These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies may be the easiest cookie recipe you’ll ever make! Soft and chewy, with no fuss. Ready in less than 20 minutes! Plus, they’re gluten-free too.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ready to make the easiest peanut butter cookie recipe ever? With less than 5 minutes of prep and 10 minutes in the oven, it just doesn’t get easier than this. Plus, they’re soft and chewy – just like you’d expect from any peanut butter cookie. This uses less ingredients than our popular bakery style peanut butter cookies, but still delicious!
My boys always beg for these cookies and I’m always happy to oblige. Not only are they almost effortless to make, they’re just so darn good. I recommend enjoying them warm with a glass of milk. Absolute perfection!
These are great for Christmas too. Every cookie platter needs a good peanut butter cookie and this one certainly fits the bill. It’s a great one to leave out for Santa too. The kids can even help make them.
What You’ll Need
So what are the 3 ingredients you’ll need to make these soft and chewy cookies? Be sure to check the recipe card for the measurements.
- Granulated sugar
- Peanut butter – See notes below for the best peanut butter to use.
- Egg – Gives the shape of the cookie and helps create the soft texture.
What is the best peanut butter to use for cookies?
You will want to use the basic creamy peanut butter that we all grew up on, like Jif and Skippy. I would not recommend using natural peanut butter that has the oil to mix in. The newer peanut butters will make the cookies too crumbly, so stick with the basics.
How To Make 3-ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
This is truly the easiest cookie recipe you will ever make! You can whip this up so quickly and they taste delicious. This is also a easy recipe to remember – 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 egg.
- Combine the ingredients. Mix all three ingredients with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Form the cookies. Roll heaping tablespoons into a ball. Roll in sugar if desired. Place on a baking sheet and flatten with a fork.
- Bake. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until just slightly browned on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack after 1 minute. Enjoy.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips to making the softest, chewiest cookies.
- Avoid natural peanut butter. As noted above, for the best cookies you’ll want to use regular creamy peanut butter, not natural.
- Roll the dough in sugar. Though it’s not necessary, I like to roll the balls of dough in a bit of sugar before placing them on the cookie sheet. It just adds an extra bit of texture.
- Flatten the cookies. These cookies do need to be flattened with a fork in a cross pattern, as they won’t spread properly or cook fully otherwise.
- Do not overbake. Keep an eye on the cookies after 10 minutes, to prevent overbaking. They should be firm to the touch and beginning to brown on the edges.
- Customize the peanut butter cookies. Add some chocolate or white chocolate chips, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, an additional egg (for a softer cookie), or a sprinkle of sea salt on top.
How to Store
Peanut butter cookies will stay soft and fresh for up to 5 days. Just keep them stored on the container in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies?
YES! After you bake them, let them cool completely. Place them in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper in between the layers. You can also place them in freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight on the counter or in the fridge.
More Peanut Butter Desserts:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
- The BEST Peanut Butter Blossoms
- 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
- Peanut Butter Pie Cups
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Peanut Butter S’mores Cookie
- Homemade Nutter Butters
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix together the peanut butter, white sugar and egg until smooth.
- Form dough into heaping tablespoons (about 3/4 inch). Then roll the dough ball in a small bowl of sugar, if desired, to coat the outside. Place on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart, and then use a fork to flatten and form a cross pattern.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cookies are just slightly browned on the bottom. Be careful not to over-bake. Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy!
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90 comments on “3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies”
These cookies are the best fast and easy my family love it
Thanks Gladys!
Easy and soft delicious
Thanks Becky!
Delicious. Used less sugar than recipe and still yummy. Had to make another batch before Christmas as they all went. Can I freeze them.
Thanks Deborah! Yes, these freeze well in an airtight container for up to a month.
can i use brown sugar instead of white?
Hi Cindi. Yes, brown sugar would be a good substitute.
Very good cookies and very easy to make. Question, can I premade my cookie dough the night before and chill it? For the Peanut Butter cookies,
Thanks Barbara. Yes, making the dough the night before and then chilling will work great.
These are so simple, gluten free and fabulous. They are however too sweet for me, but my family are going to love these❤️. I’m going to try them with Monkfruit instead of sugar next. Should be a nice little protein cookie ☺️
Thank you Sheryl!
Can you use splenda instead of sugar?
Hi Joanna. Yes, Splenda will work as a substitute with good results for these cookies.
Easy, quick, delicious! I love that the recipe is easy enough to remember, and teach to my kids and granddaughter. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Amber!
Wow these are really good
Thanks Angel!
Great cookies but I wish I knew to push them down more!! Will be making these again very soon!!!
Tastes delicious! My family loved them!
Thank you John!
Oh my, how divine! They’ll be gone tonight! Easy, fast recipe!
Thank you MargAnn!
Batter this time too runny to make ball. Maybe eggs too big. Doubled recipe. Made before and they were fabulous. Used regular PB. Noticed it was maybe more creamy
Sorry to hear that Margaret. I agree that the only real variables from the last batch would be the egg size or type of peanut butter.
These are so good. I make them often. My family loves them !!
Glad to hear that Sandy! Thanks!
I made mine with Splenda and it was just as good. Made a double batch and gave half to my neighbor to make with her kids.
Thanks Toni! Glad to hear the Splenda worked well.
Well I tried to make these wonderful cookies…. I had a problem when I pressed the fork on the ball of cookie dough the dough stuck to the fork…. I tried wetting the fork with water… cooking spray….how do I fix this
The cookies taste great
Hi Michael. Sorry you had that issue. The best way is to dip the fork in flour or granulated sugar in between cookies. I hope this helps.