Our easy 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are made with peanut butter, sugar, eggs, and baking powder! You can also add chocolate or nuts.
My friend introduced me to 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies several years ago. We went to her house for the evening, and her son made them for us. She said they are a family favorite, and now even her kids can make them!
What You’ll Find In This Post
Why We Love These Cookies
To start with, everyone loves peanut butter cookies! You can eat them by themselves, with a glass of milk, or turn them into a s’more or an ice cream sandwich. They are a classic cookie that is always popular!
But then, when you can make them flourless peanut butter cookies with only 4 ingredients, that makes them even better. We almost always have the ingredients on hand, so warm, fresh cookies are only minutes away.
What 4 Ingredients Are Needed To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter: We suggest using Jif or Skippy peanut butter for the best results. You can choose either creamy or crunchy peanut butter.
- Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar. However, if you are open to adding more ingredients, we suggest trying 1/2 granulated sugar and 1/2 brown sugar for additional flavor.
- Eggs: The eggs add structure, moisture, leavening, and flavor.
- Baking Powder: I like adding baking powder to these easy peanut butter cookies to make them a little puffier. If you don’t want to use baking powder, you can add vanilla extract as the fourth ingredient.
How To Make 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Combine: Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined.
Scoop: Use a two tablespoon size cookie dough scoop to scoop the dough onto parchment line baking sheets.
Flatten: Press a fork into each cookie dough ball to make a crosshatch on top to flatten the cookies slightly.
Bake: Preheat the oven and bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes.
Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then cool them completely on a wire rack.
Variations
Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
If you want to use even fewer ingredients, skip the baking powder and only use the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and eggs.
Five Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
To use five ingredients, we suggest adding vanilla extract! Vanilla always improves baked goods, and these cookies are no exception.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combination! You can make peanut butter blossoms by topping the cookies with Hershey’s Kisses. Or stir 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the cookie dough batter before scooping the dough.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: If you want to prepare the 4 ingredient peanut butter cookie dough ahead of time to bake the cookies later, you can freeze the cookie dough balls. Follow the recipe as directed but place the dough balls in a single layer on a pan or a plate in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to partially freeze them. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag for storage. When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the cookie dough balls and let them thaw on a baking sheet at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
Storage: Allow the cookies to cool completely and then place them in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper. Store them at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Freezer: For longer storage, place cooled cookies in airtight freezer bags and store them in the freezer for 3-4 weeks. Bonus tip: Add some ice cream between two cookies before freezing them to make peanut butter ice cream sandwiches!
Frequently Asked Questions
We suggest using Jif or Skippy when making four ingredient peanut butter cookies. If you want to use natural peanut butter, your cookies will turn out more crumbly.
Yes, these cookies are flourless. The peanut butter, sugar, egg, and baking powder combine to provide enough structure.
Yes, you can use a sugar substitute. Depending on the sweetener you choose, you will have to adjust the measurements accordingly.
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon size balls of dough and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Use a fork to make a cross-hatch on each cookie dough ball.
- Bake at 350˚F for 6-8 minutes.
- Cool for a couple of minutes on the pan, and then cool completely on a wire rack.
