It doesn’t get any easier than these 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. Whip up a batch of delicious homemade peanut butter cookies that are naturally flour-free and dairy-free!
This 3 ingredient cookies recipe will blow you away. For more peanut butter goodness, try our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies too! Or make a batch of this No Bake Peanut Butter Lasagna for the ultimate dessert.
Why this Recipe Works
Including cooling time, these cookies will be ready to eat in under 30 minutes! I always keep the ingredients for these Peanut Butter Cookies on hand so I can make a fresh batch at a moment’s notice.
While my classic peanut butter cookie recipe is amazing, today’s cookie has value all on it’s own!
- Only three ingredients.
- No flour needed.
- Quick and easy.
- Classic criss-cross pattern.
- Amazing peanut butter flavor!
Peanut Butter Cookies. From scratch. In minutes. What could be better?
Ingredient Notes
All you need to make peanut butter cookies:
- Peanut Butter. I use creamy, sweetened peanut butter. Do not use natural peanut butter. It makes cookies oily and crumbly.
- Granulated sugar.
- Egg.
Once you mix the ingredients together, just scoop onto a pan, bake, cool and enjoy!
Variations
- Chocolate chips. Fold morsels into the dough before baking for a tasty twist.
- Crunchy cookies. Fold chopped peanuts into the dough for a nutty crunch.
- Flavored peanut butter. Try different flavored peanut butters to change it up. Just make sure the peanut butter is not “natural style”.
Tips & Tricks
How to make the criss cross pattern. Press the flat side of a fork onto the top of each cookie before baking. Rotate the fork 90 degrees and press again. Make sure to use gentle pressure so you don’t tear the cookie.
Do not over bake. Cookies should be lightly browned on the bottom but not dark. These cookies can go from delightfully crispy to burnt in no time so keep an eye on that timer.
Cool completely. Resist the temptation to gobble the cookies down right away. They taste best when allowed to cool to room temperature.
Add Jelly. My peanut butter and jelly cookies are made using this easy peanut butter cookie recipe!
Freeze Cookies. Use my tips on how to freeze cookie dough for later.
Recipe FAQs
Natural peanut butters (the kind you have to keep in the refrigerator) do not contain any stabilizers. As a result, the oils separate from the peanuts. That’s why you have to stir natural peanut butter before using. When used in baking, the oils rise to the surface of the cookie. The result is a greasy, crumbly cookie that won’t hold together.
When cookies get dry and crumbly, over baking is usually the culprit. Crunchy peanut butter will also make the cookies more crumbly.
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.
Yes, peanut butter cookies keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Snickerdoodles
- Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Cool Whip Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Oreo Cheesecake Cookies
More Cookies
See all Cookies recipes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar and egg. Mix until well combined. Scoop into 1 Tbsp balls and drop onto cookie sheet.
- Using the tines of a fork, flatten cookie dough with criss-cross of fork tines.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely.
Notes
- I do not recommend natural peanut butter in this recipe, as it can be too oily.
- Mix-ins: add some chocolate chips for a tasty twist.
Video
Nutrition
Everyone loves 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies! Simple delicious treats that are perfect paired with a glass of milk.
Has anyone made these with less sugar? Wondering if 2/3 or 3/4 of a cup instead of a cup might work?
I make my own peanut butter, will that work with this recipe?
No, that’s considered Natural Peanut Butter
I use this recipe with natural peanut butter and the dough is a little sticky, but it bakes perfectly. If you feel its a little too stivky, add a little powdered sugar to absorb the oil, but even without, it still works.
How much powdered sugar did you use?
I made these and used three-quarter cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup Nutella. After they called I put a little dollop of strawberry jelly and sandwiched them together. They were a very quick, very easy after school snack….and I was mom famous.
Thanks for the recipe!
Can you use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Yes, but the batter may be a little stickier, but should bake fine. Use a little starch or powdered sugar to firm it up if needed.
I needed to bake cookies for our church bake sale and these sold out first! They’re easy to make and delicious!
I make them all the time…sooo ez…make them with the kids…One problem…they don’t last long…
My family loves peanut butter cookies and these are so easy I can’t keep them on the plate they are in high demand from everyone. Thank you for sharing my family thanks you too.
So easy to make. I’m on a limited income and coming up with 3 simple ingredients can be hard but this was such a no brained. They were simply delicious.
Can these cookies be made in an air fryer
Going to try tomorrow. Do you follow same directions?
Hello, i tried making them in a air fryer and they wouldn’t bake, only burn. i would not recommend putting them in a air fryer.
This is such an easy and simple recipe, but so delicious! We are big peanut butter fans and these cookies are absolutely yummy! I’m so excited to make these again!
Thank you so much for sharing this very easy to make recipe! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for sharing this very easy to make recipe! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Wow these were SO easy to make and absolutely delicious. My littlest one helped make them and was so proud that everyone loved them!
Recipe from the 40s, due to a woman I knew who had Celiac Disease her Mother, Mrs. Gnagy, invented this recipe for her daughter because she could not have any foods with gluten at all! Plus, 1 tsp. of vanilla was in her recipe!
Love these cookies! Perfect for letting kids or grandkids help. None of my friends believed this was possible until I shared them.
I’m a diabetic, is there something I can use other than the sugar?
You don’t know about the low carb lifestyle? Check out Dr Eric Berg on YouTube. Check out joe duff on youtube. He has probably 100s of deserts. He also has a peanut butter cookie similar to this
I baked these cookies with Keto Creamer sweetened with coconut sugar ( 3/4 tsp) =2g has less than 1 gram of sugar.
Hi Carolina, can you please let me know what form of keto creamer you used? In fact, if you have the recipe for this version, I would really appreciate that. Thanks!
I would think you could use erythritol
Can I use Splenda I’m a diabetic
Hi! Could I substitute powdered sugar for the granulated sugar? Or would the consistency be off?
Thanks!