4 ingredient peanut butter cookies are lightly crisp around the edges, chewy in the center, and packed with sweet peanut butter flavor. Flourless and easy to make, they’re a favorite for the holidays!
Looking for more cookie recipes? Try our walnut crescent cookies, orange ricotta cookies, or caramel toffee cookies.
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Easy Peanut Butter Cookies (4 Ingredients!)
I grew up baking Christmas cookies with my mom during the holidays. Now, it’s one of my favorite traditions to carry on with my own kids. Of course, I enjoy more intricate recipes like melted snowman cookies and figs cookies.
However, sometimes, you just need to keep things simple, and that’s where this four ingredients peanut butter cookies recipe comes into play! With no flour or tricky steps required, the dough comes together with ease, and the cookies bake in about 10 minutes. I don’t even have to pull out a mixer!
My kids love that they get to help stir and shape the dough, and I love that there’s little chance for anything to go wrong. Plus, no one can resist the rich, nutty flavor.
Try these cookies out for yourself, and you’ll never need another recipe for peanut butter cookies again!
Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Creamy peanut butter: I used Skippy peanut butter without added sugar for this recipe. I recommend avoiding any natural peanut butter as it can be too oily for these cookies.
- Sugar: Use granulated or cane sugar.
- Egg: Use a large egg at room temperature if possible.
- Vanilla extract: Improves the overall taste of the cookies.
Tip: Lightly spray the fork tines with a non-stick spray to avoid sticking!
Can you freeze peanut butter cookie dough?
Yes, you can freeze unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months. To do so, combine the ingredients, and portion the dough as usual. Then, arrange the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid.
Transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe container or sealable bag, and freeze them until you’re ready to use. Thaw at room temperature, gently flatten, and bake as normal.
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies FAQs
Bake these cookies for 10 minutes or just until the edges are lightly golden.
The dough is dense and doesn’t spread like other cookies as it bakes. Therefore, using a fork to gently press it down helps ensure even baking.
If you don’t flatten the dough before baking, the cookies are not likely to bake evenly and will not spread in the oven. As a result, they’ll look like little balls and are likely to be undercooked in the center.
The most common reason for these cookies to turn out hard is overbaking. Be sure to keep a close eye on your oven, and pull them out as soon as the edges are lightly golden. The cookies will look very soft after 10 minutes of baking but will firm up slightly as they cool.
Cookies with flour often need time to chill in order for the gluten to relax. However, because we aren’t using flour, it’s not necessary to chill this cookie dough.
If you try our easy peanut butter cookies recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment letting us know how you liked the recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Make sure the oven rack is set in the middle.
- In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of the dough and roll them into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Lightly spray the tines of a fork with a non-stick cooking spray, then gently press down on each ball of dough to flatten it slightly, creating a crisscross pattern on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Cookies will be very soft in the center but will firm up as they cool. Don’t be tempted to bake longer or the cookies will be too hard.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Peanut Butter: I recommend avoiding any natural peanut butter in this recipe as it can be too oily for these cookies. I like using Skippy peanut butter without any added sugar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 117
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 58.5 mg
- Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 9.3 mg
