The World’s Best Easy Peanut Butter Cookies are soft and chewy, and made with just 3 ingredients: peanut butter, brown sugar and egg. Devilishly moorish, these truly taste of peanut butter and you may never forgive me for introducing this to you!
3 ingredient desserts are handy emergency recipes, like Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars. Everybody loves them and they’re so quick to make!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Having dictated this recipe to 3 people at the dog park in the past week, and having had all 3 approach me afterwards with varying forms of love/hate gestures (“THIS is YOUR FAULT!” one lady wailed, showing me her stomach 😉 ), I decided I had better move this up the posting schedule.
3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are not a new thing, certainly not my invention. I’ve no idea how long they’ve been around for, but what I do know is that every recipe I have seen calls for peanut butter, an egg and WHITE sugar.
It is quite amazing, how much difference it makes just switching white for brown sugar. While I’d never turn down a 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies made with white sugar, they are quite crumbly and crisp. The texture is not really to my taste, and I do feel it’s one of those 3 ingredient recipes where you are compromising on quality quite a bit for the sake of convenience.
But use brown sugar instead… and wow! The difference is astonishing. The cookie is soft and chewy and it has more flavour too, that slight caramel-y flavour that brown sugar has.
Here’s my attempt to capture how chewy and soft these cookies are!
How to make Peanut Butter Cookies
Mix 1 cup peanut butter (the commercial spread stuff, not pure peanut butter), 1 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, flatten 1 tbsp balls on tray, bake 10 minutes at 350F / 180C.
Yes, it’s really that easy!
And here’s a peek into the inside. It’s not dense and gluey which one might expect because they are flourless.
Peanut butter lovers, this recipe is dangerous knowledge to have, especially because it’s so ridiculously simple to remember.
1, 1, 1, 10
1 cup peanut butter.
1 cup brown sugar.
1 egg.
Bake 10 minutes.
It’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it? Go, go! Go make these now! – Nagi x
For the Peanut Butter Obsessed
Peanut Butter Caramel Pie – dangerously easy, outrageously decadent
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars – just 3 ingredients!
And for Cookie Monsters 🙋🏻♀️
Byron Bay copycat cookies – Choc Chunk, White Choc Macadamia and Chewy Choc Fudge
Watch how to make it
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World’s Best Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 265 g peanut butter , smooth or crunchy – commercial spread, NOT pure peanut butter (I use Bega) (Note 1)
- 200 g/ 1 cup , packed, brown sugar (Note 2)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Place ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. It will be soft, too soft for scooping. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C / 350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection).
- Line 2 trays with parchment paper.
- Place 1 tbsp scoops of the dough onto the trays (I use a cookie scoop) 5cm/2″ apart.
- Dip a large fork in a bowl of hot tap water (stops fork sticking to dough). Press down on the dough, then press 90 degrees the other way (watch video) so the cookie is 1 cm / 2/5″ thick. Re-dip fork in water as required.
- Put both trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through, or until light golden on the surface and golden on the edges. (Or longer if you want crisper cookies)
- Leave to cool on the tray. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 – 5 days.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
He was so focussed on the peanut butter cookie in my hand, he didn’t realise I left the other half on his head when I gave him a pat….. 😂 SO MEAN!!!!
Rachel says
I made these yesterday. I scooped them, rolled in sugar and cross hatched with fork . If fork was sticking- I dipped it in sugar first.
The color was beautiful, but too sweet.
I used chunk peanut butter.
Tricia says
I will try your recipe next time! Thanks for making me smile with your fun comments. 🙂
Nagi says
Hope you do try this Tricia! It’s so good! 🙂 N xx
Sam W. says
I just made these and they were so simple to make, I won’t be using any recipe other than this for my Peanut Butter Cookies ever again!
Nagi says
That’s so terrific to hear Sam! Thank you for letting me know – N x 💓
Dan Workman says
Making these awesome looking cookies now ! And thank you for the great recipes
Nagi says
Hope you love them! And to be honest – I WANT ONE!
Sara says
This is the recipe I use to make peanut butter blossoms. Don’t press the cookie with a fork, roll the dough ball in sugar and bake. Press a hershey kiss in the cookie when done. They remain soft for days. Can also use minature peanut butter cups or rolos.
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Sara! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know! N x
Laura says
I am so happy I found this recipe. I reposted a recipe but couldn’t find it so I am going to use this. Although I am not going to make them for a few more days since we have people coming over for Thanksgiving and I don’t want them to all be gone by then. I will post when I make them because I am going to add hershey kisses in the middle to add something extra for the kiddos. Wish me Luck <3
Nagi says
You don’t need luck! You’re going to nail it!
