3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
These 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies are the easiest cookies you’ll ever make. All you need is peanut butter, sugar, and an egg to create soft and chewy cookies that everyone will love!
I know that making peanut butter cookies with just 3 ingredients sounds like some sort of gimmick, but trust me when I say that this recipe truly is delicious.
Unlike my usual peanut butter cookie recipe — which calls for more traditional ingredients like flour, baking soda, and vanilla — these 3 ingredient cookies are made using just sugar, peanut butter, and an egg.
The end result is soft and chewy cookies that are packed with pure peanut butter flavor. And since there’s no flour used in this recipe, these cookies are also gluten free.
This recipe is perfect if you’re looking for an easy dessert to make during the week or if you’re simply running low on baking supplies!
Recipe Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: Make sure to use a traditional, no-stir peanut butter rather than a natural peanut butter. Natural nut butters tend to separate and create greasy baked goods. Something like Jif or Skippy works best in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: Over the years, I’ve found that ⅔ cup of sugar is the perfect amount of sweetness for these cookies. If you prefer less sugar, you can reduce it down to ½ cup.
- Egg: This is what binds everything together and adds structure to the cookies. It’s best to use a room temperature egg as well so that it disperses more evenly throughout the dough. If you need to bring your egg to room temperature quickly, just place it in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
How To Make 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Mix together the egg, peanut butter, and granulated sugar. You can use an electric mixer for this step, but I usually just use a spoon or a rubber spatula.
- Scoop the cookie dough using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave some space between each ball of cookie dough as well.
- Gently press down the cookie dough balls using the tines of a fork (I like to make a criss-cross pattern). These cookies won’t spread very much in the oven, so this step is important to help them spread!
- Bake the cookies until the tops are set and they no longer look wet.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Don’t try to remove them from the baking sheet too soon because they will fall apart!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as it’s another no-stir nut butter or nut butter substitute. You just want to avoid anything where the oil separates because it will make the cookies greasy.
Yes, you can substitute the granulated sugar with an equal amount of light or dark brown sugar.
Since these cookies are made without flour, they need to bake slightly longer than your average cookie. After 12 to 15 minutes, the tops should be set and the cookies should be ready to come out of the oven.
Remember that they’ll finish setting up as they cool, so don’t panic and think you’ve under baked them!
Baking Tips
- These cookies don’t spread like traditional cookies, so make sure to gently press them down with a fork or your hand before baking.
- Once the cookies come out of the oven, they will be fragile! Allow them to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes on the baking sheet before trying to transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
- I kept these cookies simple, but feel free to add ½ cup of your favorite mix-ins. Chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, or Reese’s pieces would be delicious!
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (250 grams; like Jif or Skippy avoid natural pb)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (135 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Add the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and egg to a large mixing bowl and mix everything together until fully combined.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls and press each one down with the tines of a fork to create a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the top of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
