Peanut Butter Cookies
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You won't believe how quickly these Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies come together. No mixer, no chilling, no flour. Just a bowl, a spoon, and a handful of pantry staples. These cookies have crisp, crackly edges and soft, tender centers, with classic peanut butter flavor. Since they don't use flour, they're naturally gluten-free and perfect for sharing.
I have tried many peanut butter cookie recipes. These soft double peanut butter cookies are definitely a favorite. And my homemade do-si-dos taste exactly like the Girl Scout cookies we all know and love.
But honestly, nothing can beat the intense peanut-butter-iness of these flourless peanut butter cookies.
I've had this on an index card in my old-school recipe box for probably over ten years. It's titled "Mom-Mom Fritch's Peanut Butter Cookies."
I have no idea who Mom-Mom Fritch is! Mom-Mom Fritch, if you're reading this, drop me a comment so I can give proper credit!
I did a quick Google search to see if I could find the original recipe, and it seems lots of other bloggers have gone before me here, so I'm not really sure who did it first.
However, what I do know is that these are my all-time FAVORITE peanut butter cookies, like, EVER. And they're SO quick and easy.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: Only five basic ingredients, and they're all pantry staples.
- Made for peanut butter fans: Big peanut butter flavor, with nothing else competing.
- Quick and easy to make: Fast from start to finish, with little prep and no need to chill the dough.
- Melt-in-your-mouth texture: These peanut butter cookies will practically melt in your mouth. The edges are tender as can be, and the centers have just the right amount of chewiness. They're creamy-textured and intensely peanutty, almost coating the palate with that sticky, peanut-buttery, unctuousness.
- Gluten-free: This is maybe the oddest cookie recipe I have ever seen. You're not going to believe it, but I promise you it's not a typo! There are only 5 ingredients, none of which are flour. That's right, a flourless peanut butter cookie. Which makes them, yes, gluten-free. I promise you won't miss it, though.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter works best for the most consistent results. Natural peanut butter is okay, but it can make the dough softer. You might need to chill it briefly before forming it into individual balls.
- Granulated sugar: You can use light brown sugar instead for a chewier texture.
- Eggs: Use the best eggs you can find.
- Baking soda: Make sure it's fresh for the best results.
- Kosher salt: Don't swap in table salt. It contains iodine, and that can affect the flavor. The measurements also aren't the same between the two.
In Photos: How To Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Step 1: Prep the oven and pans
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes removing the cookies from the sheet much easier.
Step 2: Mix the dough
Mix the peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, and eggs in a large bowl until everything is well combined. The dough should look thick and glossy.
Step 3: Scoop
Scoop the dough into balls about 1 ½ tablespoons each and place them on the baking sheets, leaving some space between them.
Step 4: Make the fork marks
Flatten each dough ball slightly with a fork, and then turn the fork and press again to make that classic crisscross pattern.
Step 5: Bake
Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set, but the centers are still slightly soft. The cookies will finish setting as they cool.
Step 6: Cool
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before moving them, since they're very delicate when warm.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Avoid overbaking. Take the cookies out when the edges are set, but the centers still look a bit underdone.
- Use parchment paper. It makes it easier to lift these delicate cookies off the pan.
- If the dough is too soft, chill it in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes. This makes it easier to scoop and helps the cookies keep their shape.
- For more flavor, use peanut butter with a bit of salt added. Taste the dough and adjust the salt if needed.
More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Double Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Recipe
- Fluffernutter Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and stir together until combined.
- Scoop 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls of dough on to the prepared baking sheets.
- Press the balls down with the tines of a fork.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, or until set around the edges but still soft in the middle.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes (cookies will be very tender while warm).
Notes
This post was originally published on July 2, 2013. I thought it was about time the pics were updated. Many of the photos you see here are now new and improved. Most everything else is exactly the same as it ever was! Hopefully, you'll enjoy these flourless peanut butter cookies as much as my family and I do.
These look amazing!
My FAV cookies! Can't wait to try!
Total perfection! Great photos, too!
Allie, Could I sub some of the sugar for brown sugar? or would brown sugar change the texture too much?
Hey Jeannie! I think you definitely could and I bet it would be fantastic! Probably make the cookies even softer. Let me know how it works out for you!
These were delicious!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed!
