Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Updated Apr 03, 2026, Published Jul 31, 2009
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On a hot and sticky September afternoon in the year 2000, I walked into a sterile, frigid building. Then I looked into his eyes and fell head over heels in love with a stranger.
meet julian
His name is Julian. A thoughtful, artistic, sensitive soul with a laugh that comes from the very depths of his being. He loves music, art, and Pokemon. He is one of my g-kids.
Julian is one of the biggest supporters of my gluten-free lifestyle and always very concerned that what I eat not be harmful to me. He is my self declared number one taste tester for new recipes. In particular, he loves to test the sweets and treats.
Last week he asked me to give him cooking classes. We started with something simple, Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.
the perect gluten-free beginner cookie
These cookies are the perfect recipe for children. They require no fancy gadgets, just a bowl and a wooden spoon. No sharp implements, no dangerous mixer beaters. Plus they get to use their hands which is a big plus! I took oven duty, putting them in and taking them out and he did the rest.
We had a fun afternoon. He learned about measuring and stirring, got to lick the bowl and spoon, and we chatted and laughed. Best of all, we were rewarded with some really delicious cookies.
These cookies may be easy to make and a great project for kids. However, believe me, they are not to be relegated to the “kid’s food” category. They are sugary, chewy and utterly fantastic!
not just gluten-free, flourless
The fact that they are flourless is a plus but honestly you will never miss the flour. In fact, they are hands down the best peanut butter cookies I have ever had. Julian say’s it is because of the extra love he put in, could be. Try them yourself and let me know if it is Julian’s extra love that makes them so special or if they are just plain fantastic. Don’t worry, I’ll never tell.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar , plus more for rolling the cookies in
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking liners.
- In a large bowl mix the peanut butter with 1 cup sugar. Stir until well blended. Add the egg, baking powder and vanilla. Stir well. Pour some additional sugar in a small bowl. Take 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll in to a ball. Roll the dough ball in the sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Take a dinner fork, stick it in the sugar and gently press down each dough ball to flatten, then turn the fork 90 degrees and gently press again, making the traditional hatch markings of a peanut butter cookie.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Take out of over and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Gently transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
these biscuits are simply… fabulous!
What a cutie! Thanks for the recipe, I have made these before and loved them. I will send a link to my 11 year old nephew who is an aspiring chef. We made Pots de Creme together recently and I heard he went home and grilled cheeseburgers for my sister! Btw, have you tried this recipe with almond butter? Seems like it would work.
LOVE these! thank you for posting the recipe!
Hi again Carol,
I was feeling blue tonight and so my hubbie helped, yes I did just write my hubbie helped me to make these cookies. They were lovely, had a chew about them, which is always a good thing for GF biscuits, and I just wanted to say Thank You very much. Hope you're having a very pleasant Sunday evening, very best wishes, Charlotte (cupcake corner – again!)
This is such a wonderful cookie recipe. The batch never lasts more than a couple days at our house. My husband, who is gluten free, loves them. And my son who is nearly three LOVES TO HELP. I was thinking if I make a 1/2 batch and remove the egg, it would make great edible playdough. The dough itself is really tasty (not something you see with many g-free recipes).
My Aunt Judy just got back from a pack trip (horses) to mountains in Banff, Canada and the camp cook made this same recipe. Judy said they are some of the best peanut butter cookies ever!
thank you so much for these! I was looking for a dessert to make my son while my wife was out. It's so hard to find good desserts with a GFCF diet. These cookies are amazing. I almost can't believe I made them.
These are GREAT! My family eats them right up! I love that they have a more peanut butter taste!
I have been making these for probably 15 years, without the baking powder, from the recipe “Unbelievable Peanut Butter Cookies” from the side of the C&H sugar bag. They are awesome – I like to sprinkle a little extra kosher salt on top.
I got a recipe like yours out of the newspaper over 25 years ago. Alas, my boyfriend likes chewy cookies. The natural peanut butter I use makes crispy ones. I guess I will experiment with adding extra egg and sweet rice flour.
I usually use really creamy, not natural peanut butter and depending on how long I bake them for they rae either crisy or chewy.
Hey there, I had to use natural PB as that’s what I had, I added less than 1TB of butter to make up for the fat. The resulting cookie was a little less crispy than without the butter. Such a yummy recipe…these aren’t going to last long….
I understand about them not lasting long! Great solution with the addition of a bit of butter, love it!
Delicious!!!!