3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless, 20 Minutes)
These 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies are flourless, one-bowl and ready in 20 minutes.
Three ingredients, one bowl, twenty minutes — these flourless peanut butter cookies are the recipe to keep in your head for the days someone asks for something sweet and the cupboard is nearly bare. There is no flour, no butter and no mixer: just peanut butter, sugar and an egg, stirred into a dough that rolls into balls, takes the classic fork crosshatch, and bakes into cookies with crisp edges, soft chewy centres and a deep peanut-butter flavour that recipes with twice the ingredients struggle to beat. Because there is no flour, they are naturally gluten-free as written — and because the ingredient list is so short, the one rule that matters is using the right peanut butter (see below). Warm from the oven with a glass of milk, they are hard to improve on.
Why This Recipe Works
- Peanut butter does three jobs: fat, flour substitute and flavour; its oils and proteins set in the oven and hold the cookie together without flour.
- The egg is the only binder — one large egg is exactly enough for 1 cup peanut butter; a second egg makes them cakey and dry.
- Sugar gives structure as well as sweetness: it melts then re-sets as the cookies cool, which is why they firm up on the tray — pull them while centres look slightly soft.
- The fork crosshatch is not just decoration — these cookies do not spread on their own, so pressing gives an even bake and crisp edges.
Baking for the season? These pair well with my pumpkin cream cheese muffins, and for an easy dinner before dessert, try the slow cooker beef stew. For peanut butter nutrition data, see USDA FoodData Central.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 g) creamy peanut butter — regular processed style (Jif/Skippy type), NOT natural/runny
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar (or 3/4 cup / 150 g for less sweet)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional — it does not count against the 3-ingredient base)
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a sheet with parchment.
- Stir peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla (if using) until a smooth thick dough forms, about 1 minute by hand.
- Scoop and roll into 1-inch (about 1 Tbsp) balls, 2 inches apart.
- Press each ball twice with a fork in a crosshatch to about 1/2 inch thick (dip the fork in sugar if it sticks).
- Bake 10–12 minutes until edges are set and lightly golden, centres still slightly soft.
- Sprinkle flaky salt if using. Cool on the sheet a full 10 minutes — they are fragile hot and firm up as they cool — then move to a rack.
Tips and Storage
Natural peanut butter (oil on top) makes greasy, crumbly cookies — use regular creamy; crunchy works for a chunkier texture. Bake 10 minutes for soft cookies, 12 minutes for crisper. Swap half the white sugar for brown sugar for a chewier, deeper flavour. Add-ins: a handful of chocolate chips, or press a chocolate kiss into each hot cookie for peanut-blossom style. Store airtight up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, or freeze dough balls and bake from frozen with 1–2 extra minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do peanut butter cookies hold together without flour?
Peanut butter oils and proteins set as they bake and the egg binds; they firm as they cool — the 10-minute tray rest matters.
Can I use natural peanut butter?
Not recommended — separated oils make the cookies greasy and crumbly; regular creamy gives the soft, chewy result.
Are 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies gluten-free?
Yes, as written there is no flour or gluten ingredient; check labels if baking for someone with coeliac disease.
Why are my cookies crumbly?
They were moved too soon or baked too long — cool 10 minutes on the tray and pull them while centres are slightly soft.
Can I reduce the sugar?
Down to 3/4 cup works; below that they lose structure because sugar helps set them.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Gather and measure all ingredients before you start.
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a sheet with parchment.
- Stir peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla (if using) until a smooth thick dough forms, about 1 minute by hand.
- Scoop and roll into 1-inch (about 1 Tbsp) balls, 2 inches apart.
- Press each ball twice with a fork in a crosshatch to about 1/2 inch thick (dip fork in sugar if it sticks).
- Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set and lightly golden, centres still slightly soft.
- Sprinkle flaky salt if using. Cool on the sheet a full 10 minutes, then move to a rack.
