookies recipe made with just 3 ingredients, these good old-fashioned peanut butter cookies are quick, simple, and delicious. They are naturally flourless and dairy-free because they are made with peanut butter, egg, and sugar.

With just three basic ingredients from your cupboard and no special tools, you can easily make them from home. A fantastic batch of delicious homemade cookies are ready in just 10 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes in the oven for the whole family to enjoy!

These cookies have a chewy texture with a crisp exterior and a deep peanut butter flavor. If you love peanut butter, then you’ll most likely to love this.

Peanut butter is a mainstay in our pantry (peanut butter fan here!), so making these cookies is another great way to enjoy my peanut butter. You can make your own peanut butter at home too and use it in making these cookies.

These peanut butter cookies are ideal for last-minute cravings because they are simple to prepare and bake. Sounds too good to be true? Why don’t you give it a shot.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT

• 3 ingredients only. Simple ingredients that almost always available in your pantry.
• So easy and quick to make. Just combine and mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then bake. No resting time needed.
• No flour needed. Since this recipe doesn’t contain flour, these cookies are gluten-free. They are therefore the ideal and speedy treat for those who cannot have gluten. These are a blessing because most store-bought gluten-free cookies are more expensive than regular cookies.
• Superb peanut butter flavor. These gluten-free cookies are scrumptious!
• Modify according to your preference. You can use less sugar, various nut butters, and any additional ingredients you like! See recipe add-ins or variation on the post below for more inspiration.
• Can be frozen. You can store and enjoy them when cravings kick in.

3 INGREDIENTS OF THIS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES RECIPE

Who would have guessed that you could make cookies with just three items from your pantry! Yes, only THREE components are required! And here they are:

• Peanut butter: For optimal results, use creamy peanut butter. Use chunky peanut butter if you want your cookies to have a little texture. Do not use natural peanut butter as it will make your cookies crumbly and oily.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar not only makes the cookies sweeter but also helps them brown since it caramelizes. You can substitute brown sugar if so desire. You can even use equal parts of white and brown sugar.
• Egg. Acts as a binder and adds moisture.You can make this recipe vegan by using flax egg.

HOW TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

These peanut butter cookies are so simple to make.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F/ 180 °C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it with oil.

Combine the 3 ingredient – peanut butter, sugar and egg in a bowl.

Mix everything together until the dough is smooth and creamy. You can mix by hand or with a stand/ hand mixer.

Scoop out about 1 tablespoon in size of cookie dough, and then arrange them on a baking sheet.

With the back of a fork, press down on the cookies until they are about 1/2 inch thick. To create a crisscross pattern on the top of the cookie dough, turn the fork to 90 degrees. This step is crucial since the cookies don’t spread on their own.

Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Avoid over baking them.

Let them cool in the baking tray for about 3 minutes before transferring into a wire rack to cool completely.

Then grab a few cookies and enjoy its great flavor.

RECIPE ADD-INS OR VARIATIONS

These cookies basically requires only three ingredients, but if you want to experiment, you can add the following to make a variety of flavors and texture.

• Vanilla extract. Pour about a half teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• Salt. You can add a dash of salt to the cookie dough. Also, finishing the cookies with flaky sea salt is another option.
• Chocolate chips. Add a few chocolate chips or chunks to the mixture.
• Reese’s pieces or M&Ms. Fold to the cookie batter to give it extra flavor and color.
• More sugar. If you wish to give the cookies a little extra sweetness, roll them in granulated sugar before baking.
• Add an extra egg for a softer and fluffy cookies.
• Nutella. Fold about 1-2 tablespoons of nutella to the dough.
• More peanuts. Fold some chopped peanuts into the dough or sprinkles more nuts at the top of each cookies.
• Raspberry or strawberry preserves or jam to the center of a few others.
• Chocolate sauce or melted chocolate. Drizzle baked cookies with chocolate sauce or dip half of the cookies in melted chocolate.

RECIPE TIPS

Here are some helpful tips in making these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies:

• Use a peanut butter brand you like.  You will definitely enjoy it more.
• For this recipe, commercially available salty, creamy peanut butter is ideal. If using unsalted, season the mixture with a few pinches of salt.
• The dough can be blended by hand, electric, or stand mixer. Using an electric mixer will save you time and much faster, but manually mixing the ingredients will also result in fairly smooth mixture.
• Avoid over baking the cookies. Check the cookies in about 8 minutes to be safe if you’re making the recipe for the first time. The edges of the cookies should be just beginning to turn golden, but the middle should still be soft. They will continue to harden as they cool.
• How to create the crisscross design. With the back of a fork, press down on the cookies until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Then turn the fork to 90 degrees. Make sure to apply light pressure to avoid tearing the cookie.
• Remember to cool completely. After removing from the oven, let the cookies cool for three minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer on a cooling rack to cool fully. Don’t give in to the urge to devour the cookies right away.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies gluten-free?

Yes! They are naturally gluten-free because they are flourless peanut butter cookies.

Can I make these cookies vegan?

Yes you can by replacing the egg with a flax egg. Make a flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 2 tablespoons water and letting it sit for 5 minutes.

Can I use natural peanut butter?

Do not use natural peanut butters as they do not contain stabilizers, making the oil separate from the peanuts which will result in greasy and crumbly cookies. The texture of the cookies is finest when you use a reputable creamy peanut butter brand.

How come my peanut butter cookies are crumbly and dry?

First, you have to double check if you have followed the measurements and instructions in the recipe. Most likely is that you missed the measurement or you over baked the cookies. To be safe, check the cookies after 8 minutes. The outside of the cookies should be faintly golden, but the middle should still be light and fluffy. As the cookies cool on the baking pan, the baking process will be completed.

Why are there fork traces on peanut butter cookies?

The fork patterns on the cookie dough balls help them bake more evenly. Additionally, the fork marks reveal classic peanut butter biscuits.

Should I chill the peanut butter cookie dough before baking?

Some peanut butter cookie recipes ask for chilling the dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking. This is not the case for these three-ingredient peanut butter cookies as they don’t spread easily. That is the reason why we need to flatten them with a fork.

HOW TO SERVE

Enjoy these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies as snack or dessert with your favorite hot drinks. You can also give these as gifts during special events or holidays.

HOW TO STORE

Leftover cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you want them to stay extra soft, try the bread method! In essence, placing a slice of bread in the container with the cookies will help them stay chewy because the cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread.

The baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months. Place them on a baking sheet and put in the freezer until totally frozen. After that, put them in freezer bags or a container with a tight lid. When ready to consume, bake the frozen cookies in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or until well warmed.

Additionally, the cookie batter can be frozen. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet or tray after shaping them. Place the balls in the freezer for about an hour or until they are hard. Transfer the balls in a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to three months. When ready to bake, take out of the oven and increase baking time by one to two minutes.

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and tell me how you liked it in the comments section below; I love hearing from you! Happy tummy!

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