These gluten free peanut butter cookies are melt in your mouth delicious and are filled with mini chocolate chips for the best cookies! Made with only 5 ingredients and in one bowl, they may be the easiest cookie on the block. Naturally gluten free and dairy free too!
If you're a peanut butter lover, these chewy cookies are for you! They're perfectly golden brown with crisp edges and packed with peanut butter flavor. Combined with chocolate chips, these cookies are like a handful of peanut butter cups in a cookie!
Recipe characteristics
- Naturally gluten free and dairy free
- Can be made nut free
- Made with only 5 main ingredients
- Soft and chewy texture
- Made in one bowl in under 30 minutes
- Kid approved
Ingredients
- Peanut butter - The star of the flourless peanut butter cookies. It adds some nutty flavor and helps bind the cookie dough together. Natural peanut butter is best. Peanuts and salt should be the only ingredients and natural oil separation is common. A variety of nut butters will work like almond butter or cashew butter. Swap with sunflower butter to make it nut free.
- Coconut sugar - Provides sweetness to the cookies. Substitute with light brown sugar if needed.
- Egg - This is what allows the cookies to rise and helps create a chewy inside. Make sure it's at room temperature before mixing it into the batter. I do not recommend swapping with a vegan egg replacement like a flax egg or chia egg.
- Chocolate chips - I like to use mini chocolate chips as they are easier to fold into the batter. You can omit the chocolate chips entirely if desired or swap with Reece's pieces, M&Ms, chopped nuts, etc. for your own delicious cookie.
Step by step directions
This gluten-free peanut butter cookies recipe is beyond easy to make. You will need a large bowl and a mixer, a cookie scoop or spoon, and a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Step 1 : Combine the dough ingredients
First, mix together the peanut butter, coconut sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and baking soda in a bowl. You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or just a rubber spatula.
Mix well to "dissolve" the coconut sugar into the peanut butter.
Step 2 : Add the chocolate chips
Fold the chocolate chips into the batter with the mixer or a rubber spatula. Mix well to distribute.
Step 3 : Scoop onto a baking sheet
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dough and roll it into a ball in between the palms of your hands. Gently pay the dough down to flatted out the top and bottom of the ball so it looks more like a hockey puck.
Place the cookie dough on the baking sheet and sprinkle more chocolate chips over top. You can also use a fork to create the traditional crisscross pattern on top of the cookies. Bake in the oven until golden brown.
How to serve
Make sure you allow the cookies to cool down completely on wire racks before serving. Because they are flourless gf cookies, they need to cool or they will fall apart.
Can I make these nut free?
These gluten free cookies can easily be made nut free by swapping out the peanut butter for sunflower butter. I recommend the creamy SunButter as it will give the cookies the same chewy texture.
Is Peanut Butter Gluten Free?
Most nut butters made with only nuts and salt are gluten free. The no-stir peanut butters have some additional ingredients like oils and sugars but gluten is rarely one of them. The nut butters that add lots of additional flavors like the cookie butter from Trader Joes is not gluten free. As always, check the ingredients on the back of the jar to make sure it's compatible with a gluten-free diet.
Expert tips
- Be sure to mix the dough well so the coconut sugar almost dissolves into the peanut butter. This is best done with a mixer. You can also use a spatula but it will require some extra elbow grease.
- Natural peanut butter is best in this recipe as the consistency is usually a little thinner due to the oil separation.
- Make smaller cookies instead of big bakery style cookies for this recipe. This helps the cookies to stay together and not fall apart as easily.
- Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the baking sheet. Because they have no flour, they have a higher likelihood of crumbling.
Frequently asked questions
Because these are flourless cookies, they can be a little crumbly. Make sure to use a small cookie scoop so the cookies are smaller and allow them to cool down completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
I don't recommend substituting the egg with a flax egg as it's a key player in keeping the dough in tact. If you're looking for a vegan cookie, check out these cookies which are made without an egg.
Transfer the cooled cookies to an airtight container. They will keep for up to 4 days out on the counter or a week in the fridge.
For more cookie recipes, check out my:
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Flourless Gluten free Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter - or nut butter of choice, substitute with sunflower butter to make nut free
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl mix the peanut butter, coconut sugar, egg, vanilla, and baking soda until the coconut sugar has somewhat dissolved into the peanut butter. A hand or stand mixer is best for this but you can also use a rubber spatula.
- Fold the mini chocolate chips into the cookie dough until well combined. Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dough into a small ball and roll it in between the palms of your hands. Press the ball of dough down so it flattens out on the top and bottom so it resembles a hockey puck.
- Place each cookie dough ball on a baking sheet and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips over top. Bake in the oven for 9 - 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
- Sprinkle some sea salt on top of each cookie and allow them to cool down completely before enjoying. Store extras in an airtight container for up to 4 days out on the counter or a week in the fridge.
I made the almond butter cookies today and they were insaneeeee! But was wondering if it’s possible to use a flax egg in this instead of the regular egg and maybe some nuts instead of the Reese’s pieces?
Hi Tabby! Apologies on the late response - I must have missed this. You can definitely add nuts into the batter instead of the Reese's pieces. I haven't tried this with a flax egg but I don't think it would hold together properly.
If you're looking for a vegan cookie, these oatmeal cookies have been super popular and use applesauce as a binder.
Thanks for sharing! Could I use M&M's as a mix in instead?
Hi Vanessa! Yes, absolutely! I just used Reece's to add more peanut butter taste but M&Ms would be amazing too
This looks so good! I love that you can get all the candy, but don't need the carbs with it!