3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
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Peanut butter, sugar, eggs. That’s the entire ingredient list for these 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies, and they’re on a cooling rack 20 minutes after you decide to make them. No flour, no butter, no mixer, nothing to soften or chill. They’re also gluten free, which happens by accident rather than design.
Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
There’s no flour in these and no butter either, which raises a reasonable question about what’s actually holding them together.
The answer is the peanut butter. It’s bringing the fat that butter usually brings, plus enough protein and body to give the cookie structure. The egg binds it and the sugar melts and recrystallizes as they cool, which is what firms them up. That’s the whole thing, and it means these behave slightly differently from a normal cookie in ways worth knowing about.
They’re 20 minutes start to finish, which is faster than driving to buy cookies. No mixer needed. No butter to soften. No dough to chill. I’ve made these on nights when the only reason anyone was getting a cookie at all was that the recipe had 3 ingredients in it.
The fork marks aren’t decoration either. There’s a reason for them and it’s below.
A note on the sugar. For years I made these with half the sugar because I prefer them less sweet. I’ve since gone back to the classic ratio, doubled, because it’s what people expect and it gives you a sturdier cookie. Sugar does real structural work in a cookie with no flour in it, so cutting it back makes them more fragile than they need to be.
What’s Holding Them Together
A normal cookie has flour, which forms gluten and gives you structure. It has butter, which coats the flour and makes things tender. It usually has a leavener. These have none of that.
- The peanut butter is doing the butter’s job and some of the flour’s. It’s roughly half fat, which is the tenderness, and it’s got protein and fiber in it that give the dough body. That’s why 2 cups of it makes a scoopable dough rather than a puddle.
- The egg is the binder. As it sets in the oven it locks everything into place. Without it you’d have sweet peanut butter paste.
- And the sugar is structural, not just sweet. It melts in the oven and recrystallizes as the cookies cool, which is the main reason they go from soft to set. In a cookie with no flour, that recrystallization is a significant part of what holds it all together. Cut the sugar and you get a more fragile cookie, which is exactly what I found out doing it for years.
- Which is also why they’re gluten free, and nobody planned that. No flour, no gluten. Just check your peanut butter label, since some brands add things.
Why You Press Them With A Fork
That crisscross is on every peanut butter cookie you’ve ever seen and most people assume it’s tradition. It’s actually functional.
This dough doesn’t spread. There’s no butter to melt and no leavening to push it outward, so a ball of dough that goes into the oven as a ball comes out as a ball, raw in the middle and overcooked outside.
Pressing it flat is how the cookie gets its shape. You’re doing the job the oven would normally do.
Two presses at 90 degrees because one gives you a flat cookie with an uneven edge, and crossing it distributes the pressure more evenly. It also looks right, which counts for something.
Dip the fork in sugar between cookies if it’s sticking, which it will. Water works too but sugar leaves a nice crackly finish on top.
How flat? About half an inch. Flatter gives you a crisper cookie, thicker gives you a chewier one. That’s genuinely the only control you have over texture here, so it’s worth a moment’s thought.
Ingredients in 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Creamy peanut butter (2 cups, at room temperature): The whole recipe rests on this, so use one you’d happily eat with a spoon. Regular shelf stable peanut butter like Jif or Skippy is what this is written for and it’s the most reliable choice, because it’s emulsified and consistent. Natural peanut butter works with one caveat, which is below. Chunky works and gives you a more textured cookie. Almond or cashew butter both work if peanuts are a problem.
- Granulated sugar (2 cups): More than you’d think and it’s there for structure as much as sweetness. See the section above. Brown sugar works and gives you a chewier, more caramel flavored cookie, which some people prefer.
- Eggs (2 large): The binder. Room temperature blends more easily into thick peanut butter, though it matters less here than in most baking.
Natural Versus Regular Peanut Butter
This is the single biggest variable in a 3 ingredient recipe and almost nobody mentions it.
Regular peanut butter like Jif, Skippy, or a store brand has emulsifiers and added oils that keep it stable. It’s thick, consistent, and it behaves the same every time. This recipe is written for it.
Natural peanut butter is peanuts and salt, and the oil separates. That means two things. First, you have to stir it properly, right down to the bottom of the jar, or you’re either scooping oil or scooping dry paste. Second, even well stirred it’s looser than regular peanut butter, so your dough will be softer and the cookies will spread more and be more fragile.
If you’re using natural, stir it thoroughly, and consider chilling the dough for 20 minutes before scooping. That firms it up enough to handle. The cookies will still be excellent, they’ll just be a little more delicate.
What I’d avoid is the very runny natural kinds, the ones that pour. There isn’t enough body in them to hold a cookie together.
You won’t believe how easy these cookies are to whip up; seriously, they’re a game-changer. Let’s get started!
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment. Parchment matters more here than usual because there’s no flour and nothing to keep these from sticking.
Mix everything in one bowl. Peanut butter, sugar, and eggs, mixed until it comes together into a soft dough you can scoop. A stand mixer with the paddle is easiest, a hand mixer works, and honestly a sturdy wooden spoon and a bit of determination works too. There’s nothing delicate happening here and you can’t overmix it.
Scoop them. About 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, rolled into balls and placed 2 inches apart. A cookie scoop makes this much faster and keeps them even, which matters since they all bake for the same time.
Press with a fork, twice, at 90 degrees, to about half an inch thick. Dip the fork in sugar if it starts sticking. See above for why this step exists.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges have just turned golden. And here’s the part to pay attention to: they will look underdone when you take them out. Soft in the middle, no firmness at all. That’s correct. They set entirely as they cool, and if you leave them in until they look done you’ll have hard cookies.
