Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (2024)

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These delicious and healthy peanut butter cookies are made in one bowl and with only 4 ingredients. Sweetened with maple syrup and made without eggs or butter! Vegan + gluten-free.

While I love my healthy peanut butter blossoms, I’ve been wanting to create a classic peanut butter cookie recipe and here they are!

And guess what? You only need FOUR ingredients to make these… no butter, no eggs and no traditional flour! I know it doesn’t seem right… but it is correct and these cookies are simply delicious!

In years past, I have always loved getting together with my family and friends for cookie baking and cookie exchanges! This year looks different, but I’m still determined to get creative and connect. I see Zoom or FaceTime baking days in my future… with ugly holiday sweaters, holiday music, the whole shebang.

This recipe would be perfect to make while Zoom-ing with a loved one – just gather the ingredients, mix and bake!

Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients

Like I mentioned above, you only need four simple ingredients (five if you decide to add the salt). If you’re like me you probably have all of the ingredients to make these cookies sitting in your kitchen right now!

• creamy natural peanut butter – look for a brand with just one or two ingredients (peanuts and salt).
• maple syrup – make sure to get pure maple syrup, not the artificial pancake syrup.
• vanilla extract
• almond flour – look for blanched super-fine almond flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill.
• flaked sea salt – optional but I like sprinkling on top for added flavor.

Substitutions & Notes

• Almond flour – I highly recommend using almond flour for this recipe for the best result, but I have tested it with oat flour and the cookies will still turn out, but they are a bit more dry tasting because oat flour has less fat than almond flour.
• Peanut butter – I’m assuming you can swap with any nut or seed butter, but I’ve only tested the recipe with natural peanut butter and almond butter, which is also delicious!
• Maple syrup – You can totally use another liquid sweetener like coconut nectar or honey. I’ve tested these with honey and they were yummy, but I personally like the flavor of maple syrup better.
• Want a real deal peanut butter cookie recipe? Try these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies instead!

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies

Because we’re not using eggs, butter or traditional flour, these cookies can be made in one bowl. Woo-hoo for less dishes! Here’s how to make them:

1. Mix wet ingredients – Add peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
2. Add dry ingredients – Add the almond flour to the wet ingredients and stir until incorporated.
3. Shape cookies – Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each dough ball with a fork, making a criss cross pattern and sprinkle with sea salt if using.
4. Bake – Bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes or until the cookies begin to brown. Let cookies cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

More Cookie Recipes

• Almond Flour Crescent Cookies
• Healthy No Bake Cookies
• Oatmeal Date Cookies
• Healthy Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out Cookies)
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles