Easy 5 Ingredient Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Make these incredibly easy gluten-free peanut butter cookies with only 5 ingredients: peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. They’re dairy-free too!

These 5 ingredient, gluten-free peanut butter cookies are incredibly easy and quick to make! They’re budget-friendly too! They use only simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand! They only need one bowl and don’t need any complicated techniques. 

These delicate cookies are thin, a little gooey, and super-rich. They are intensely peanut butter flavored and almost fudgey. They are perfect if you’re craving something sweet but have little time or energy. You can whip these up in no time. I love a low-effort dessert!

Why make these easy flourless peanut butter cookies?

• These are the best peanut butter cookies for beginners, but even seasoned bakers love them! They’re delicious! 
• They are fast! You can make these from scratch cookies, start to finish, in 15 minutes. 
• They are as easy as 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies or 4-ingredient peanut butter cookies. Adding vanilla extract and using 2 kinds of sugar makes a big difference in both texture and flavor. 
• They are perfect for parties since they happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. They are a real crowd-pleaser! Just make sure you don’t have any peanut allergies in the group! 
• They make a perfect Christmas cookie for anyone who needs to avoid gluten or dairy. But trust me, you don’t need special dietary requirements to enjoy these. They’re just plain good!
• They’re so easy and forgiving that they are the perfect recipe for getting kids involved in the kitchen! In fact, I think a 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie was the first cookie I learned to make as a kid. Even my toddler can help make these!

Ingredients

Creamy peanut butter. You want to use a smooth, creamy grocery store peanut butter for these. The peanut butter helps bind the cookies. Using other types of peanut butter may make the cookies dry or crumbly. Do not use crunchy or all-natural peanut butter for this recipe.

Brown sugar and granulated sugar combine to make these cookies sweet, give them the right amount of spread, and make them soft and chewy.

The egg is a binder to hold the cookies together since they are flourless.

Vanilla extract enhances the sweet flavor of these cookies and adds richness. 

Variations

You can use all granulated sugar or all brown sugar. It will change the texture and consistency. I’ve tested this peanut butter cookie recipe a few different ways, and they are all delicious! My taste testers had a hard time deciding which version was their favorite.

I love them all, but half brown sugar and half white sugar peanut butter cookies are the best!

All brown sugar

The all brown sugar version has a deep caramel flavor and a slightly fudgy consistency. Delicious.

All granulated sugar

The all white sugar version makes a soft, lightly chewy cookie but lacks the complexity of flavor. 

Half brown sugar, half granulated sugar

The half brown sugar, half white sugar version produces a cookie with the rich caramel flavor from the brown sugar. It’s a little less fudgy than the pure brown sugar version. My personal favorite! 

Pro-tip: This test batch is a good example of slightly overbaking the cookies. They dry out and start to crumble if you overbake them!

How to Make Them

Beat the peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Add the egg and vanilla. Continue beating until a dough forms.

Roll into balls and place on a sheet pan. Use a fork to gently press down on each cookie in a crisscross pattern (make a hashtag or pound sign).

#peanutbuttercookie!

Bake them until they are aromatic and start to spread. Don’t overbake! Allow them to cool before eating.

Storage

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

Get the Kids Involved

These peanut butter cookies are a perfect kid-friendly treat. They are simple and delicious! There is nothing complicated about these cookies. Young children can help with mixing, rolling, and pressing the cookies. Older kids and teenagers can practice this recipe by themselves! If you’re looking for more cookies for the kids, check out my Candy Bar Cookies!

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