Cool them on the sheet. Completely, before you move them anywhere. These are fragile while warm because there’s no flour giving them structure, and lifting one off a hot tray usually ends with half a cookie. 10 minutes on the sheet and they’ll hold together fine.
Why Yours Fell Apart
The most common problem with these, and it’s always one of a few things.
- You moved them too soon. The main one. Warm, these cookies have almost no structure. The sugar hasn’t recrystallized and the egg is still soft. Leave them on the sheet until they’re fully cool and they’re perfectly sturdy.
- Natural peanut butter that wasn’t stirred. If you scooped from the top you got mostly oil, and if you scooped from the bottom you got dry paste. Neither makes a cookie. Stir it all the way down.
- Not enough sugar. I know this from experience. Sugar is structural in a flourless cookie, and cutting it makes them noticeably more crumbly.
- They were too thick going in. A ball pressed to half an inch bakes evenly. A thicker one stays raw in the middle and falls apart when you pick it up.
- And if they’re hard rather than crumbly, you overbaked them. Pull them when the edges are just golden and the middles still look soft.
Variations
- Bacon. Yes, bacon. Fold in about 6 slices of crispy fried bacon, chopped small, and the salty smoky bits against all that sweetness are ridiculous in the best way. I’ve got a full Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies recipe if you want the proper version, which uses brown sugar and a bit of baking soda alongside.
- Chocolate chips. A cup, folded in at the end. Strictly this makes it 4 ingredients and nobody has ever objected.
- Sea salt on top. A pinch flaked over each cookie before baking. Salt against all that sweetness is a real improvement and it costs nothing.
- Chocolate dipped. Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted chocolate and set them on parchment.
- Brown sugar. Swap the granulated for brown, or use half and half. Chewier and more caramel flavored.
- Vanilla. A teaspoon stirred into the dough. Again, technically 4 ingredients. Again, worth it.
- Peanut butter blossoms. Press a chocolate kiss into the center the moment they come out of the oven, skipping the fork step.
- Almond or cashew butter. Both work directly in place of peanut butter and make a noticeably different, slightly more delicate cookie.
Make Ahead And Storage
Room temperature: an airtight container for up to a week. They firm up a little over the first day and then hold.
Dough ahead: mix it and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It’ll be firm from the fridge, so let it sit out for 15 minutes before scooping.
Freezing dough: scoop the balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then bag them for 3 months. Bake straight from frozen with an extra 2 minutes, no need to press them any harder.
Freezing baked cookies: 3 months. Freeze them in a single layer first so they don’t stick, then transfer to a bag with parchment between the layers, since these are more fragile than most cookies.
Thawing: 20 minutes at room temperature, or 10 seconds in the microwave if you want one warm.
Discover More Cookies
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3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter ( at room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the 2 cups creamy peanut butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, and 2 large eggs to a large bowl. Mix until fully combined into a soft, scoopable dough. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment is easiest, but a hand mixer or a sturdy wooden spoon both work.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Press each ball with the back of a fork, then press again at 90 degrees to make a crisscross pattern, flattening to about ½ inch thick. Dip the fork in sugar if it sticks.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges have just turned golden. They will look underbaked and soft in the middle when you take them out. That's correct.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before moving them. They're fragile while warm and set as they cool.
Notes
- Cool them completely on the sheet. These have no flour, so they have very little structure while warm. Moving them early is the number one reason they break.
- They’ll look underbaked coming out. Pull them when the edges are just golden. They firm up entirely as they cool, and leaving them in longer gives you hard cookies.
- Regular peanut butter like Jif or Skippy is the most reliable. Natural works if you stir it thoroughly, and the cookies will be a little more delicate.
- Press them to about ½ inch. This dough doesn’t spread, so the fork is doing the shaping. Flatter is crisper, thicker is chewier.
- A note on the sugar: I used to make these with half the sugar. Sugar is structural in a flourless cookie, recrystallizing as it cools, so the full amount gives you a sturdier result.
- Gluten free as written. Check your peanut butter label to be sure.
- Freezing dough: scoop, freeze on a tray, then bag for 3 months. Bake from frozen with 2 extra minutes.
- Add ins: chocolate chips, flaked sea salt on top, or a teaspoon of vanilla. Technically 4 ingredients and worth it.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies gluten free?
Yes, and by accident rather than design. There’s no flour in them at all. Just check your peanut butter label, since a few brands add ingredients that aren’t gluten free.
Why did my cookies fall apart?
Almost always because they were moved too soon. There’s no flour in these, so warm they have very little structure. Leave them on the baking sheet until they’re completely cool and they’ll be perfectly sturdy. Unstirred natural peanut butter does it too.
Can I use natural peanut butter?
You can, and stir it thoroughly first, right down to the bottom of the jar. Natural peanut butter is looser than regular, so the dough will be softer and the cookies more delicate. Chilling the dough for 20 minutes helps.
Are these no bake cookies?
No, these go in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. No bake peanut butter cookies are a different recipe, usually made with oats and set in the fridge.
Why do you press them with a fork?
Because this dough doesn’t spread. There’s no butter to melt and no leavening, so a ball goes in as a ball and comes out as a ball. Pressing them flat is what gives you a cookie shape.
Can I use a sugar substitute?
You can, and expect a different result. Sugar provides structure as well as sweetening, since it recrystallizes as the cookies cool and helps hold them together. Most substitutes don’t do that, so they’ll be more fragile.
Can I make them without eggs?
A flax egg works as a substitute, and the cookies will be a bit more delicate since the egg is the main binder. Let them cool completely before moving them.
