the best healthy peanut butter cookies, made with just 4 ingredients. you’ll love these refined sugar free gluten free peanut butter cookies.
How many ingredients do you think it takes to make a truly amazing, super peanut buttery, perfectly soft healthy peanut butter cookie?
- 1 ingredient
- 2 ingredients
- 3 ingredients
- 4 ingredients?
You know if I could, I would’ve given you that 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe. Okay, you can totally click on that recipe for a different kind of peanut butter cookie (hint: it’s no bake and soooo easy to make). But these particularly tasty healthy peanut butter cookies are SO worth the whole 4 ingredients you need to make it. Lol.
Alright, I’ve clearly been fixating on this whole 4 ingredient thing way too much. It’s just, in times like these, we need things to be as easy, simple and truly satisfying as possible. Agreed?
Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Today, I’m sharing my reader-favorite soft gluten free peanut butter cookies. It’s been instagrammed 100s of times, made at least 3 billion times (who’s counting) and enjoyed by at least 45 cute doggies causing too much mischief and ignoring the whole “ya can’t eat sugar, lil’ sirs!!” thing.
This tried and true recipe yields rich peanut butter cookies that melt in your mouth the second you bite into them, with just the right amount of sweetness and a gentle crispy texture on the exterior. These cookies are soft and oh so tasty!
How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Preheat
First things first, preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir & Fold
Here comes the fun part: simply add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, then stir and fold until it’s all well mixed. ß Super easy, right?
Scoop the Cookie Dough
Using this amazing cookie scoop, scoop and drop the peanut butter cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet you prepared earlier. Grab a fork and use it to flatten each cookie to perfection. Switch directions to press down and make a crisscross pattern. That’s how you get those beautiful classic peanut butter cookie fork marks!
Bake, Cool & Enjoy
Bake your healthy peanut butter cookies for about 12 minutes. Cool, then enjoy the best gluten free peanut butter cookies ever!
4 Ingredients for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Guess what? You only need 4 ingredients for this super easy healthy peanut butter cookies recipe!
- Ingredient #1: Natural, Creamy Peanut Butter
- Ingredient #2: Flax “Egg” – learn How to Make a Flax Egg here
- Ingredient #3: Coconut Sugar
- Ingredient #4: Baking Soda
If you want, you can absolutely add vanilla extract, salt and, of course, chocolate chips! 😉
>>Related: Vegan Peanut Butter Cups – 5 Ingredient | Small Batch Desserts: PB Bars for Two
Substitutes for Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
If you’re wondering whether or not you can use almond butter instead of peanut butter, and more, check out the suggested substitutes below for this healthy peanut butter cookies recipe.
Peanut Butter
Sub with natural almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter. Make sure it’s free from added sugar, oils and other extra ingredients.
Flax Egg
You can substitute the flax egg in this recipe with chia eggs or regular eggs. If you have golden ground flaxseed on hand, you can learn How to Make a Flax Egg.
Coconut Sugar
Sub with organic brown sugar.
If you’re looking for a way to add cocoa powder and make it no bake, try my 4 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
Recommended Tools for the Best Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Medium Cookie Scoop: my favorite cookie scoop of all-time. Super sturdy, easy to use, and has an amazing coated grip that makes scooping cookie dough painless.
- Champagne Gold Chef Cookie Sheet + Parchment Paper Sheets: Finally, a high-quality cookie sheet that doesn’t warp in the oven, looks beautiful and matching parchment paper sheets that actually fit the cookie sheet! I love this time-saving duo for my cookie-baking seshs.
- Golden Ground Flaxseed: I’ve scoured the earth for the finest, most undetectable ground flaxseeds with a pleasant taste. This is it, folks! Other brands tend to leave coarse bits of flax that appear without an invite. How rude! 😉
- Natural Peanut Butter – my go-to healthy peanut butter is made with just 1 ingredient: peanuts! No added oils, sugar or anything else unnecessary. You can also use homemade peanut butter in this recipe. 🙂
- Coconut Sugar – the perfect way to keep your peanut butter cookies refined sugar-free. I always turn to coconut sugar to keep my healthy dessert recipes healthy.
