3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
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Published Dec 08, 2023, Updated Feb 20, 2024
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These classic 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies are the easiest cookie recipe you’ll ever make! They’re soft, chewy and absolutely delicious.
This year I wanted to share some real deal cookie recipes that I grew up with, especially around the holidays and today I’m sharing these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies!
They’re chewy in the middle and have crisp edges, which is the perfect cookie texture, IMO! Plus, they’re SO easy to make. All you need are three simple ingredients, one bowl and about 15 minutes from start to finish.
Next time you’re craving something sweet, but don’t have a ton of time or don’t want to pull out 10+ ingredients these are the cookies to make!
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- Easy to Make – These cookies require only 3 simple ingredients, 1 bowl and about 15 minutes! Can’t get much easier than that!
- Simple ingredients – You just need three pantry staple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Allergen-friendly – They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, flourless and can easily be made nut-free!
Ingredients Needed
Who would’ve thought you could make delicious tasting cookies with only 3 simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen. Here’s what you need:
- peanut butter – the star of the show, providing nutty taste and creamy flavor. I know I usually suggest a natural peanut butter, but for this recipe I recommend using a regular peanut butter like Jif’s creamy peanut butter.
- sugar – we’re using real deal white sugar for this recipe!
- egg – this is what binds the ingredients together and adds structure to the cookies.
- flaked sea salt – this is optional, but it brings out the flavors more and adds a really nice touch for serving.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Since this recipe only requires 3 ingredients everything can be mixed together in one bowl. Yay for less dishes! Here’s how to make them:
Step 1: In a bowl, mix together your peanut butter, sugar and egg until combined.
Step 2: Using a Tablespoon scoop and roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each with a fork to create a criss-cross pattern.
Step 3: Place the baking sheet in the prepared oven and bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if desired. Let cool on the sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips For The Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
- Use creamy peanut butter: Use creamy peanut butter for a smooth texture. I don’t recommend using crunchy or natural peanut butter as that could change the texture of these cookies.
- Use a hand mixer: If the dough is hard to mix with a spoon or spatula use a hand mixer to combine the ingredients.
- Don’t over-bake: Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake since they can go from perfectly golden to overdone quickly. As soon as the edges are golden they’re done. And keep in mind, these cookies will look quite soft coming out of the oven but they’ll harden and set as they cool.
Recipe Notes & Substitutions
- Egg-free – If you want to make these cookies without an egg I would make these healthy peanut butter cookies instead as they’re designed to be made without an egg.
- Peanut-free – If you have a peanut allergy or just aren’t a fan you could use almond butter or cashew butter instead. Just note that the cookies could result with a different texture depending on the consistency of the nut butter you use.
- Nut-free – Swap the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies
Room Temperature: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing: These cookies freeze well. Place them in a freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Refreshing: If the cookies become less crisp, you can briefly reheat them in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes.
More Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Almond Butter Espresso Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Be sure to check out all of my cookie recipes on EBF!
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup regular peanut butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- Flaked sea salt, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all the ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and mix to combine using a spatula or hand mixer.
- Using a Tablespoon scoop the dough and roll into balls placing 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Flatten each dough ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges and the bottom.
- Remove and immediately sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if using. Let cookies cool and few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
“Allergen-friendly – They’re vegan, gluten-free and can easily be made nut-free!”
These are a favorite in my family, but they certainly aren’t vegan. You might want to edit that out. 🙂
I subscribed a while back and have been enjoying making many of your recipes–thank you!
Thanks so much for catching that, JZ! Glad you and the family are enjoying these and my other recipes as well!
we all love the 3 ingr. pea.but
cookies since the 70s. now my son can’t have eggs. how to make the 3 ingr. pea.but.cookies with no eggs?? a suggestion???? help!!!
Hi Patty – No worries, I would recommend making my Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies, they are created to be made without the eggs and are just as delicious. Enjoy!
Turned out perfectly. I used natural peanut butter. This recipe is a keeper.
Ahh yay! This is so great to hear, Melissa. I am happy to hear that you are loving these cookies and they turned out amazing for you. Thanks for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!
I love the idea but I baked mine and they won’t set..any suggestions?
Hi Jeanne – What type of peanut butter did you use?
Hello when I am making cookies what the temperature is can u pls tell me
The oven temp should be at 350 degrees, as mentioned in step 1. Enjoy!