3 ingredient peanut butter cookies

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are the best peanut butter cookies around! Naturally gluten-free, these are fast and easy to make…a great recipe for holiday cookies!

Try my Lunch Lady PB & J bars for a fun alternative to traditional peanut butter cookies.

soft and chewy peanut butter cookie with only 3 ingredients and the perfect fork marks on the top.

This cookie recipe is amongst the first my children every learned how to make. Children of most any age can manage 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and an egg. These have been made numerous times over the years and are always a family favorite.

Tip: Try using chunky peanut butter or almond butter in favor of the traditional creamy version. And go ahead and mix in chopped peanuts, m & m’s, or other small candies.

I’ve made these cookies right before my son has friends over, we have a family get-together, or a football game is starting. They are so fast and easy to make but help me give my family a bit of “home cooking”. Although, fair warning when making these up for teen boys…make a lot!!

These are a “By Myself” cookie recipe! Meaning let your kids make them all by themselves. Simply be on hand to supervise the use of the oven. 

Pressing a fork into perfect 3 ingredient cookies with a bit of sugar dusted on top.

These little cookies will be a go-to for you on a regular basis. I use this recipe with chocolate kisses or stars at Christmas, with roasted marshmallows in between at campfires, and even in bar form with a layer of chocolate frosting. It is SUCH a great little recipe.

To make Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies:

Increase the baking time by about 2 minutes.

To make Softer Peanut Butter Cookies:

You will get a softer peanut butter cookie if you decrease how much you press on them before baking.

To make Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies:

Press down on the cookies quite well prior to baking to get a chewier cookie. The thinner they are, the chewier they will be.

A ball of peanut butter cookie dough rolled in sugar being placed on parchment paper for baking.
easy 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe. Gluten-free and dairy-free!
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Naturally gluten-free, this Peanut Butter Cookie recipe only uses 3 ingredients and is full of yummy, old-fashioned flavor!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time22 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: glutenfree, peanut butter cookie
Servings: 15 cookies
Calories: 157kcal

Ingredients

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

Instructions

  • Mix the ingredients
  • Form into 1 1/2 inch balls
  • Roll balls in sugar, flatten slightly
  • Bake for 7-9 minutes at 375 degrees

Notes

Store these cookies in an airtight container for about 5 days. These can be frozen, again in an airtight container, for several weeks. 
Try reducing the sugar to 3/4 cup and adding a teaspoon of honey to get a softer cookie.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
Peanut butter cookies sitting on a pan.

Tip: If you are someone who wants to keep your recipes as homemade as possible, use organic peanuts from your local co-op and try a recipe for homemade peanut butter!

Tip: These cookies will likely seem a little doughy when you first take them out of the oven. Do not worry! Because of the lack of flour, these will be softer than the cookies you are used to making, but just as delicious. 

Save this recipe to your Pinterest board for later…

These 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies are so easy to make! Soft, old-fashioned flavor that is gluten-free. So good! #cookies #peanutbutter #3ingredient #easy

Gingerbread Cookies
Citrus Linzer Cookies
Grapefruit Shortbread Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie

Grab the PDF Printable – Tips for Freezing Cookies – (perfect for getting those cookies stored for Christmas!) in our Resource Library!

About The Author

5 thoughts on “3 ingredient peanut butter cookies”

  1. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    I am so glad I don’t have any food allergies – except my hips and thighs have a tendency to bloat up– do you think that’s an allergy? I have been thinking on this subject – a lot – seriously. I think it’s because they’ve hybridized everything. So many seeds are modified so that they are bug, disease , drought, etc. resistant. You just didn’t hear about gluten intolerance years ago. Chickens used to be 3 to 3 1/2 lbs. Good luck in finding one that size and believe me I’ve looked. Instead now the chickens look like baby turkeys! BTW – I think it’s great that your kids cook. All of mine love being in the kitchen.

  2. They really are very peanut buttery! Neither of us is gluten free anymore, either. We’re still careful how much gluten we eat, but have no problem chowing down on a great cookie or donut every now and then!

  3. They sound yummy! I’m not on the gluten free bandwagon; and luckily (knock on wood) I don’t have to be, but I’ll bet without the flour they taste even more peanut buttery. I’ve been looking for a recipe that has more of the peanut butter taste, I’m totally going to try it! Thanks for sharing ~ Terrie

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Scroll to Top

Looking for something more?

If you’re a blogger or business owner in need of marketing support and resources, you’re in the right place!

Learn more about Janel Hutton’s expert marketing guidance, support, and resources at the link below.