These 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies are made with 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 large egg. No flour, no butter, no baking soda. They bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes and make 12 soft cookies in about 17 minutes, start to finish.
The one thing to get right is when you take them out. They should still look soft in the middle. With no flour in the dough, the egg is what holds them together, and it only finishes setting as the cookies cool on the tray.
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Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
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- Ratio: equal parts peanut butter and sugar, plus one large egg
- Time: 5 minutes prep, 10 to 12 minutes in the oven
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), tray lined with parchment or a silicone mat
- Yield: 12 cookies, about a heaping 2 tablespoons of dough each
- Cooling: 5 minutes on the tray, then a wire rack
- Diet note: naturally gluten free, as long as your peanut butter is labeled gluten free
Which Peanut Butter and Sugar to Use
I use smooth, shelf stable peanut butter from a standard jar here. It has a little added oil binder that keeps it from separating, and that steady texture is what holds a flourless cookie together. Natural peanut butter, the kind with oil on top, works against you. The oil makes the cookies spread flat and greasy, and the dry paste at the bottom of the jar makes them crumble. Crunchy peanut butter is fine if you like little bits of peanut. Skip reduced fat peanut butter, which is softer and sweeter and bakes up oddly.
Plain white granulated sugar gives a crisp edge with a soft middle and keeps the fork marks sharp. Coconut sugar works if you want a less refined option, with a deeper, almost molasses flavor. Use one large egg. It is the only binder, so there is no good substitute in this version.
Mixing and Rolling the Dough
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. You need a bowl and a spoon or spatula, nothing more.
Add the peanut butter, sugar and egg to the bowl and stir until the dough is thick and even. Keep going for a full minute, even after it looks mixed. The sugar starts to dissolve, the dough turns smooth and a little glossy, and the cookies come out less sandy. If it still feels loose, stir another 15 seconds. It thickens as the sugar soaks into the peanut butter. No chilling is needed, so bake right away.
How Big to Roll Them for 12 Cookies
The recipe card makes 12 cookies, so each one gets a heaping 2 tablespoons of dough, or roughly a 1½ inch ball. Roll the dough between your palms and set the balls about 2 inches apart. If you prefer small cookies and roll level tablespoons instead, you will get about 24, and they bake faster, so check them at 8 minutes.
Fork Marks and the Soft Center Bake
Press each ball with a fork in a crisscross pattern. Besides the look, it flattens the dough to an even thickness so the cookies bake through at the same rate. Dip the fork in a little sugar between cookies so it does not stick and pull the dough apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and lightly set around the edges. The centers will look soft and slightly underdone. That is what you want. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Baking until they look firm in the oven gives dry, crumbly cookies once they cool.
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies With Brown Sugar
You can swap the white sugar for 1 cup of packed brown sugar, one for one. In my notes the brown sugar version comes out softer and chewier all the way through, a bit darker, with a light caramel flavor, and it spreads a little more. White sugar holds the fork marks and the round shape better, so I use it for gift boxes and cookie trays. Pick brown sugar if soft and chewy is the goal.
Chocolate Chips, Sea Salt and Other Add-Ins
Stir in about ½ cup of chocolate chips at the end of mixing for 3 ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and press a few extra on top after you make the fork marks. A pinch of flaky sea salt on each cookie before baking cuts the sweetness and makes the peanut flavor stronger. Chopped roasted peanuts work too, if you are using smooth peanut butter and want some crunch.
Crumbly, Flat or Sandy Cookies and the Fix
- Crumbly and falling apart: baked too long, moved off the tray too soon, or made with dry, unstirred natural peanut butter. Take them out while the centers look soft and give them the full 5 minutes on the tray.
- Flat and greasy: natural peanut butter with separated oil. Use a standard jar, or stir natural peanut butter all the way to the bottom before measuring.
- Sandy or grainy: the sugar did not dissolve enough. Stir the dough a full minute until it looks glossy.
- Fork sticks to the dough: dip it in sugar between cookies.
- Small cookies burned on the bottom: they were rolled smaller than the card size. Check smaller cookies at 8 minutes.
Storing the Cookies and Freezing the Dough Balls
Once they are completely cool, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the fridge for about a week. They get a little firmer in the fridge, which some people like. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the rolled dough balls on a tray, then bag them, and bake straight from frozen with 1 to 2 extra minutes.
More Peanut Butter Treats With Few Ingredients
- Peanut butter no bake cookies for days when the oven is off limits
- 3 ingredient peanut butter fudge, the same pantry idea with a smooth, sliceable finish
- Keto peanut butter cookies if you bake with a sugar free sweetener
- Oat flour peanut butter cookies for a softer, more classic cookie
- Brownie mix cookies and 3 ingredient cake mix cookies for more one bowl shortcuts
- 3 ingredient sugar cookies when you want a plain butter cookie instead
Three Ingredient Cookie Questions
Do 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies need flour or baking soda?
No. The peanut butter gives the body and the egg binds it, so the cookies hold together without flour, and they puff slightly without baking soda.
Are magic peanut butter cookies the same thing?
Yes. Magic peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter biscuits with 3 ingredients in the UK, are this same peanut butter, sugar and egg recipe.
Why are my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies crumbly?
Usually they were baked until firm or moved while still hot. Pull them when the centers look soft and let them cool 5 minutes on the tray first.
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
These 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies are soft, flourless cookies made with just peanut butter, granulated sugar and one egg. They take about 17 minutes from bowl to cooling rack and make 12 cookies with crisp fork marked edges and a soft, chewy center. The trick is to stir the dough until it looks smooth and glossy and to take the cookies out while the centers still look soft, because with no flour they firm up as the egg sets while they cool. Bake them for lunch boxes, cookie trays, a quick gluten free dessert, or as three ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Swap in packed brown sugar for chewier cookies; they keep 3 to 4 days airtight and freeze for 3 months.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- MAKE THE DOUGH: In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, and egg until the mixture is fully combined and forms a thick dough.
- SHAPE THE COOKIES: Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls using your hands. Place them spaced apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- ADD THE FORK MARKS: Flatten each dough ball by pressing down with a fork in a crisscross pattern. This helps the cookies bake evenly and gives them a traditional look.
- BAKE: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and lightly set around the edges. They may look soft in the center but will firm up as they cool.
- COOL: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Use a standard stabilized peanut butter; natural peanut butter separates and makes the cookies greasy or crumbly. Stir the dough a full minute until glossy so the cookies are not sandy. For 12 cookies use a heaping 2 tablespoons of dough each; level tablespoon balls make about 24 smaller cookies, so check them at 8 minutes. Take them out while the centers look soft and let them rest 5 minutes on the tray before moving. You can substitute packed brown sugar for a softer texture or coconut sugar for a less refined option. Mix in about 1/2 cup chocolate chips or sprinkle sea salt on top before baking. Store airtight at room temperature 3 to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
