Quick and easy peanut butter cookies made with only 5 pantry ingredients and no flour or butter! So simple and effortless, you can whip up this Peanut Butter Cookie recipe anytime. Soft, nutty, with a hint of delicious toffee flavor!
We are so crazy for easy cookie recipes. Others include our 3 ingredient sugar cookie recipe and lemon crinkle cookies.
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Classic. Old fashioned. Timeless. Foolproof. That’s what these peanut butter cookies are. They were the first cookie (and probably one of the first desserts) I ever learned to make on my own. Perfectly suited to the college student and novice baker because they are ridiculously easy, only requiring 4 ingredients, plus a bit of vanilla for added flavor.
Once we discovered our kids had peanut allergies, I had to start making them with sunflower butter instead (different, but also good!) But nothing beats the original I’m sharing with you today.
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
This peanut butter cookie recipe is so easy and tastes so good, I can’t imagine why anyone would make them more complicated.
All you need is granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. No flour or butter! Crazy. And honestly, you could omit the vanilla and just use all granulated sugar or all brown sugar, making them 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies. But, I really like the two-sugar combo and a touch of vanilla, which takes the flavor up a level.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
There are only 4 really simple steps to make these cookies! Here’s a brief summary (scroll down for the detailed, complete printable recipe.)
- Make the dough: Beat all the ingredients until combined, smooth, and thick.
- Form the cookies: Form the dough into balls. Press down with the back of a fork and then press again from the opposite direction, to form a criss-cross pattern on top.
- Bake: Bake until the tops are lightly brown and they are about 3 inches wide (all ovens run differently.) They will still be slightly soft if you press on them hot from the oven, but they firm up as they cool.
- Rest: Let cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store
Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container.
How long do peanut butter cookies last? Stored properly, they will last on the countertop for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze peanut butter cookies? If you want to freeze these, I recommend forming the dough balls and freezing those. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake as directed. The dough can be frozen up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- The type of peanut butter matters: Use a commercial creamy peanut butter like Jiff or Skippy. Natural peanut butters don’t really work for this recipe.
- Different sugar will affect the taste and texture: I’ve made these cookies with all granulated sugar, all brown sugar, and a mix of both. My preference is a 50/50 ratio of both, but they are all good! Brown sugar creates a softer cookie with a slightly deeper flavor and a hint of toffee. It’s personal preference.
- Use a cookie scoop: Using a cookie scoop is best for ease and uniformity, so they all cook the same.
- Take them up a notch: Roll the raw cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before they bake for an even sweeter touch.
- Why do Peanut Butter Cookies have fork marks? Peanut butter cookie dough is dense. By pressing the cross-hatch pattern on the dough balls, it flattens them and allows for more even baking. They will cook unevenly if you skip this step. Plus, they look neat!
- Keep the fork from sticking to the peanut butter cookies: To help keep the fork from sticking when you make the criss-cross pattern, dip the tines in a little granulated sugar between cookies.
- How do these stay together without flour? The egg binds the sugar and peanut butter together.
- Why did my cookies fall apart? If your cookies are crumbly, you probably cooked them a tad too long. Next time, take them out of the oven as soon they no longer look wet. They will finish cooking on the baking sheet after you remove them from the oven.
These easy peanut butter cookies are an ideal recipe for a novice baker or if you’ve got little kids at home and want to introduce them to baking. Truly a no fuss cookie with only a few ingredients and they come together in minutes!
Peanut Butter Cookies Video
Other Easy Cookies We Love!
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Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup creamy full-fat peanut butter (*see note)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixer, blend together all the ingredients until combined, smooth, and thick, 2-3 minutes.
- Using a heaping tablespoon cookie scoop, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls with the palms of your hands.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Press down with the back of a fork and then press again from the opposite direction, to form a criss-cross pattern on top.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until the tops are lightly brown and they are about 3 inches wide (all ovens run differently.) They will still be slightly soft if you press on them hot from the oven.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and firm up.
- Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Other Notes
We absolutely love this recipe
These are absolutely delicious! I don’t flatten them though before baking because they turn out better. Highly recommend if you’re a peanut butter or cookie lover!
Hooray! Easy gluten-free cookies that are delicious. I have been on a g/f diet since 1991 and these peanut butter cookies are the best I have ever had. Thank you, Amy, for sharing the recipe.
Very easy and taste good
I made these for my Dad’s B-day and he loved them! I had to used crunchy peanut butter, but it ended up working out :)
I added just a pinch of pink salt on top. Love this gluten free recipe!
DIP THE FORK INTO FLOUR EVERY SO OFTEN
Chilled dough before rolling. And ripped fork in Florida per one review. Easier
So good & easy!! I added chocolate chips to 1/2 of the batter.. so good!!
