3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

From the kitchen of Carly

Three ingredients, one bowl, ten minutes. Naturally gluten-free, no flour, no butter, no leavening. Soft inside, crisp at the edges, and dangerously quick to make at 10pm when the craving hits. Use no-stir peanut butter. Natural peanut butter (oil on top) makes the dough split and the cookies crumble.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Three ingredients and fifteen minutes to cookies that taste like the real thing. The egg binds and puffs them just enough so the edges stay crispy while the center stays tender. That fork crosshatch is not decorative, it's the technique that keeps them from spreading into hockey pucks and ensures they bake evenly.

Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Servings
12
Difficulty
easy

Ingredients

12 servings

  • 1 cupcreamy peanut butter (no-stir kind)
  • 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
  • 1large egg

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter, sugar, and egg until you have a uniform dough. It should feel like very soft modeling clay.

  3. Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll them between your palms. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.

  4. Press a fork into the top of each ball, then press again at a 90-degree angle to make the classic crosshatch pattern. This also flattens them so they bake evenly.

  5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden and the tops look set. The centers will still feel soft, that's fine.

  6. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool. Eat warm or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Use no-stir peanut butter so the dough stays thick and holds its shape. Natural peanut butter has too much oil and will spread flat.
  • Don't overbake. The centers should look barely set when you pull them out. They look underdone but they firm up completely as they cool on the sheet.
  • Roll the dough balls between your palms first, then press them with the fork. This gives you control and a better crosshatch pattern than pressing raw dough.

Variations

  • Almond butter swap: Use the same ratio of almond butter for a slightly more delicate, less sweet cookie.
  • Chocolate drizzle: Melt dark chocolate and drizzle over cooled cookies, then let it set at room temperature.
  • Brown sugar version: Swap half the granulated sugar for light brown sugar for a deeper molasses note and slightly chewier texture.

Make ahead and storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They don't freeze well because the texture changes once thawed.

Substitutions
  • peanut butter to almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. Same ratio. Sunflower seed butter is the move for a peanut-free school lunchbox.
  • granulated sugar to brown sugar or coconut sugar. Brown sugar gives a chewier cookie with caramel notes. Coconut sugar makes them slightly less sweet.
  • egg to flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water). Makes them vegan. Cookies will be slightly more delicate; let them cool fully before moving.

Pairs well with: A glass of cold milk (the only correct pairing), A scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two cookies, Coffee, black, no sugar