Skip to Content

5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

I don’t usually hop on baking trends, but these 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies were too difficult to resist!!

After seeing this recipe in a ton of videos on TikTok I finally decided to try my hand at them.

I have no clue who came up with the original recipe, but if you know please share in the comments section below so I can credit them.

The fact that they’re made with only 5 ingredients AND require no chill time made me think they’d be too good to be true.

image of 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet that are cooling

They also are technically gluten free because this recipe uses no flour! I was skeptical to say the least, but I gathered my ingredients and went to work.

I’m happy to report they’re just as incredible as all the videos make them seem!!

My First Batch

I whipped up my first batch in literally a few minutes and popped them into my oven once it was warm enough.

The batter came together so quickly I had to wait for my oven to fully preheat before I could bake them!

I used my favorite creamy peanut butter, which worked great! You can also use a crunchy peanut butter if you want these cookies to have a bit more texture.

For the chocolate chips, I used a mix of jumbo and mini chocolate chips. I love using big pieces of chocolate because they create massive pools of melted chocolate in each cookie.

Chocolate chunks would also work great, or you can also use regular chocolate chips.

image of 5 ingredient peanut butter cookie dough being mixed together

Substitutions & Swaps in this Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

  • Brown Sugar – I prefer using light brown sugar in this recipe, but you can use dark brown sugar too!
  • Egg – If you don’t have an egg on hand or can’t eat eggs, you can try using a flaxseed egg.
  • Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter works best in this recipe, but crunchy would work too. You can also use alternative nut butters like almond or sunflower. Just be sure to give them a good stir to make sure they’re not separated and oily before adding them into the batter.
  • Chocolate Chips – You can use dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate in this recipe.
image of ingredients laid out to make 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies

How Long Should I Bake These PB Cookies?

The bake time for these cookies can vary a bit based on the type of peanut butter you use, how large of cookie dough balls you roll, and your oven.

I found my cookies were done after about 9 minutes but bake time can vary between 9-11 minutes. Keep an eye on them!

image of 5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie held in hand to show melting chocolate and flakes of sea salt

I also prefer my cookies soft and chewy, but if you like yours crispy you can leave them in the oven a couple minutes longer.

Making These 5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Even Prettier

While taste is always my top priority, I really do believe we eat with our eyes first!

To make these cookies even prettier, I like to press a few additional chocolate chips on top of my cookies as soon as I take them out of the oven.

It makes giant pools of chocolate on top of each cookie that look so gorgeous.

I also like to jazz these cookies up with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. It really emphasizes the salty sweet contrast in these cookies, and it looks great too!

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

T?his recipe makes about 12 cookies using 1 1/2 Tbsp of cookie dough per cookie. You can double this recipe if needed.

If you want to make smaller cookies or use a smaller cookie scoop, decrease the bake time based on the size of the cookie.

image of 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet that are cooling

Making These Peanut Butter Cookies in Advance

Baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you want to make the dough in advance, it can be scooped and chilled in the fridge for up to a week or kept in the freezer for up to a month.

The dough can be baked straight from the fridge or freezer, just add a couple extra minutes to the bake time.

image of gluten free peanut butter cookie dough that's been mixed together in a glass bowl and is ready to be scooped and baked

Tips for Making the Best Peanut Butter Cookies

  • Really aggressively whisk together the brown sugar and egg at the start of this recipe. It helps give these cookies a delicious, chewy texture.
  • Use a peanut butter or nut butter that doesn’t separate easily! Some natural peanut butters can cause the cookies to spread more and not bake up as well.
  • Use a cookie scoop to make sure each cookie is the same size.
  • Ingredients at room temperature mix together better! Make sure the egg isn’t cold before you add it. I like to place my egg in a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes to quickly bring it to room temperature.
  • Don’t over-bake your cookies! They don’t really brown much. Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
  • Press a few additional chocolate chips onto the top of your cookies when they’re fresh out of the oven.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Yield: 12

5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

image of 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet that are cooling

This 5 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe is incredibly easy to make and requires no chill time! They're practically fool proof!!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed (200g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
  • 1 cup peanut butter (250g)
  • 1 tsp baking soda (6g)
  • 1/2 cup milk or dark chocolate chips (90g)

Additional Decorations (optional)

  • 1/4 cup chocolate chunks
  • flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together 1 cup brown sugar and 1 egg for a minute, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
  3. Add in 1 cup peanut butter, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Whisk together until fully combined.
  4. Scoop or roll 12 cookie dough balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each) and place on the prepared pan.
  5. Bake for 9-10 minutes then remove from the oven. Press a few additional chocolate chips on top of the cookies and add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
  6. Let the cookies fully cool on the baking sheet, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

T?his recipe makes about 12 cookies using 1 1/2 Tbsp of cookie dough per cookie. You can double this recipe if needed.

If you want to make smaller cookies or use a smaller cookie scoop, decrease the bake time based on the size of the cookie.

Making These Peanut Butter Cookies in Advance

Baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you want to make the dough in advance, it can be scooped and chilled in the fridge for up to a week or kept in the freezer for up to a month.

The dough can be baked straight from the fridge or freezer, just add a couple extra minutes to the bake time.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 233Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 17mgSodium 274mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 2gSugar 20gProtein 6g

Hallie

Friday 24th of May 2024

I’ve made these so many times. So easy and a family favorite. Brother asks for them every holiday! Thanks for the recipe!

Chelsweets

Sunday 26th of May 2024

I am so happy to hear that Hallie :) Thank you for sharing!!

Rhonda

Sunday 16th of April 2023

Our family has been making these since the 1970's and swapping all sorts of addins; peanut butter chips, m&ms, pecans, etc. We dont add the baking soda and see no difference in quality and we make a smaller size. Some of our family like white sugar instead of brown and add vanilla extract. In other words one of the most adaptable cookie recipes to suit everyone's taste.

Tahmina

Sunday 16th of April 2023

Hi Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda

Chelsweets

Sunday 16th of April 2023

Hi Tahmina,

Great question! Sadly you can't use baking powder in place of baking soda in this recipe Baking powder will prevent these cookies from spreading properly as they bake and will make them too thick / ruin their texture. So sorry!

Buckeye Cake: Moist Chocolate Cake w/ PB Frosting - Chelsweets

Monday 5th of December 2022

[…] 5-Ingredient PB Cookies Peanut Butter Macarons […]

KP

Monday 18th of July 2022

These are delicious!! I used mini semisweet chocolate chips in the batter and had Ghirardelli’s milk chocolate melting chips that I chopped on top! So good! Best part they were ready to eat and dishes cleaned within 30 minutes.

Chelsweets

Sunday 24th of July 2022

I am so happy to hear that! That sounds absolutely delicious :) Thank you for sharing!!

Skip to Recipe