Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
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These outrageously delicious flourless peanut butter cookies come together with just 5 ingredients—and they’re naturally gluten- and dairy-free!
These rich, chewy peanut butter cookies from Ovenly, topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, are a marvel with just five ingredients—and they’re naturally gluten-free and dairy-free! With quick prep and no flour, they still bake up perfectly puffy and taste just like the inside of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. I honestly don’t know how the magic happens, but I promise you’ll be a fan!
If you’re one to dip your spoon straight in the peanut butter jar, and are looking for more flourless dessert options, you’ll love these peanut butter clouds, buckeyes, and peanut butter Rice Krispies treats!
“This peanut butter cookie recipe is so good – delicious and packed with peanut butter flavor! I would eat the whole tray if it were socially acceptable.”
What You’ll Need To Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a chewy texture. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Large Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and provide structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the cookies’ flavor with sweet, aromatic notes.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: The primary ingredient, providing flavor and richness. For best results, use a smooth and creamy commercial peanut butter, like Skippy or Jif. (I do not recommend chunky or all-natural peanut butter.)
- Sea Salt Flakes: Tops off the cookies with a contrasting flavor and really enhances the overall taste.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Whisk until well combined.
Add the peanut butter.
Mix with a rubber spatula until well combined and the dough is very thick.
It will take about 3 minutes of stirring to get to the right consistency (it gets thicker as you continue to stir).
Using a #20 (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheets. (If you don’t have the right cookie scoop, form the dough into balls by hand; they should be the size of generous golf balls.)
If you often find yourself making cookies, you may want to invest in a few cookie dough scoops. Using a spoon will definitely work just fine, but the advantage to using a cookie scoop is that it makes each ball of dough exactly the same shape and size so that the cookies bake evenly.
Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with the sea salt. Slide the baking sheets into the freezer for 15 minutes, or into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.
Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Additionally, the cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, sprinkle with salt (and press lightly so it adheres), let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
These outrageously delicious flourless peanut butter cookies come together with just 5 ingredients—and they’re naturally gluten- and dairy-free!
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy (see note)
- Coarse-grained sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line two 13x18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the peanut butter and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined and the dough is very thick. It will take about 3 minutes of stirring to get to the right consistency (it gets thicker as you continue to stir). (Note: Do not use an electric mixer for this process, as it can cause the peanut butter to separate.)
- Using a #20 (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheets. (If you don't have the right cookie scoop, form the dough into balls by hand; they should be the size of generous golf balls.)
- Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with the sea salt. Slide the baking sheets into the freezer for 15 minutes, or into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.
- Bake the first pan for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
- Note: For best results, use a smooth and creamy commercial peanut butter, like Skippy. (I do not recommend all-natural or chunky peanut butter.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, sprinkle with salt (and press lightly so it adheres), let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (17 servings)
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 253
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 128 mg
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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So I just made these and they cooked up all flat – not fat and fluffy like yours. What did I do wrong? They taste good though. I forgot the step where they went into the fridge. Could that be it?
Yes, skipping the refrigerating step would’ve caused that problem. Glad they tasted good though! 🙂
Delicious! They didn’t look like the photo and my batter separated (oh, what did I do wrong?), but they were still yummy.
Hi Debby, Did you use an electric mixer? It can cause the peanut butter to separate.
I just did exactly the same thing! Same brand of peanut butter (Jif) and everything. Glad I am not alone. 😉 I was looking here to see if I could find out what I had done wrong. Wish I read these first but I thought how difficult can a 4-ingredient cookie be? Boy, was I wrong. This is the ONLY recipe of yours Jenn that hasn’t worked for me first time round and I have been an avid follower of yours for years. I cook at least one recipe of yours every week. I never knew that using a mixer would cause peanut butter to separate. You might want to add a note to the recipe for folks like me.
So sorry AnnMarie! I’ve added a note to the recipe so other people don’t make the same mistake. 🙁
Jenn- I’m confused – why do 1 3/4 cup measurements have different gram measurements ? I had enough peanut butter when I measured by my us cup but not when I measured by scale ? Then I checked and saw that 13/4 brown sugar was less in gram weight . What am I missing ?
Hi Lee Ann, Grams are determined by the weight, or mass, of the ingredient, and is measured with a scale. Volume (cups) is the amount of space that an ingredient takes up. 1-3/4 cups of peanut butter weighs more than 1-3/4 cups of brown sugar. Hopefully that clarifies. 🙂
It does but I’m not sure the density calculation is correct . I had 1 3/4 cup peanut butter but this was about 50 g lighter than stated . Anyway they turned out really fab – I don’t think they needed more peanut butter
Glad they turned out well! There could be slight variations w/ weight depending on the brand of peanut butter, how it is measured, etc.
I used Skippy . Oh well – I’ll stick to cup measurements when making them . And you are so right – they taste like the inside of a Reeses cup . They lasted 1 day in our household – all eaten
Hi. I want to try this recipe but can’t find brown sugar anywhere!!! I purchased “golden yellow sugar”. Can I use that instead? By the way, I have tried so many of your recipes and they are always so great that I’ve made them multiple times and they’re in regular rotation at our place. Thank you!
So glad you like the recipes, Sue! The flavor of golden yellow sugar is a bit lighter, but it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them with it!
These were absolutely delicious! Best peanut butter cookies I have ever made. My family couldn’t get enough of them.
I tried to make these using Jif creamy peanut butter. I could not get the dough to play dough consistency – the oil separated from the dough. I tried scooping and baking them anyway, and the cookies came out greasy and kind of tough, and they were swimming in oil on the cookie sheet. Do you have any idea what went wrong? I used a mixer, could that be the problem?
Hi Ruby, So sorry you had trouble. Creamy Jif should be fine. I think the mixer is definitely the issue — if peanut butter is overmixed, it can separate.
I just finished making a batch of these yummy cookies. Perfect timing, as I’m all out of flour (used the last of it making your Blueberry Coffeecake AKA Boy Bait!), and can’t seem to find it anywhere. I’m also just using my pantry items and that meant chunky peanut butter. I would normally go out and get the creamy peanut butter, but this version was delicious too! All the men in the house gave them a big thumbs up! I look forward to making them “correctly” when I’m able to get all the right stuff. This is my 3rd recipe this week from you Jenn – love everything!
Keep them coming, and stay safe!
Nancy
Just took them out of the oven. Very, very good! Great consistency- little crunch on the outside, soft on the inside. The sea salt is a nice addition too. I used creamy Jif peanut butter with no problem.
Thanks Jen – another super recipe! 😊
These were fantastic. Made them yesterday and they’ve all been eaten by today. Chewy sticky peanut butter cookies that are so easy and cheap to make! Love them, big fan of your website from the UK. Thanks Jenn x
I can’t make them again as I will eat them all… again. These are delicious and I’m not usually a peanut butter cookie person.
🙂 Glad you like them!
Made these tonight b/c I had everything on hand and was craving a peanut butter cookie……they were great, BUT 253 calories PER cookie? Don’t think I’ll do it again.
A success- just like all the recipes from your cookbook and site. Husband and neighbors alike loved them. Can’t wait to make them with the grandsons. Thank you – Jenn
Stay safe