Mary Sheila says
Hi Nagi,
I made these together with my 9 year old boy and they turned out GREAT.
The only catch is….. we’re all now addicted to them 😂
Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
PS what are your thoughts on adding chocolate chips?
Nagi says
YES to chocolate chips!!!
kim keen says
i do mine with chocolate chips, white choc chips and reeses pieces lol have always used granulated sugar but will be trying the brown in about 11 minutes. I also do not press them down, i just spray two spoons with cooking spray and dip a teaspoon full with one then use the other to slide it onto the pan. They are just sort of like little lumps of dough and they will flatten some as they cook, turn out so much moister than when you flatten. Almost like it completely changes the texture into a softer, chewier cookie than when flattened. Again this is all based on white sugar.
Nagi says
Oi! That’s a terrific tip, I will try it! 🙂 N x
Gail says
I used Trader Joe’s crunchy peanut butter because that was all I had. I was worried after I read that you should not use peanut butter with no oil (it’s just peanuts and salt). It turned out great!
it’s a little sweet for me though. I wish I could use less sugar.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear that Gail! Thanks for letting me know! N xx ❤️
Rose says
Can this recipe be used to make cookie bars?
Nagi says
What a great idea!!
Malika A. Black says
Hi again Nagi!
I told you I would come back and give my feedback after I make these cookies!
Well I just posted the pictures on my blog. These are the first peanut butter cookies I ever made in my whole entire life! 😀 And they are great! My family loved them: so easy, tasty and fast!
Thanks Nagi! ❤️
Nagi says
I’m popping over to have a look right now!!
Tina Faucher says
I love the peanut butter cookies. Thank you so much I love your recipes.❤️
Nagi says
That’s terrific to hear Tina! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – N x
Linda Matier says
We (my husband & I) love love love all your recipes! Thank you for “feeding” us!
Nagi says
You’re most welcome Linda! I’m so pleased you like my recipes! N xx
Donna Ouchida says
I backed 14 cookies this afternoon with Kirkland almond butter. Followed the directions and the dough was so good…..however they did not seem to be ready after 10 minutes. I baked them 3 -4 minutes more and tasted good but still very crumbly! So I ate the broken one. I could not press with a fork even after I put the dough in the refrigerator over night. I did it when I took the cookies out at 10 minutes. Any recommendations for the next time I bake them?
Nagi says
Hi Donna, I’m sorry to say I don’t know if these work with almond butter. Sorry!
Raquel S. says
Very good recipe. Super easy and my gluten free friends loved them. I thought they could use a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness. I used Skippy creamy peanut butter and I made sure to weigh the flour and brown sugar. I also baked them for 12 mins instead of 10 because they weren’t really brown after 10 mins.
Susan says
What flour?
cheryl laity says
what temp and what flour
Stephanie says
There’s no flour in it. The temperature is in step 2. Read the recipe!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Raquel! Thanks for leaving a review! N x
Barbara Carpenter says
Nagi, I am probably missing the obvious, but I’m confused about how thick, in inches, the cookies should be. A good friend of mine just posted one of your videos (the rolls) on his facebook page. I had to laugh because I never would have dreamed he would be into cooking. I emailed him and told him I have a whole file on my hard drive devoted to your recipes. You have an awesome blog site.
Nagi says
He he what a compliment that your friend shared my recipe! It should be about 0.8cm / 1/3″ thick 🙂 N x
Jennifer says
Can u use cashew butter?
Nagi says
Sorry I don’t think that will work Jennifer 🙂 N x
Nagi says
Hi joanne, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use a packed cup of brown sugar? If not, there would be a too little sugar and that affects the cookies to hold together, I found (when I tried to reduce the sugar!)
Cathy says
I made these cookies this morning, they are cooling as I write this. The first batch came out really thin, I pushed them too much with the fork. Next batch are looking like yours in the picture, they taste yummy!!
Omg!!! how much easier can it be to make something so delicious I have company coming for coffee and Elderberrie pie and thought I would serve cookies as well. Hat a treat.
Thank you
Cathy
Nagi says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Cathy, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Judith says
Hi, Nagi, I read up and some recipes substitute honey for the sugar, do you think that will work? How much honey do you think I should put? Different recipes state different amounts, but I’ll feel much better hearing it from you. Your “taste” suits my family real well 😄 Thanks!
Nagi says
Hi Judith! I haven’t tried it but my instinct says it will make the batter too soft and it won’t hold together. I would love to know if you try it! 🙂 N x
Lisa says
Do you think mashed banana would work as a replacement for the egg? Or egg replacer? My daughter can’t have eggs.
Nagi says
Sorry Lisa, it needs to be egg 🙂 N x