Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (video)
These flourless cookies are soft and chewy, just like traditional peanut butter cookies, but they are made with natural peanut butter so they are healthier and amazingly melt-in-your-mouth good!
Why this recipe is so great:
- Healthy and easy to make – These cookies are naturally gluten-free and contain no butter or white sugar. They are much healthier and easier to make than regular peanut butter cookies. All you do is mix the 6 simple ingredients by hand in one bowl, then scoop, and bake!
- Made for peanut butter lovers – Since natural peanut butter is the main ingredient, these cookies are exploding with peanut butter flavor! They are also soft, tender, and chewy when perfectly baked.
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly – These cookies can be made 3 days in advance and they freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Here are some reviews:
“Thank you for this fantastic recipe, Lily! I just made these cookies and they turned out perfectly. So simple and yet the flavor and texture is amazing!” – Heather
“OMG…these are amazing! I doubled the recipe, was a little short on honey so I did half honey and half pure maple syrup and added some mini chocolate chips. Absolutely delicious!” – Tracy
How to make healthy peanut butter cookies:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- In a medium bowl, toss together the raw organic sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in the natural peanut butter, egg, and honey. Stir until combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoons, drop rounded cookie dough balls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
- Bake at 350F for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Unsalted natural peanut butter – You can use salted natural peanut butter – just omit the salt in the recipe. This recipe also works with natural almond butter.
- Raw organic sugar – Can be substituted with coconut sugar or light brown sugar.
- Honey – Can be replaced with maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Mix-ins – Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts for an extra special treat.
How to store peanut butter cookies:
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
How to freeze peanut butter cookies:
Place the cooled cookies in a freezer-friendly container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for 1-2 hours to bring to room temperature before serving.
This peanut butter cookie recipe is full of flavor and packed with protein and wholesome goodness. It makes for a great breakfast cookie, after-school treat, or snack for any time of the day. So enjoy them with a tall glass of milk or your favorite cup of tea, smile, sit back, and savor the moment.
You might also like:
- Flourless Almond Butter Banana Cookies
- Gluten-Free Spiced Cashew Butter Cookies
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
PrintHealthy Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: makes about 16 cookiess
- Category: dessert, breakfast, snack
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Healthy, flourless, and melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies made from natural peanut butter.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw organic sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the peanut butter, egg, and honey. Stir until combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoons, drop 16 cookie batter mounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes or just until the edges are lightly browned. Cookies will be soft. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
To freeze – Place the cooled cookies in a freezer-friendly container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for 1-2 hours to bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 141
- Sugar: 12.2 g
- Sodium: 119.4 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 11.6 mg
Hi Lily, I just made these cookies and while they turned out well, we found them too sweet. Could I cut the sugar down to 1/3 cup?
Yes, you can but the cookies might not spread as much with less sugar.
Wonderful recipe! The raw sugar carmelized on the bottom and made them chewy – not crumbly. I thought my husband – who loves peanut butter cookies – wouldn’t like this healthy version, but he loves them!! We ate half of them immediately. This recipe is a keeper.
Forgot to add – the ball shape didn’t turn into a cookie shape in our oven, so I had to squash them with a fork a few minutes before they came out. They still turned out great.
Wow now that is good
I just made these about 30 minutes ago, and have eaten 2 so far… These are so delicious– super soft and chewy and as the author described, they really do “melt in your mouth” . I used Coconut sugar as the natural sugar and used maple syrup instead of honey.. I was not expecting these cookies to turn out this good or have this texture. I am an expert by now with peanut butter cookies because they are my absolute favorite and I make new healthy peanut butter recipes a couple times a week . I usually make them with almond flour, or oats, or both , and have tried various combinations. But this recipe is definitely one i will be repeating in the future!! I also feel like this recipe has a much fewer portion of sugar compared to all the other recipes out there which call for at least 1/2 a cup of sugar! I love the combo of adding liquid natural sweetener with granulated natural sugar.. 😋 Thank you so much ❤️❤️
You’re very welcome, Alanna! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and I’m so glad to hear it’s your new favorite!
No problem! Thank you! I actually only have 2 left and ate all of them by myself! I don’t feel guilty because they have such clean ingredients in them!! I will be making another batch tomorrow ! 😋
Great natural peanut butter recipe with so few ingredients. Fussy hubby says they are the best ones he has had thus far. Did cut the sugar in half and found them plenty sweet (the honey adds the extra sweetness as well). Also used chunky natural peanut butter and the peanut pieces provided great flavour. Had no problem with crumbling/no need to add anything else. Came out soft and then with cooling a nice dipping cookie. Will be my go to peanut butter cookie from now on. Thanks for this great recipe.
You’re very welcome, Mitsy! I’m happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed them so much:)
Thank you 💯
Based on feedback/comments, thanks for sharing, what is sure to be, delicious cookies. I am about to embark on a baking frenzy this afternoon, in preparation for return to school and will be adding these to the list. I really appreciate that so many ‘reviewers’ provided their substitutions and results, super helpful; thanks y’all!
Good time….!!
Thanks looks delicious…
Could you use Swerve sweetener. My husband is diabetic and would love these
Yes, it should work with this particular recipe. I hope your husband enjoys the cookies!
YUM!! Thank you for this recipe. I was trying to find one with few ingredients. For mine, I cut the sugar in half to make it less sweet. I also added 1tbsp of flour and crushed mixed nuts. They turned out great!
You’re welcome and thank you for your feedback, Irina!
Hi Lily,
I just made these and they are wonderful! Great peanutty flavor! I used organic coconut palm sugar (it’s supposed to have a lower glycemic index than regular sugar), but cut it down to half a cup. I added 2 tbsp ground flax meal and 1/2 tbsp whole grain whole wheat flour. I found 8 to 9 minutes was sufficient in my gas oven. This is my new go to recipe for peanut butter cookies….thank you!
You’re very welcome Jane, and thank you for your great feedback!
Love these and have made them numerous times! To cut back on the crumble factor I add 1 Tbsp. flour and 1 Tbsp. milled flaxseed. They come out chewy and not crumbly and they really are delicious! Such a quick recipe to whip together!
Hi Chris,
Thank you for kind words and for sharing your great tip on making them less crumbly – much appreciated!
Great & delicious & simple recipe. I reduced the sugar a bit as they were a little too sweet for my taste. For those wondering about baking times, it really depends on the quality of your baking pan. Mine would burn at 9mins on a thin older pan, but are totally fine for even longer than 10minutes on a higher quality bake pan (I now have a nordicware). Questions…any tips for making them slightly less crumbly? What exactly is the purpose of the baking soda? thanks!
Hi Nathan,
Thank you for your kind feedback and star rating. The baking soda helps the cookies spread out a bit when baking and prevents them from being too dense. As for making the cookies less crumbly, my only guess would be maybe try adding some flour so the cookies hold together more. Perhaps replacing the amount of sugar you reduced with flour and see of that changes the texture for you? Sorry I couldn’t be more help.