3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Can you imagine making classic Peanut Butter Cookies with just 3 Ingredients? I am here to tell you that it is possible and they might be the best cookies ever!

Although I grew up with those iconic criss cross cookies, not once did I realize that you could make them with just 3 simple ingredients. In fact, I can remember helping my mother measure out a variety of dry ingredients like flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder to make the dough.

Not to mention that we would have to plan ahead when making them because we had to soften the butter on the counter. After an hour of waiting, we could finally cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar together to start the process.

But now that I have figured out how to make them with just 3 ingredients, and with no waiting for butter to soften, I doubt that I make them any other way!

As much as I love Peanut Butter Blossom cookies, sometimes you just want a cookie that you can make at a moments notice. And it doesn’t get easier than with this recipe.

Literally you can have the dough made in less than 5 minutes. And it only takes the cookies 12-15 minutes for them to bake in the oven.

So that means you can indulge yourself in this iconic treat in less time than it takes to watch your favorite television show.

However, there are a few tips to making these chewy cookies turn out perfect!

Tips To Making Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1. The Type of Peanut Butter You Use Does Matter

This recipe works best with store-bought, creamy peanut butter. I have always been a fan of Jif peanut butter, but you could also use Skippy, Peter Pan or even generic, store brand peanut butter.

However, this recipe will not turn out if you use all-natural peanut butter that is made entirely of ground peanuts. Although I use this type of peanut butter for my toast in the morning, it is best to stick to the more sugary brands for cookies, including Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies & this 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies recipe.

2. Don’t Use An Entire Cup of Peanut Butter

When I first started making these peanut butter cookies I used a 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 large egg. However, some of the cookies had a hard time forming.

In fact, there would be sections of just peanut butter on the edges of some of the cookies. Therefore, I decided to lessen the amount of peanut butter that I used.

By removing 2 tablespoons of the measured cup of peanut butter, the cookies held together perfectly! Simply use a push measuring cup to measure 1 cup of peanut butter.

Then use a tablespoon to remove 2 scoops of the creamy peanut butter and place it back inside the container. Mix everything together and you will have the perfect amount to make your cookies.

3. Break Up The Clumps In The Sugar

If your granulated sugar has any clumps stuck together be sure to break them up before mixing it with the peanut butter and egg.

Because this recipe comes together so quickly and you are hand mixing the ingredients it is important that the sugar is distributed evenly in the dough.

Do this by running your hand through the sugar and breaking up any clumps. Or place the sugar in a bowl and use a whisk to break up the clumps.

Either method will work for getting the sugar crystals separated.

4. Use One Large Egg

There are several versions of this 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies recipe out there and some of them require 2 eggs. The additional egg is used to make the cookies fluff up more once they are baked.

However, if you use 2 eggs, you will not be able to press the criss cross pattern onto the top of the cookies. Instead, you will have baked peanut butter balls and not true peanut butter cookies.

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, minus 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (177°C). Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Side Note:

In the past I was always hesitant to purchase silicone baking mats. Instead, I would use parchment paper to cover my baking sheets when making cookies or baking meats and vegetables.

However, I found myself purchasing expensive rolls of parchment paper several times a year. And this was especially true around the holiday baking season.

Therefore, I made the plunge and ended up buying these Silicone Baking Mats off of Amazon. Now that I have used them I wish I would have made the purchase years ago!

Not only are they easy to use, but they are also easy to clean. After you are finished baking, simply wash them with soap and water and they are ready to use next time.

No more disposing of used parchment paper. And best of all, I have saved money in the process!

Back To The Recipe

Now that your baking sheet is ready and the oven is preheating, it is time to make the 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie dough. Add the peanut butter, sugar and egg to a large bowl.

Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated. That is it! The dough is ready to be formed.

Use a small or medium cookie scoop to form the cookies into balls. Place each dough ball 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

*The cookies will not spread significantly during the baking process. If you don’t have a cookie scoop use your hands to roll the dough into 1 inch balls.

Now use the back of a fork to make a criss cross pattern by pressing down in one direction. Then press down in the opposite direction.

Optional Step – Sprinkle the top of each cookie with granulated sugar. Although this is not required, it adds a little sweetness to each bite.

Baking Time Required

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies should be removed when they start to turn light golden brown on the edges.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest on the for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Enjoy! Mary

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