Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

With only 3 ingredients these Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies are a snap to make. This quite honestly is the easiest and best peanut butter cookie recipe ever!

A few years back a friend of mine was expecting twins in just a few short weeks. Over a little dessert and coffee, she mentioned she never made homemade cookies but would love some. So what would any friend and baker do? … jump at the chance to whip some cookies up of course! 

Peanut Butter is always a good idea and since these flourless peanut butter cookies are so simple to make I pulled out my mixing bowls and apron and got down to work.

Soft in the centre a little crisp on the edges I knew she was going to love them! And so easy to make because they only have 3 ingredients in them!

ingredients & Substitutions

• Peanut butter – I prefer using natural peanut butter to cut down on the sugar. If you use regular peanut butter adjust the sugar added to taste. If you have a peanut allergy you can make this recipe with any nut-free butter you prefer.
• Granulated sugar – Adds the sweetness and acts as a thickener much like flour in this instance.
• Egg – One large egg is the glue that holds this cookie together.

How To Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. I use a stoneware baking sheet so no parchment needed. It is naturally non-stick.

In a large bowl combine 1 cup natural peanut butter, ½ cup white sugar, and 1 large egg. Mix well and if you like feel free to add a ¼ cup of Reese’s Pieces, chocolate chips or peanuts. Mix until these add-ins are evenly distributed through the batter.

Roll a heaping teaspoon of batter into balls, place on the cookie sheet about 2” apart. 12 cookies per baking sheet. Then press each ball lightly with the back of a fork to flatten slightly. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes and remove before cookies brown. Let cookies stand for 2 minutes and remove them to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before eating… I think they taste better when cool, unlike these chocolate chip cookies where I eat them right out of the oven. 

This quite honestly is the easiest and best peanut butter cookie recipe ever and 100% gluten-free!

I have two children and a husband and of course, as soon as the first batch came out of the oven out of the woodwork they came to gobble them up.  No problem though because making more takes no time at all… not kidding… they take like two minutes! I actually made 3 batches today so the kids over playing hockey could have a treat after all their hard work practicing their wrist and slap shots in my driveway.

In the end, my friend got a dozen, my house ate a dozen and we have a dozen waiting to be eaten…. who wants some?!

Tips for the perfect peanut butter cookies

• I use natural peanut butter but regular peanut butter works just as well. But using natural peanut butter makes it easier to control the amount of sugar and sweetness. There is no sugar added to natural peanut butter so you can add more or less granulated sugar to taste.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone baking tray liner on the cookie sheet to stop the cookies from sticking. A clay stoneware baking sheet is what I use and requires no parchment or cooking spray.
• Using a small cookie scoop or melon baller will ensure each cookie is the exact same size.  I typically just use a rounded teaspoon and eyeball it but if you need precise consistency these are the best tools to use.
• Make a double or triple batch. They are super good and you will want more!

Does Natural Peanut Butter Need To Be Refrigerated?

No, natural peanut butter can be stored for up to a month in a cool dark place in your cupboard. If you don’t consume peanut butter this quickly then move to the fridge where it can be stored for up to 3 months easily. If you do move to the fridge make sure you stir well to blend the oils into the peanut butter because once the oil gets hard in the fridge it will be nearly impossible to blend into the peanut butter.

Like anything when storing for longer periods do a smell test before eating. If it seems to smell rancid well… don’t eat it of course. Mouldy, nope… in the garbage, it goes.

 How To Stop Peanut Butter From Separating 

Many companies use stabilizers and different types of non-peanut oils to keep the peanut butter from separating but this doesn’t work in the case of all-natural peanut butter. So what can you do to avoid an oily mess?

Store your peanut butter upside down and in the fridge. Make sure the lid is on tight your you are going to have a huge mess. But once the oil becomes less liquidy in the cold it makes it a whole lot easier to stir it up. Natural peanut butter stored in the fridge doesn’t get rock hard and when cold it is a whole lot easier to stir, spread and work with.

Check out this article in Taste of Home for more info.

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