Enjoy this quick and easy recipe for 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies that's perfect for everyone, from gluten-free peeps to peanut butter lovers. Sugar, peanut butter, egg, and baking soda are all you need to get this classic cookie in your home today!
These cookies come together quickly with minimal clean-up! They're a great option for folks who need their sweets to be gluten-free. They look and feel like cookies that contain flour, but there's none at all! And if peanut butter is your thing, check out this super crunchy treat, Sweet and salty PB&J Snack Mix.
Read on for all the loving details to make 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies, or skip down to the recipe card!
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Featured Ingredients
Read below about a few of the ingredients used to make 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies.
Peanut butter - I prefer JIF peanut butter overall, but you can use whatever creamy brand you like best. Natural peanut butter also works, but be sure to stir it very well before using so the oil absorbs back into the butter.
Sugar - I use granulated white sugar in these 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies. To prevent graininess, be sure to cream the peanut butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes before adding the egg.
Egg - One large egg or an egg replacement works for this recipe. See variations below for details about adding a second egg.
Baking soda - The baking soda will help with the chewy texture and crispy crumb.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools for the job
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Stand mixer or a bowl and hand beaters
- Spatula
- Lined sheet pan
- Cooling rack - I like these ones because they stack up high, using less counter space
How to make 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Add the peanut butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium-sized bowl with hand beaters.
- Starting on low and working your way up to medium, mix the ingredients for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This process is called creaming the ingredients, and it will help soften the sugar grains as well as aerate the dough for a much lighter cookie. Read more about the process of creaming at Serious Eats.
- Next, add the egg to the mixture, followed by the baking soda.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, then portion into balls using a 1 ounce trigger-style ice cream scoop. You can also use a tablespoon to measure out 2 tablespoons per cookie.
- Once the cookies have been rolled into a ball shape using your palms set them on a lined sheet pan. You can give them their traditional cross-hatch design by pressing the top in both directions with the tines of a fork.
- Bake at 325°F for 12 minutes, then set the sheet pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After that, remove the cookies to the cooling rack until fully cooled before eating. They can be a bit delicate and crumbly if handled before being fully cooled.
Substitutions
- Make it vegan - You can substitute an egg replacer for the egg in this cookie.
- Sugar free - Substitute Swerve brand sugar for the white sugar.
Variations
- Make it crispy - Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before pressing them with the fork and baking them for a crispy sugar coating.
- Make it chewier - for a less crumbly cookie, add a second egg. This will yield thin, wide cookies that won't hold the fork design, but will remain chewy throughout without crumbling.
- Add salt - for a mouthwatering finish, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with Maldon flake salt before baking.
Storage
Baked cookies will be good for 3-5 days when stored in a sealed container. They do not hold up well in the freezer.
Raw dough can be refrigerated for one day. I have not tested how the uncooked dough handles being frozen.
Food safety
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Related
Looking for other sweet treats like this? Try these:
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Enjoy freshly baked gluten-free peanut butter cookies with minimal ingredients and simple instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Add the peanut butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium-sized bowl with hand beaters. Starting on low and working your way up to medium, mix the ingredients for 4-5 minutes until the peanut butter and sugar are combined and fluffy.
- Next, add the egg to the mixture, followed by the baking soda.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, then portion into 1 ounce balls using a trigger-style ice cream scoop or measure two tablespoons per cookie.
- After measuring them out, roll each portion into a ball with the palms of your hands and set on a lined sheet pan.
- Next, give them their traditional cross-hatch design by pressing the top in both directions with the tines of a fork.
- Bake at 325°F for 12 minutes, then set the sheet pan on a rack for 10 minutes. After that, remove the cookies to the cooling rack until fully cooled before eating.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Christina Witter says
I am going to try these! I've been looking for a good peanut butter cookie recipe. They look yummy.
Summer @ The Measured Scoop says
Awesome! I hope you really enjoy them. I like that this recipe only makes 1 dozen. Enough to kick a craving but not a ton of leftovers 😀