OK Allie . . . I'm blaming it all on you! I sat down to my new go-to lean-meal of steamed veggies and a small portion of salmon - yes, also known as a diet-dinner. I even patted myself on the back for having such will-power! Then came my nightly therapy session - an hour on Pinterest, which is my way to de-stress after a hectic day. Not sure how I ended up on your site and the peanut butter cookies but there I was. I truly did have intentions of sticking with my lean meal plan but then I saw . . . only 4 ingredients, 10 minutes and, of course, peanut butter -so how could I resist. So I'm sitting here all guilt ridden after 4 PB cookies down the hatch. Oh well, you only live once, is what i kept repeating to! Alas, to avoid eating more than 4 PB cookies at a time, I rolled the remaining dough into logs and froze them right away. I also must confess, nothing goes better with peanut butter than chocolate so my version was studded with chocolate morsels. If I'm going to break the rules then I might as well do it all the way! So thanks for leading me down the path of yummy guilty pleasure. ;- )
Sophia
You sound like me Sophia! Lol... well, pat yourself on the back for at least eating a healthy dinner! Very happy you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for the chuckle and for the great feedback too 😀
The original Mom-Mom Fritch's Peanut Butter Cookies recipe was submitted to Gourmet magazine by her granddaughter, Amy Fritch of New York, New York. It appeared in the February 1999 issue in the Sugar and Spice section, p. 30.
Awesome! Thank you so much for the great info, Stephanie!
Hi can I know if I can use natural peanut butter? 😀 or will that affect the texture and consistency of the cookies? Love your blog and photography btw! ^^
Hey thank you so much! I would certainly give it a try with natural peanut butter! I'm thinking it would work out~ let me know, ok? And thanks so much for reading 😀
I just made them with Skippy creamy and with Costco natural peanut butter. Totally different texture. The natural peanut butter was runnier out of the jar but the batter was much more dry. And final cookies are drier and crumblier at the edges, although so far still chewy in the middle. The natural PB cookies don't spread out as much either. They both work but they are very different cookies. I probably like the texture of the Skippy ones better? But I'll let my kids be the judge after school!!
Thanks so much for posting your results here Alby! I'm sure other readers would love to know this. I really appreciate it! Hope your kids enjoy the cookies!
Seriously the best peanut butter cookies ever! So moist and chewy!
Yay! I'm so happy you like them! Thanks so much for reading, Brooke, and for the great feedback!
Yay! I have been trying to make the three ingredient version of this recipe (without baking soda) for years. I have had them made by other people, and they're fine, but mine always came out dry, crumbly, and still shaped like a ball. I have no clue about the science behind baking. Who knew a teaspoon of baking soda would make all the difference?! I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog. Thank you!
Wow, so baking soda is the key ingredient I guess! So glad you finally got it figured out! Thanks so much for stopping by Callie!
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I use a very similar peanut butter cookie recipe too Allie! I needed something for my gluten-free mother-in-law and these are just too good! My recipe calls for vanilla but it's sooo close! I think I need to share it one of these days... 😉 Never enough time, right? Happy New Year girl!
You too, Trish! I've had that recipe tucked away for years, and when I posted it here it got me on a pb cookie kick and I made it many times over the summer. I realized it needed a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla too. And I've even added a handful or two of oats and chocolate chips and it's sooo good. Don't even miss the flour! 😉
Can this be made by just using a spatula to mix the dough? 🙂
Hi Kris! Absolutely! A spatula or a wooden spoon would be perfect for this batter. Good luck, hope you enjoy, and thanks so much for reading, and for reaching out with an excellent question! 🙂
Great! Thanks!
Hi Allie, We made these last week with my daugher (she is 5) -- they were an instant hit. She taught me to get the tines of the fork wet so they don't stick to the dough. Thanks again for this recipe.
Neil, I just love hearing that! It makes me so happy to imagine families in the kitchen together. I have little ones too, mine are 4 & 6, and I love when they help me in the kitchen. I'm so happy you and your daughter enjoyed making the cookies! Thanks so much for reading my blog and for the sweet comment!
These take me back to my childhood, my mom used to make these and I used to love pressing the fork into the dough 🙂
What a sweet memory! Pressing the fork is the most fun part 😀 Thanks so much for reading and for sharing your thoughts! Love when food can bring back a treasured memory like that...
This may just seem like a silly question since the recipe is so simple, but I tried to make these and they weren't soft, they were very crispy. Any idea what I may have done wrong?
I'm so sorry you weren't happy with the result, Rainne! I'm thinking they were maybe overbaked. I use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop when I make them, and I bake for 10 minutes. They come out, for me, very soft when they are warm, and then they get chewier over time. If your are smaller, they would require less time in the oven. Also if you are using a very thin or dark cookie sheet that could have an effect. I'm crazy about these: http://astore.amazon.com/yinmomyangmom-20/detail/B000G0KJG4, they are super high quality and I feel that can really make a difference. I hope that helps! And thanks so much for reading my blog, and for reaching out! 🙂
I made the cookies too small. I made them tiny (1 TBS) the first time and the 2nd time I made them with 2 TBS and they turned out great. I also added a little vanilla the 2nd time which was a nice touch. Thanks!!
Yay! So happy they worked better the second time around. Vanilla is a great idea, and when I use natural peanut butter I also think they need a pinch of salt. Thanks for reaching out, Rainne!