These Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies are life changing! With only 3 ingredients, they are incredibly quick and easy to make, and are absolutely scrumptious.
Tried and true, this recipe for gluten free peanut butter cookies can be made in a few minutes, they freeze beautifully, and they're always a hit!
I’ve been making this recipe in one form or another for most of my life. Sometimes with chocolate chips and sometimes with trail mix, but here they’re presented in their purest form.
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The Ingredients
(I often suggest brands I love and use — this is not a sponsored post.)
- salted creamy peanut butter - I use this one from Trader Joe’s, but use your favorite. Buy peanut butter with the oil on top — this typically means it’s a natural peanut butter, and other oils, including palm oil, have not been added to it.
- egg whites - Yep, hold the yolks! (You can save them for ice cream or crème brûlée.)
- granulated sugar
(See recipe card below for quantities.)
My favorite gluten free recipes are more often than not, those that are inherently so, like these cookies. They don't even involve gluten free flour, baking soda, etc., so the peanut butter flavor shines even more.
Substitutions
- Feel free to use chunky peanut butter, or even extra chunky. I love the cookies with a smooth and creamy texture, but it’s your call.
- You can substitute the granulated sugar for light brown sugar if it's what you have on hand.
Variations
You can add all sorts of goodies to these cookies.
- Naturally, you can make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate peanut butter recipes are always a hit!
- A few more ideas include adding: chocolate nibs, trail mix, M & M's, dried cranberries, raisins, oats. . . . etc.
- If you choose to include any of the above, add about 1 cups of whatever you're adding as the final step before shaping them.
How to Make Them
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the egg whites with ¾ cup of sugar until it's smooth.
- Add the peanut butter and mix until it’s smooth. (If you're going to add any other ingredients, like chocolate chips, now is the time. See Variations below.)
- Use a cookie scoop to shape the batter into balls, releasing them onto the parchment-lined sheet pan as you go.
- They can be close together because they barely spread, but be sure you have enough room for the next step of flattening them a bit.
- Sprinkle sugar on top of them. Then use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern, gently pressing down on each one to flatten it.
- Bake just until they start to look dry, about 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes.
(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Recipe Tips
- If the peanut butter comes out of the jar lumpy, it will be easier to use an electric mixer to stir when making the batter.
- I find it’s easiest to shape the batter with a 1¼-inch cookie scoop, but you can also shape it by rolling it between your palms, about 1 generous tablespoon each.
- I prefer these flourless peanut butter cookies when they’re a smaller size because they’re quite rich. (Of course then I just eat more of them.) You can make them any size you’d like, keeping in mind the amount of cookies will vary.
- If you use the Trader Joe's peanut butter (suggested above) and you can go to their store, do so. It's much more expensive online.
- I sprinkle the cookies with sugar before making the criss-cross pattern. This helps keep the fork from sticking.
FAQ
Yes, peanut butter is gluten free. In its purest form it's made of only peanuts, and often salt.
If you have Celiac Disease or are on a strict gluten free diet for other reasons and have to avoid cross contamination, commercially prepared peanut butters can sometimes be unsafe. It's always important to read the labels carefully because they could say "made in a factory where other items are prepared with wheat," or something to that effect.
Most peanut butter cookies have a criss-cross pattern on top that's made with a fork. This pattern is made to flatten the cookies so they cook evenly. The fork marks also add crispness, as the thin edges created by the fork crisp up when baked, much like the edges of the cookies. And finally, the indentations made by the fork also do a good job capturing the sugar that gets sprinkled on top, adding even more crispness.
More GF Peanut Butter Desserts
- GF Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- GF Peanut Butter Trail Mix Cookies
- GF Peanut Butter Pretzel Seven Layer Bars
How to Store them
There’s a good chance that you won’t have anything left to store the day you make them, but if there are . . .
Room temperature. In an airtight container, they can be kept at room temperature for about three days.
Freezer. They can be frozen in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bags for a couple of months. And the good news is they’re even better frozen! When they’re frozen, they taste like peanut butter candy bars.
You can also shape and freeze the dough for up to 3 months, keeping it in an airtight container. I often do this because then it's always ready to be baked for a fresh batch of cookies.
I hope you love my these cookies as much as my family and I do!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plus 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites (from large eggs)
- 1¾ cup (16-ounces) creamy, salted peanut butter
Instructions
- Set the oven and prepare pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Make the batter. In a medium-sized bowl, use a large fork to mix the egg whites with ¾ cup of the sugar. Add the peanut butter and mix with the fork (or large spoon), until it’s smooth. (If the peanut butter comes out of the jar lumpy, it will be easier to use an electric mixer).
- Shape. Use a 1¼-inch cookie scoop to shape the batter into balls, releasing them onto the parchment-lined sheet pan as you go. The can be close together as they barely spread, but be sure you leave enough room to gently flatten them in the next step. Once flattened there should be about ½-inch between them. (You can also shape the batter by rolling it between your palms, about 1 generous tablespoon each.) Sprinkle the tops of each one with the remaining 1½ tablespoons of sugar. Then use a dinner fork to make a criss-cross pattern, gently pressing down to flatten the ball of cookie batter.
- Bake and cool. Place in the preheated 350°F oven and bake just until they start to look dry, about 15 minutes. (If you touch them with your finger, it will likely still feel doughy — don’t worry, they will firm up as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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angiesrecipes
Can't keep them in the house or I would finish them all!!
valentina
Me too! 😉 Thanks, Angie. Enjoy. ~Valentina
Marissa
I am loving this gluten free, 3-ingredient twist on peanut butter cookies, Valentina! So intrigued by the magic of using egg whites...definitely trying this recipe soon!
valentina
I hope you love them. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Okay, I said I was going to make you Peanut Butter Cup Cookies but I think I will make these Thursday instead. The peanut butter cup version will come soon. Can’t wait for both!
valentina
I hope they're a hit, David. 😀 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
They were a huge hit! These are super easy to make, and they are so good. My dough seemed quite a bit softer than yours (it could be the brand of peanut butter?) but it didn’t seem to matter. They came out beautifully in the end, and that’s all that matters. I definitely recommend this recipe to everyone.
valentina
Thank you so much, David!!! 🙂 ~Valentina
Fran Arnold
When measuring peanut butter what type of container do you use ?
valentina
Hi Fran. Thanks for writing in. I use regular cup measures, like these. FYI, 1 3/4 cup of peanut butter 16 ounces (1 pound) of peanut butter -- and most standard-sized jars/containers are 16 ounces. I hope you love them! 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
Wow. These look amazing! And we do know some GF friends, so a really great recipe to have. Thanks!
valentina
Thanks for checking it out, John. Your GF friends will thank you for these. In my humble opinion, of course. 🙂 ~Valentina
Linger, Kristy Murray
Oh my! This "three ingredient" peanut butter cookie looks ridiculously easy and yummy. I've seen peanut butter cookies without flour but I've never made them. I'm so happy that I came across your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
valentina
Thank you, Kristy. I hope you try and love them! 🙂 ~Valentina