I made these 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies… taste outstanding
Had an issue I hope you can help with… when I pressed the fork on the dough…the dough stuck to the fork
Can I add chocolate chips?
I failed to see BOTH notes about using a commercial brand, DO NOT use a natural peanut butter. That’s all I ever use so I didnt think anything about it. They were so oily and the texture was so off. I’m not going to fault the writer for my inability to read. Unfortunately I don’t use any of the commercial brands and I have a couple other recipes I can use the natural PB with, so I’ll stick to those. All in all, the process and steps were super streamlined and easy! So that was great.
I don’t have parchment paper. Is that ok to just spay the cookie sheet with cooking spray?
Can this be made with just half the amount of sugar, or will it screw up the consistency?
Hi Tiffany – Without further testing, I can’t vouch for the results. For these cookies to turn out, follow the recipe as written.
Yum
Easy tasty cookies. My 6 year old helped make the criss cross marks!
I enjoyed the cookies, My oldest granddaughter enjoyed them. I used Trivia Sugar, Great Value Creamy Peanut Better. Thank You for sharing the recipe!!
This is my number one Cookie Recipe. Simple, simple and delicious.
This is an easy and great tasting recipe. I added a tablespoon of butter and 1/4 teaspoons of salt
So easy to make! The cookies were delicious!
Eek do not try with Trader Joe’s peanut butter.. came out in a pool of oil and tasted like burnt popcorn lol. Definitely my fault for having the wrong ingredient! Added flour and baking powder to the second batch and it made it slightly better. Just a big old mess but will try again with the right peanut butter next time!
This is now my go to peanut butter recipe. Easy, one bowl, and delicious. I followed recipe as instructed, came out great. Thank you!
Can you double this recipe
Yes, I triple the recipe
Can these cookies be made with chunky peanut butter or will the recipe have to change some what
Haven’t made peanut butter cookies in a while found this recipe me and my son made them this morning great cookie recipe, very easy
My son kept bugging me for cookies (I bake constantly) but it was the day after Thanksgiving I was TIRED. I told him(15) to make this recipe. He did. Friday, Saturday and today. Safe to say this recipe is great.
These are the best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever had. I normally don’t like them because they’re too dry. These were fabulous
Probably the best Peanut Butter cookies I’ve ever made, super easy and delicious!
I just made these, and they are DELICIOUS!!! THANK YOU!!!!
I added chocolate chips. Yummy
Would this recipe work with cookie cutters?
I substituted the peanut butter with Sunbutter (child with nut allergies) and quadrupled the recipe. The cookies are a mess. I don’t understand why. I checked on them after 10 minutes and they are sitting in a puddle of grease and aren’t even cooking. It seems like. Never had this happen with substituting Sunbutter. Maybe it doesn’t work with us recipe without flour? Anybody have this problem?
LOL. You don’t understand why, for real? I think you just answered your own question. Sunbutter and peanut butter have completely different consistencies.
sunbutter is super oily. I had better luck with WOWBUTTER (a soy butter) also Cookie Butter.
Can you freeze these after baked?
Yes. All storage info is included in the article.
If you could use justins peanut butter with chocolate it taste great!!!
You quadrupled a recipe you never made before? Less than optimal thinking!
Just made these. They were so easy to make and delicious!
I have a peanut butter cookie recipe that I’ve been using for years, but I needed something a little simpler and found this recipe – thought I’d give it a shot. We loved them!
My husband loves these cookies.
Made these as an after school treat – kids loved them. And so did I! So easy. Thanks!
Absolutely love, love, love this recipe!! Delicious and easy.
These were easy and delicious! Loved the flavor from the brown sugar.
I added some butterscotch chips.
Can these be made with adding coco powder to make them chocolate peanut butter cookies?
I’ve never tested these with cocoa powder, so I can’t say for sure. I think a little would be fine – too much and the cookies might turn out crumbly. Try it!
Really good and super easy! I rolled mine in granulated sugar before cross-hatching, as suggested, and liked that. Will definitely make again!
I made this using Splenda brown sugar and truvia sugar substitute (use the measurements conversion chart on the bags) and turned out great for a Keto cookie!
Thank you for this easy and FAST recipe! they turned out PERFECT (and in 30 minutes, from start to finish) ;)
Great recipe. I was concerned with using Splenda brown sugar because your recipe calls for 1/2 cup brown sugar and the equivalent of Splenda is 1/4 cup. Thanks so much!
I love this recipe. It was so easy and delicious.
I love it very much thank you
veg oil. I’m gluten free, so these are even more perfect! I made this recipe today. I used Skippy Natural Peanut Butter and the cookies are perfect! Skippy Natural has palm shortening in it, so I guess it’s similar in consistency to peanut butter with hydrogenated veg oil. So easy to make! I will use this recipe again! Thank you
Can I use coconut sugar for the brown and monk fruit for the white? If so, what are the measurements?
Hi Kristine – Without further recipe testing I couldn’t say if these substitutions would work.
The dough was very sticky. I had to add some flour.
I made 2 batches of these- packed the brown sugar the first time but not the second time. First time was perfect, second time was greasy and the bottoms burned. Try packing the brown sugar next time ?
It’s PB. EGG. SUGAR. IF ITS NOT STICKY THEN U R DOING SOMETHING WRONG
These were even easy enough for an old guy like me. Great taste too
I could win an award for Americas Worst Baker but I haven’t given up. My husband loves peanut butter cookies (so do I) and for 37 years I’ve tried dozens of recipe. Every single one was a failure. Last week I tried this recipe and they are amazing and perfect. I’m making them again tonight.
These cookies are amazing and I am working on a second batch.
Another winner and gluten free too! It’s not often I get to enjoy a sweet treat. These were easy and delicious
Made these. Love them. Easy Peezy. Delicious.
Simple and delicious. Can you freeze the dough for use later? Do you defrost first? Thanks
Should the brown sugar for peanut butter cookies be packed ?
Nope.
I found I had better luck when I packed it vs not packing it
These were perfect,so tasty,my next batch I’m gonna add chocolate chips!!!
Try putting a Reeses peanut butter cup squished in the middle while they are still hot, let cool, AMAZING
Made these tonight and loved them, but they need a tsp of salt to even out the sugar.
Delicious! So easy to make! Just make sure you listen to instructions, and let cookies set all the way.
Can I add chocolate chips and cookie stay together ?
Yes, I used reeces pieces
Outstanding!! Love these!
These turned out great!! Thanks
I always make these with just white sugar. The brown sugar definitely took them up another level!
OMG. This is dangerous. Way to easy to throw together and they look just like the pic. They are truly delicious.
Absolutely delicious peanut butter cookie recipe! We found that a sprinkle of salt on top after baking made them perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Made these last night & theyre so good! I wonder if I add some flour will they come out softer? My son likes cookies soft not crunchy .
These are in the oven now my teen age son helped make them! Super easy recipe
So easy and delicious!
This was definitely an easy recipe. They tasted pretty good and satisfied my sweet tooth.
This recipe was amazing and soooo easy to make.100% recommend. Just note the dough might look to thin but that is ok
I made these while drunk and forgot to press them down at the end, but they still turned out incredible! Delicious peanut butter cookie spheres!
LOL best response ever.
Your comment has me laughing so hard, too funny!!!
Can you add pecans to these cookies and if you can how much should I use ? 1/4 cup
These are the best Peanut Butter Cookies I have ever had!!
These came out GREAT. I loved that they were soft and not crunchy.
Easy and delicious!
I tried this recipe with sunflower butter. Only thing I did different was add about 1tbsp of flour. Came out delicious. I also added dairy free chips to half the batch. Delicious.
I loved ? this recipe so much!!! So quick and easy and DELICIOUS ?!!! Thank you ?!! I used Kraft Just peanuts ? Peanut Butter. When they came out of the oven I put a Hersheys chocolate heart on top of each one!! Absolutely my
FAVOURITE!!
Delicious! This recipe turned out wonderful and I used a cheap store brand peanut butter. So not only were they scrumptious but they were less expensive! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.
LOVED how easy these were to make! My 7 year old helped – she’s just now starting to be active in the kitchen and this was perfect!
Added peanutbutter chips to the recipe- too much p.b.? Don’t if that ever happens. I’m allergic to chocolate so these are my chip cookies of choice.
Can crunchy peanut butter be used in this recipe?
I have mine in the oven right now made with crunchy peanut butter! Hoping they come out good!
Easy peasy perfectly peanut buttery goodness!
A good recipe with appropriate ratios. Cookies turned out delicious! The cook time in the recipe was enough for ~ 1 tablespoon size portions. I halved the recipe and I modified by adding a pinch of salt and pinch of AP flour. Highly recommend adding vanilla extract, if possible.
I love peanut butter and the fact yours didn’t cause for flour, Indy’s exactly as you stated , I even rolled them in sugar before criss crossing as before baking as you suggested, they are delicious ?
This recipe was so delicious! I added 1/2 cup of cocoa powder so it would be a chocolate peanut butter cookie!
Yummy and SO easy! Great little protein boost in my kids lunches.
Okay…so I saw this recipe and was like no flour/baking powder/butter at all??? And then I decided to just go for it and oh my god these had the best texture of any peanut butter cookie I have made. I was honestly so surprised but will definitely save the recipe! I cooked them for exactly ten min & they settled perfectly and weren’t really even brown on top yet
So easy, so good!
I only had all-natural peanut butter and they still turned out fine!
This recipe is really good and easy to make.
I’ve always made these with just white sugar. I loved the combo of brown and white and this is how I will make them from now on. Thank you!
I’m going to ale these on Valentine’s Day for grandkids putting a jersey kiss on each one. I’m not very good in kitchen but I think I can figure this one out sounds great and I looked at a lot of recipes! Thank you!
My oven broke but we used the air fryer for 7mins and amazing
WOW, five ingredients and so amazing. I added two more ingredients to make them more interesting and I’m sure I made two dozens with spare cookie batter for a snowy day. Dark chocolate and peanuts FIVE STARS FOR SURE. Going in moms recipe book
Couldn’t believe how easy these were! My kids loved them. Great little treat or protein boost. Will make these often, thank you!
Delicious!!! I only had natural peanutbutter so I added some oats
Me and my family were so surprised by how amazing these were. Thanks!
Awsome cookies , very easy for old retired army
1st Sgt
These are amazing. I have a hard time committing to baking, so many fussy steps. But these babies are easy to out together and I’m likely to have everything already on hand. It’s official – I’m putting them in the family recipe stash – they will forever be mom’s PB cookies. Thank you!
So good! A few extra minutes are needed…and add a few handfuls of chocolate chips, just like a Reeces cup!
I made these 5 ingredient Peanut Butter cookies. They are delicious. Glass of cold milk and peanut butter cookies are a quick snack for the grandbabies.
This recipe turned out so good and my family loved it. We needed to cook it longer than the said time, but overall it was an amazing recipe
Loved the cookies but had to bake them longer than recipe. Other than that, once I cooked them longer turned out great!
I always make these with just white sugar, but love the added brown sugar! I also added in just a pinch of salt.
The first batch I made at my house were soooo perfect! The second batch I tried to make at my parents’ house was a runny mess and I followed the same instructions.
Soooooo easy….soooooo delicious!
I’m about to sub the peanut butter for the Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter. I’ll let you know how that turns out.
Loved these! Perfect flavor and texture. The combination of both sugars is what made them so great I think. Will make again.
Great! Chewy and rich cookies.
I only had crunchy Peter Pan and my batter was crumbly instead instead of smooth. Despite this, the cookies were still delicious! I will have to make again with Jiff or Skippy.
Good crunchy, not too sweet. I used crunchy peanut butter and added two tablespoons of flour because the batter was pretty moist. Simple recipe, no butter. Smart. I did also add a little salt and probably could have put in a little more.
Will this recipe work with Almond Butter? I became allergic to peanuts just two years ago out of the blue and really miss the cookies.
Hi Leeann – yes and no. I’ve made these with almond butter a few times and the results are a mixed bag. There seems to be a lot more oil in almond butter, which causes the cookies to spread. If you try it, I would suggest using a commercial brand and not all natural, and also adding in some flour to help bind the dough better.
Love this recipe, ended up adding some cocoa powder and turned out great, works pretty well for high altitude folks!
Ooh, sounds so good! How much cocoa powder did you use? I want to try it!
Absolutely the most awesome peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had in my life!!! Deadly Good!!!?
Wonderfully easy. I doubled the recipe.
These were a hit! So easy and delicious. Perfect cookie to make with your young kids who show interest in baking. We used Skippy creamy.
Made them with my girls and we all loved them!
The best peanut butter cookies I have ever tasted!!!
This is a great recipe. I also added some quick cooking oatmeal to them for peanut butter oatmeal cookies…fantastic that way too. Just add to your preference.
I make these very often and they are delicious. I use stevia instead of sugar for a healthier version. Love them!
These are THE BEST cookies! So easy and even though they are a cookie, they’re also a great hight protein snack. My family did a bunch of hiking this past weekend and these were a lifesaver. Thank you!
Hi can I use Kraft smooth peanut butter? If not what do you suggest.
Hi Lynn – I recommend creamy Jif or Skippy.
Made a batch over the weekend and they’re already all gone! We loved them!
I loved this recipe so much!!
These are my absolute favorite cookie and I didn’t think they could possibly get any better…until this recipe. I’ve been making them for years with just white sugar, no vanilla. Never even occurred to me to use brown sugar too and added vanilla (I’m so dumb!) Made them per recipe instructions and they were amazing! This is how I’ll make them from now on!
Best I’ve tried! They didn’t crumble like most pb cookies do.
Made these today with my daughter – so easy and delicious. We loved them. Thank you for this great cookie recipe!
love your recipes
I am thankful for something simple