3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies {Flourless} - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published March 28, 2020. Updated March 31, 2020

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies! A flourless cookie made with just creamy peanut butter, sugar and an egg. The dough only takes minutes to prepare and no mixer is required!

Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Try my No Bake Cookies (a classic from childhood) and my recipe One Chocolate Chip Cookie.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

This 3-ingredient flourless peanut butter cookie recipe is one mind blowing dessert! How can just 3 ingredients make a such delicious cookie?

They’re rich, and perfectly peanut buttery and have just the right amount of satisfying sweetness (and they’re naturally gluten-free, as always just be sure to check your labels)!

One of the quickest and easiest desserts you’ll ever make and they’re perfect for when those peanut butter cravings strike.

Plus, if you are new to baking this is the absolute perfect place to start.

These are also a fun dessert to make with kids, they can do most of the work preparing the dough then they’ll just need adult supervision with the baking portion.

A tasty cookie all ages will love ad appreciate with it’s simplicity and irresistible flavor (I’m quickly loosing track of how many I’ve eaten today, dangerous things)!

What is the Texture These Cookies Like?

Here you don’t get the same soft, chewiness you’ll find in a traditional flour based peanut butter cookie, but rather it’s a very pleasant texture with a crisp edges and a softer interior. Melt-in-your-mouth delicious, trust me!

Ingredients Needed

To make these flourless peanut butter cookies you’ll only need:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 egg

Easy enough to memorize! Scroll below for printable recipe with ingredient amounts and full directions.

How to Make 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

To make these cookies it’s a basic 3 step process of making the dough, shaping and flattening the dough then baking the dough. Here’s a breakdown of the directions:

1. Preheat oven, prepare baking sheets.
2. Beat egg.
3. Mix peanut butter, granulated sugar and egg until blended.
4. Scoop out and drop portions onto prepared baking sheets, flatten with prongs of fork.
5. Bake.
6. Let cool, then enjoy!

Why Mix the Egg First?

Doing this just makes sure the egg yolk and white ends up more evenly distributed throughout the batter, especially since dough is mixed by hand.

How to Store Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

• These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for several days.
• To extend the shelf life you can refrigerate for 1 week or freeze baked cookies for a few months (bring to room temp before serving).
• Don’t chill dough or it will be too dry and crumbly to work with.

Possible Variations

There are a few things you can add here to add more flavor if you’d like (not that they aren’t perfect as is but a little boost doesn’t hurt either):

• Add 1 cup chocolate chips (press cookie dough balls down slightly with the bottom of a greased cup, rather than a fork).
• Stir in 1 tsp vanilla with other ingredients.
• Optionally add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.
• Reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup if you want them a little less sweet. If you want them extra sweet roll in granulated sugar before flattening.
• Try with a different type of butter – keep reading for substitutes.

Can I Use Natural or Crunchy Peanut Butter?

• Preferably no, don’t use natural peanut butter. I have also made these with natural peanut butter and while yes it does work the end result is a drier more crumbly cookie.
• And yes, crunchy peanut butter should work fine if you were to add some extra peanut butter (maybe 1/4 cup) to make up for the volume of the chopped peanuts in the mixture.

Can I Use a Different Type of Nut Butter?

Yes. These can also be made with almond butter or cashew butter.

Is There a Way to Make Them Nut Free?

Yes. If you have a nut allergy in the family you could make them with sunflower seed butter (such as SunButter) in place of peanut butter.

Tips for the Best 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

• Be sure to thoroughly mix dough until ingredients appear evenly combined and distributed.
• Careful not to over-bake the cookies unless you are going for a crisp peanut butter cookie.
• Let cool at least 5 minutes before transferring or they will likely far apart.

More Tempting Peanut Butter Recipes to Try

• Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
• Crisp Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
• Microwave Peanut Butter Granola Bars
• Peanut Butter Bars (with Chocolate Frosting!)
• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Peanut Butter Fruit Dip (only 3 ingredients!)