Welcome back to yet another ‘old but new’ recipe! These peanut butter cookies are heavenly and just the right blend of soft-chew-crunchy. They come together in minutes, require barely any ingredients and are impossible to stop eating. So excited to share this improved version!
This is a Joy The Baker recipe that I’d made many years ago, with significantly less sugar. While my new version is still lower on the sugar than the original, I now used a mix of brown and white as intended, instead of only brown as I’d done the last time. The brown sugar creates the chewy texture and the white sugar helps crisp the cookies up. I also added salt to balance everything out and a little vanilla extract for more flavour!
In the absence of any flour, the white sugar and egg bind the dough and give the cookies some structure. Having said that, these are not super sturdy, and while I baked them a little longer to firm them up, they are actually best stored in the fridge so that they don’t soften too much after day one. Especially in a humid place like Mumbai right now, keeping them chilled is highly recommended.
The little criss-cross pattern on the cookies is optional of course, but adds a cute touch and many peanut butter cookies are usually seen with that pattern. Feel free to add chocolate chips, but personally I think the cookies are sweet enough, not to mention delicious enough, without them.
Because there is no added fat, creaming of butter and sugar, or sifting flour, this dough is ready in absolutely no time! It also doesn’t need to be chilled before baking and you’ll basically be eating fresh cookies so much sooner than you thought 🙂 Let’s bake!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (GF)
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (270 gms) (see notes)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (60 gms)
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (60 gms)
- 1 egg (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line a baking tray with a silicone mat or lightly grease the tray.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter and sugars with a hand mixer until well-blended.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat again to combine. Then sprinkle in the baking soda and salt and beat briefly till you have a soft and thick dough. This dough does not need to be chilled before baking, unless you prefer it that way.
- Use a cookie scoop (highly recommended) or a spoon to scoop out equal sized portions of the dough (about 1.5 tablespoons each) and place them at least an inch apart on the baking tray to let them spread.
- Lightly press down on the top of each dough ball with a fork, to create a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for light brown to darker brown cookies (I prefer them darker). Let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool and firm up completely.
- These cookies are not as sturdy as cookies made with flour. Once they have cooled, they will be softer in the center and crunchier on the outside, but will soften further when kept at room temperature even in an airtight tin (especially if it's humid). For this reason, I recommend storing them in the fridge where they will last about 10 days and retain their texture as well. Happy baking!
Notes
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AM says
Nice recipe, looks tasty , your images are really outstanding
the desserted girl says
Thanks a lot !
Aarti deepak says
Oh my god! These are mind blowing! I just baked a batch of these cookies and I just had to let you know immediately that they’re just peanut buttery god sent goodness😀
the desserted girl says
Haha yes they certainly are! I’m so happy you liked them 🙂
Aditi says
These sound so good I can only imagine how yummy these must have tasted! I think I am going to try these soon!
The Desserted Girl says
You must! They’re super awesome 🙂 Glad you’re back in action!
Riddhi says
These are my favorite! Love them!! 🙂
The Desserted Girl says
Thank you! Let me know if you make these 🙂
Riddhi says
I’ve made them before from Joy’s site and you’re right about using less sugar. I do the same! I use Demerara sugar though. 🙂
The Desserted Girl says
So did I, just prefer calling it brown sugar 😛 My issue with it always is though, that it refuses to melt! In these cookies though, the crunch isn’t so bad 🙂 Been looking out for smaller grained brown sugar, any advice?
Riddhi says
I use Mawana & Trust. I love that both of them are quite fine, no problem melting! 🙂
The Desserted Girl says
Oh excellent, I’ll try them out! Been using Sarwar or Blue Bird up till now, thanks for the tip!
Riddhi says
Glad to be of help! 🙂
Loretta says
Definitely will give this a try, especially since they are flourless. It was interesting to read that these were baked in India – do folks love peanut butter as much there as they do here in the USA? Thanks for sharing, they look great!
The Desserted Girl says
Thanks a lot! Yes, there are quite a few PB lovers here, though it isn’t as much a part of daily eating as it is in the US 🙂 I tend to prefer eating it in baked stuff 😀
Lori says
I like that they are flourless! Wonderful! And your pics came out great despite the lack of sunshine!
The Desserted Girl says
Thank you so much! Great confidence booster 🙂
Lori says
🙂
acasadisimi says
so good!
The Desserted Girl says
Thanks! Let me know if you try them 🙂