Make this unique recipe for 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies in just 15 minutes! Chewy centers with crunchy edges that stay fresh for days (if they last that long).
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
15 minutes
Servings
22 cookies
Difficulty
Super Easy
Calories *
125 kcal per serving
Technique
Stir together 4 simple ingredients, scoop, flatten with a fork, and bake until golden.
Flavor Profile
Classic peanut butter cookie with extra nuttiness from the almond flour.
* Based on nutrition panel
These cookies are the perfect texture I wanted in my peanut butter cookies. I have been on a mission to get my niece to start baking, and this easy 4 ingredient cookie was perfect! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why You Will Love this Recipe
- Ready in 15 minutes from start to finish. When you need cookies fast, these deliver. Mix, scoop, flatten, and bake. That’s it. Perfect for last-minute gatherings, bake sales, or when the cookie craving hits hard.
- Soft and chewy with just the right amount of crunch. Unlike every other simple peanut butter cookie recipe on the internet, this one includes almond flour for added body, texture, and that extra chew everyone craves.
- Only 4 Ingredients!
- Gluten-free already! These cookies are naturally gluten-free since they contain no wheat flour. If you don’t have almond flour, make these chewy peanut butter cookies!
Table of Contents
I’ve been making peanut butter cookies for years, including my peanut butter chocolate skillet cookie, but sometimes you want something quick without sacrificing quality. That’s exactly what these 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies deliver! They are chewy and super easy to mix together!
Maybe you don’t want to turn the oven on. You can try these peanut butter no-bake cookies! Try these peanut butter jelly bars or this revel bar recipe for more classic flavors that will bring you back to your childhood.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I use a smooth peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy. If you want to use a different nut butter, or to make these nut-free using sunflower seed butter, try making these almond butter cookies.
- Light Brown Sugar: The molasses in light brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle flavor. You could substitute dark brown sugar or granulated sugar, but with the white sugar, the cookies won’t be as chewy.
- Almond Flour: Almond flour adds body, a subtle nutty flavor, and helps create that perfect texture. Do not substitute almond meal, as it has a coarser texture. You could try other nut flours, but the texture might vary.
- Large Egg: The egg binds everything together and adds structure. You can omit the egg to make these vegan, but the final cookies will be more crumbly and delicate. They’ll be crispy, with a texture similar to that of traditional peanut butter cookies.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add a mix-in for additional flavor or crunch. Fold in ½ cup mini chocolate chips, chopped peanut butter cups, roasted peanuts, or almonds for added texture and flavor.
- Peanut butter brookies! Place this cookie dough on top of these homemade brownies for a peanut butter brookie, or you could make these strawberry brownies!
- Add an extract! You can add a splash of almond or vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of these cookies.
- Sandwich cookies! These are the perfect cookies to sandwich some jam or jelly between, or use my raspberry buttercream from these raspberry cupcakes, or this chocolate fudge frosting for that classic peanut butter and chocolate flavor!
Professional Tips
- Temperature is critical. These cookies MUST bake at 325°F, or they will burn before they finish cooking. If you bake them hotter, the peanut butter essentially burns, which has an undesirable taste. Trust me on this one—I’ve tested them multiple ways!
- Don’t overbake. These cookies are easy to make but also easy to overbake. There’s just a minute difference between perfectly baked and over. Remove them when they’re lightly golden but still look slightly underbaked in the center. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
- Use Jif or Skippy peanut butter. I use a creamy, no-stir peanut butter like Jif for two reasons: first, it is thicker and adds structure to the cookie, and second, it adds salt, which enhances the peanut butter flavor. If you use a different brand, you might find you need to add salt or additional sugar.
How to Make 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Use these instructions to make the easiest, most delicious flourless peanut butter cookies! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat your oven. Heat the oven to 325°F (conventional, no fan). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Mix the dough. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, light brown sugar, almond flour, and beaten egg until smooth and well combined. The mixture will be thick but should come together easily (photos 1 & 2).
This can be done by hand with an electric hand mixer or with a stand mixer using the whisk attachment.
Step 3: Scoop the dough. Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out the dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Each cookie should weigh about 20g. Roll each portion into a ball (photo 3).
Step 4: Flatten and mark. Flatten each ball slightly, then use the tines of a fork to create the classic criss-cross pattern on top (photo 4).
Sugar your fork: Put a little granulated sugar in a shallow dish or small plate and dip your fork tines in it before making the classic crisscross pattern. My great-grandmother did this with her old fashioned peanut butter cookies, and it prevents sticking while adding a nice sugary crunch on top.
Step 5: Bake. Bake at 325°F for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, then bake for an additional 5 minutes for soft, chewy cookies. For more golden-brown cookies with a bit more crunch, bake for up to 12 minutes total (photo 5).
Step 6: Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (they’ll be very soft when they first come out), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (photo 6).
Recipe FAQs
Store the cookies in a zip-top bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls. Scoop and shape the cookies, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
The almond flour gives the cookies that extra chewy texture. Without it, you’d have a standard 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie, which would be much more crumbly.
If your cookies are crumbly, it could be because you omitted the egg or used natural peanut butter. The egg provides structure and binding. Using a thicker, no-stir peanut butter, like Jif, also helps the cookies hold together better.
The cookies should be lightly golden around the edges but still look slightly soft in the center. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool. If they look dark golden brown all over, they’re overbaked.
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, such as Jif
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 large egg, beaten
- granulated sugar, for fork dipping, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F (conventional, no fan). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter, light brown sugar, almond flour, and beaten egg until smooth and well combined. The mixture will be thick but should come together easily.
- Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out the dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Each cookie should weigh about 20g. Roll each portion into a ball.
- Flatten each ball slightly, then use a fork to create the classic crisscross pattern on top. If the fork sticks, you can sugar the tines before pressing into the cookie.
- Bake at 325°F for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, then bake for an additional 5-7 minutes for soft, chewy cookies. For more golden-brown cookies with a bit more crunch, bake for up to 12 minutes total.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (they’ll be very soft when they first come out), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this simple peanut butter cookie recipe. Check out our other delicious cookie recipes like these brown sugar cookies or these kitchen sink cookies!
These cookies are the perfect texture I wanted in my peanut butter cookies. I have been on a mission to get my niece to start baking, and this easy 4 ingredient cookie was perfect!
Wow, only four ingredients? Guess I really have no excuse to try them 🙂 They look delicious!
These look so yummy!
love Christina.
love choc + pb.
love those melty chocolate tops.
LOOOVE these cookies!
These are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay tooooooooo easy to be bad, when you shouldn’t
be bad. Look how melty the chocolate is. Dang I wish I hadn’t seen this recipe!
Now THESE are swoon-worthy! I’m loving every drippy puddle of melty chocolate. YUM! Pinned 😀
The Dessert for Two cookbook is on my wish list. I love that these cookies have only 4 ingredients… and those melty chocolate chunks, oh my!
So you’re telling me I’m only 4 ingredients away from these delicious cookies? DONE. I love how the chocolate just kind of melts and drizzles over the cookie. So pretty.
OMG peanut butter for life! These peanut butter chunk cookies look amazing, and I love that they only have 4 ingredients, totally going to make these tomorrow!