Now that we’ve kicked our fascination with 4 ingredient recipes, we can move onto all the 3 ingredient recipes that make life so much easier. <– Not where you thought that sentence was gonna go! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you and your loved ones think of my healthy peanut butter cookies recipe! Be sure to comment if you make these cookies—I truly love hearing from you. Wishing you gratitude and good vibes for a wonderful day ahead…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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📸 Did you make this healthy peanut butter cookies recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸
Healthy Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies We Love
- Peanut Butter Coconut Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Cups
- Oil-Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies – 3 Ingredients!
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Bites
- Ultimate Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Bars – 5 Ingredients!
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 Ingredient Soft Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: about 15 cookies 1x
Description
The best healthy peanut butter cookies, made with just 4 ingredients. You’ll love these refined sugar free gluten free peanut butter cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted, creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon golden ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, whisked together, set for 15 minutes)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add all ingredients: peanut butter, flax egg, coconut sugar, baking soda and optionally, vanilla and salt. Using a rubber spatula, thoroughly stir and fold until well mixed.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop and drop cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced evenly apart. Using a fork, press down on cookie to flatten. Repeat in the opposite direction, creating crisscross marks. Cookie won’t spread much.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes. Mine took 12 minutes. Transfer cookie sheet to cooling rack, and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes—do not remove from sheet for at least 20 minutes, as cookies are very soft and fragile. Then, if desired, transfer cookies directly onto the cooling rack to cool until completely cooled. After cooling, cookies will be firmer, but a tad fragile and melt-in-your-mouth. Handle with care. Enjoy! Storing notes below.
More Delicious GF Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes:
Equipment
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Unsalted Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
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Notes
Where to Buy Ingredients: Natural Peanut Butter | Golden Ground Flaxseed | Coconut Sugar
Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container for up to 1-2 weeks at room temperature out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.
Freezing Instructions: Store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for 1-2 months in the freezer. Before enjoying, allow to thaw for 10-30 minutes.
Recommended Tools: Medium Cookie Scoop | Champagne Gold Chef Cookie Sheet | Parchment Paper Sheets
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Dessert, Snacks
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 122
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 6mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 9g, Net Carbs: 7g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you.
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Suseth says
If i have regular already sweetened peanut butter, should i leave out the sugar?
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
No, I would not remove the sugar as it helps to create the texture and consistency of the recipe. Just keep it as is, and use the peanut butter you have on hand. 🙂
abiya says
Amazing recipe thank you so much for sharing this with us you made my day its full of info
★★★★★
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Thanks Abiya! I’m so happy you enjoyed my peanut butter cookies recipe!
JayEm says
Up to about the 6th time I’m making these! Yum
★★★★★
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Yay! That’s absolutely awesome!
Mrs. Valerie A. Handleton says
WOW! Six times? You must really like these! Maybe I should try making them!
Brittany B. says
These turned out delicious! I did use brown sugar as I didn’t have coconut, but these are amazing.
★★★★★
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Oh I’m so glad to hear they turned out well with the sub! 😊
Rachel says
Would this work as a “peanut butter blossom” if I added a chocolate candy on top after baking? If so, do you think I should flatten the cookies prior to baking in the same way?
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Hi Rachel, I haven’t tried it myself… but I recommend: after scooping and dropping the dough ball, flatten slightly with rounded spoon to just about desired thickness (which should be on the thicker side). Bake, remove from the oven and gently press chocolate candy into the top of the cookie. These cookies are on the softer side, so proceed with caution. Happy baking! 🙂
Jen says
So delicious! Thanks for this awesome, healthy recipe! : )
★★★★★
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Awesome! You’re so welcome Jen!