Craving something sweet but don't want to haul out half your pantry? These simple flourless peanut butter cookies literally need just three simple ingredients. And even better, they're naturally gluten free and require just one bowl to make!
"Delish! This is wayyyy better than white sugar, I can't believe I have never thought of this."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Brittny, One Happy Dish reader
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 a batch of home-baked cookies in less time than I had to work with. (And if you've been following my blog at all, you know that I love making minimal ingredient recipes that work like these 2 ingredient bagels or this 2-minute chocolate sauce.)
So with no time to spare I grabbed some ingredients, made my best estimates as to a good baking ratio and got baking. The result? They were SO good, like you wouldn't believe how good. And from that day on I continued to test and tweak until these cookies were absolutely...perfect.
🌿 Ingredients
You'll want to be pretty particular about your peanut butter choice for this recipe: no-stir salted creamy peanut butter works best, but chunky would be fine too if you want some texture. Just try to avoid natural peanut butter in this one (the kind where the oil is separated until you stir it), as results can be a bit mixed.
And in case you're wondering, white sugar works too! I just prefer the richer, caramelly taste of brown sugar. Light or dark brown sugar are both great (dark brown will have a deeper flavor.)
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with some parchment paper. Then, grab a mixing bowl and stir the peanut butter, sugar and egg until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.
Scoop out rounded tablespoon-sized chunks of dough, roll them into balls, and place them on 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: I know I said these are three ingredient peanut butter cookies, but if you happen to have some flaky sea salt on hand, go ahead and sprinkle a little on your cookies just before they go into the oven. Call them four ingredient peanut butter cookies if you'd like, and thank me later. 🙂
Step 4: Bake your cookies for 10-12 minutes or just until the edges start to brown, and then keep them on the baking sheet for another five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Just note that they're a little fragile until they're cool (like us before coffee.)
Enjoy your cookies!
🍳 Recipe
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (with Brown Sugar)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) 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.1 cup no-stir creamy peanut butter, ⅔ cup packed brown sugar, 1 large egg
- Bake: Scoop out and form rounded tablespoon-full balls of dough and place on 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 10-12 minutes or just until the edges start to brown. Once out of the oven, let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for another five minutes.½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Enjoy: Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
I'd absolutely love for you to leave a review!
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. 🙂