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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! 😉
More Peanut Butter Recipes to Try
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cups – 5 Ingredient
- Small Batch Desserts: PB Bars for Two
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie – 4 Ingredient
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 No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Healthy).
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)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Creamy Peanut Butter (Pack of 6)” href=”https://beamingbaker.com/recommends/natural-unsalted-creamy-peanut-butter-pack-of-6/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>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:
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These cookies were fantastic! I made a few changes based on my preferences but they were a great gluten free cookie to have with tea. I used an egg, added 1/2 cup of almond flour, and a 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. I baked for 15-17 for crispy textured cookies.
I’m so happy to hear it Cianna! Nothing beats a good cookie and a good cup of tea. 🙂
These are AMAZING. My new go to for PB cookies. Not too sweet which I love. I made them with crunchy organic PB (no added ingredients) and added the salt and vanilla. They are the bomb! Thank you 🙂
Yay! I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying them Laura. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
The addition of mini chocolate chips sounds so yummy!
These are the absolute BEST!!!! Hands down, my favorite!!! I make the following modifications based on preference and they are A-MAAAAA-ZING!!!…. we use crunchy almond butter, a real egg, and opted to add in the vanilla and salt. PERFECTION!!! Will be my go-to recipe for almond butter cookies for sure! Healthy, suuuuuper simple and fast, VERY satisfying, slightly crunchy, just mildly sweet! Everything I ever wanted in an almond butter cookie, lol, and I totally mean it! THANK YOU!
Almost forgot… can the cookie dough be prepared and then refrigerated or frozen to be baked at a later time??? If so, how long would it last in the refrigerator? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hmm, I’m not sure since I haven’t done so myself. I worry that the coconut sugar will dissolve too much and result in a different result. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! 😉
Hi Susie! Oh my goodness, I am LOVING your comment!! Your enthusiasm is really fueling me to the weekend! 😉 I’m so happy that you enjoyed my recipe and that you had fun with modifications! Happy baking & eating!
I was skeptical without the flour but these are sooo good. Will keep and pass on this recipe to others. Thank you!
Awesome! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Janelle! 🙂
These Peanut Butter Cookies would disappear in our house!
Haha oh I’ll bet they would!
I have always loved peanut butter cookies, but the fact that this recipe is healthy, is even better! Looking forward to baking these over the weekend, indeed!
Right?! 🙂 Thanks so much, Sara! Happy baking!
I am in heaven! These peanut butter cookies are everything I need right now!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear it Catalina!
I can’t believe these are made with just 4 ingredients! Perfection!
Yep! ☺️ Thanks Cathy!
These look so delicious and healthy!
Oh yeah they are! 🙂
These were easy to make and the flavor and texture are fabulous!
Woohoo! So happy to hear it!
Oh my goodness!! These look so delicious! I can’t wait to try these!
I know you’re seriously gonna love these Beth! 😄