This is one of my all time go-to recipes when time is short and something sweet is required. Plus, your family or guests won't believe you when you tell them that these easy PB cookies only have 3 ingredients, if you want to tell them at all. 😉
"Delish! This is wayyyy better than white sugar, I can't believe I have never thought of this."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Brittny, One Happy Dish reader
Get this recipe in your inbox
Enter your email below and we’ll send it right to your inbox. Plus, you'll get our latest recipes emailed each week!
So I know exactly what you're thinking if you haven't tried some variation of three-ingredient cookies before: how can they possibly be good or even come close to "real" cookies, right?
Believe me, I thought the same for a long time. But then desperation set in: I needed home-baked cookies in less time than I had to work with. I knew the three basic ingredients well—there are plenty of variations out there of this simple combo. So with no time to spare I grabbed the ingredients, made my best estimates as to a good baking ratio and crossed my fingers.
The result? They were SO good, like you wouldn't believe how good. These delicate but chewy peanut butter cookies tasted just like the real thing! And from that day on I continued to test and tweak until these cookies were absolutely...perfect.
PS: If you love peanut butter as much as I do and want to venture off cookies and into other easy peanut butter recipes, you have to try these peanut butter protein balls too.
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- They are truly 3 ingredient cookies (woohoo!)
- No chilling time required
- Store well in the fridge or freezer
- Great recipe to bake with kids
- Easy cleanup
🌿 Ingredients
So at this point you're probably wondering, well, just what are the three ingredients (spoiler alert: one is peanut butter), and how can these cookies be so easy?? And here they are:
- peanut butter
- brown sugar (white sugar works too; I just prefer the taste of brown!)
- a large egg
- bonus ingredient: ½ teaspoon sea salt for sprinkling on top (optional, but highly recommended!)
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
Yep, that's it! And these simple, flourless peanut butter cookies will work out great if you follow just a few important tips below.
Tip #1: Salted, creamy no-stir peanut butter works best for this recipe. If you use natural peanut butter instead (the one that you can see the oil separated on top), just make sure you stir in and incorporate all of the oil really well first. I like using creamy peanut butter, but crunchy works too if you like crunchy peanut butter cookies! Also, make sure it has salt added—if not, you'll definitely want to see tip #3 below.
Tip #2: Once you get the three basic ingredients mixed together, let your cookie dough "set" by leaving it on the countertop for about 10-15 minutes. This lets the sugar incorporate and the consistency to become a bit more solid before you form the cookies.
Tip #3: Yes, I know I said these are three ingredient peanut butter cookies, but if you happen to have some sea salt on hand, go ahead and sprinkle a little on your cookies just before they go into the oven. Call them 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies, and you can thank me later. 🙂
📝 Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (This makes for super easy cleanup afterward.)
Mix the peanut butter, brown sugar and egg together in a large bowl and stir well to incorporate. Let the dough stand and set for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.
Then, scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto your baking sheet, leaving a couple inches in between each.
Step 2: Make a crisscross pattern on each ball using the back of a large fork to gently press down on the dough.
Step 3: Sprinkle some sea salt over the cookies before they go in the oven. (This is optional, but so delicious!)
Step 4: Bake for 12-13 minutes or just until the edges start to brown, and then let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for another five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
📋 Substitutions
As written, this is a gluten free peanut butter cookie recipe (no flour required!) Feel free to make any of the following adjustments as necessary.
- Peanut butter - salted, creamy no-stir peanut butter works best for this recipe but you could substitute natural peanut butter if you'd like (the kind with oil separated on top when you first open it); just make sure to stir it really well first in order to incorporate all the oil
- Brown sugar - use white granulated sugar, coconut sugar or maple sugar instead; they're all delicious!
- Sea salt - this is optional unless the peanut butter you use doesn't have added salt, in which case it is necessary to balance out the sweetness
📖 Variations
- Crunchy peanut butter cookies - use crunchy salted, no-stir peanut butter instead of creamy
- Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies - add up to ½ cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter (mini work better than regular sized to allow for the crisscross design on top)
🔪 Equipment
I used the following equipment to make these 3 ingredient cookies:
- baking sheet
- parchment paper (optional, for easy cleanup)
- measuring cups
- large mixing bowl
- cooling rack
🍱 Storage
Once they're cool, 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
🎉 Top tip
This is one of the best recipes for getting kiddos involved in baking, and the whole family will love them. It's hard to mess anything up, and kids will love to mix the batter together and stamp the balls of dough with a crisscross design.
Enjoy!
💭 FAQ
The three ingredients you'll need for simple peanut butter cookies are salted peanut butter, white or brown sugar and an egg.
Creamy, no-stir salted peanut butter works best for this recipe, but crunchy peanut butter works too. If you use natural peanut butter, make sure to mix thoroughly first to incorporate the oil and peanuts well.
No, you don't need any kind of mixer for this recipe; mixing by hand with a spoon works perfectly well.
Yes; as written, this peanut butter cookie recipe is naturally flourless and gluten free.
🍳 Recipe
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper optional, for easy cleanup
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter (see notes)
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar or white sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt optional, but recommended
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Mix: In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, brown sugar and egg and stir well to incorporate. Let the dough stand for at least 10 minutes on the countertop.
- Bake: Use a tablespoon measure to scoop out balls of dough onto the baking sheet, leaving a couple inches in between each, and then use the back of a large fork to gently press down each cookie, creating a crisscross pattern. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt (if using) and then bake for 12-13 minutes or just until the edges start to brown. Once out of the oven, let the cookies set on the baking sheet for another five minutes.
- Enjoy: Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy! Cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to five days.
Tim
I will sometimes make these as a "thumbprint" style, slightly flattening the ball with the bottom of a glass and setting a Hershey's kiss into the center, instead of mini chocolate chips. I've never gotten any complaints with the result.
Allison
Love this idea Tim; thanks for sharing!!
Brittny
Delish! This is wayyyy better than white sugar, I can't believe I have never thought of this. xD
Allison
Thanks Brittny! Right?! The brown sugar makes all the difference. 🙂
Terri
Could I use coconut brown sugar instead?
Allison
Absolutely Terri! I love using coconut sugar for this recipe. 🙂