These healthy 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are made in one bowl, pack 5 grams of protein, and skip the flour, eggs, and refined sugar. A must try!
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Peanut butter cookie lovers, this one’s for you! These 2 ingredient peanut butter cookies are a healthier, easier spin on the classic and you only need one bowl to whip them up.
I’ve made 4 ingredient healthy peanut butter cookies and even 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies, but this 2 ingredient version is the ultimate shortcut to a cookie bliss!
Why You’ll Love 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Simple ingredients: Just peanut butter and maple syrup. No need for leavening agents, butter or extras.
- Crazy easy: One bowl and 10 minutes of prep time.
- Healthy cookies: Flour-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free and even egg-free healthy dessert, so you can enjoy both the cookies and the cookie dough without any guilt!
- Crispy and chewy: Crunchy edges + soft center = perfection.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Sometimes we run out of the usual baking essentials, but this 2 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe doesn’t need any of them!
- Peanut butter: Use smooth peanut butter for a creamy texture or crunchy peanut butter if you like extra crunch. Either way, make sure to use unsalted natural or organic peanut butter for the recipe to work and the best flavor!
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup adds sweetness and thickens the peanut butter to form the cookie dough. Honey should work too, just make sure it’s liquid honey. You can melt it in the microwave if needed.
Peanut Butter Tip
When you open a fresh jar, the peanut butter is often thicker at the bottom if it hasn’t been stirred properly. So, give it a good stir with a knife before measuring to ensure you’re using well mixed, smooth peanut butter.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies with 2 Ingredients
They couldn’t be easier to make! Here’s how to do it in just a few simple steps. Full recipe card is located below.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- Mix the dough: Grab a large mixing bowl and add the peanut butter and maple syrup. Use a spatula to stir it all together until smooth. The dough will thicken as you keep mixing.
- Shape the cookies: Take a small trigger scoop and scoop out the dough, then release onto the baking sheet, making sure to leave about 1.5 inches between each ball. Use a fork to gently press down on each ball to flatten it and create that classic pattern.
- Bake: Pop the cookies in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. You’re looking for no visible browning, and they should still be soft to the touch.
- Cool the cookies: Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes or until they’ve hardened up. You can then transfer them to a wire rack to cool off a bit more, if you’d like.
Tips for Best Results
Here’s the secret to making the best peanut butter cookies with 2 ingredients.
- Use pure peanut butter: It’s the main ingredient, so natural peanut butter made with just peanuts and maybe a little salt gives the best taste and texture. Brands with added sugar, oils, or preservatives can mess with the flavor and consistency.
- Avoid overbaking: To keep them soft and chewy. Take them out as soon a they’re done, 10 minutes should be perfect. Cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Let cookies cool: They’ll be soft when they first come out of the oven, but as they cool, cookies will become more stable and easier to handle. Don’t worry, they’ll still be soft, but they won’t fall apart.
- If you like thick cookies: Set the cookie dough in the fridge or freezer for about 1 hour before baking. This helps the dough firm up, which results in thicker cookies.
Variations
- Peanut free: You can swap in almond butter or cashew butter, but the texture of the cookies might change based on the consistency.
- Nut free: Substitute sunflower seed butter. The texture may change slightly, and they’ll have a nuttier flavor.
- Add more flavor: Try mixing in 1 teaspoon of almond extract, vanilla extract, or even pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.
- Sea salt: For a perfectly salty sweet balance. Just be sure to use flaky sea salt, Himalayan pink salt won’t work.
- Add chocolate chips: Adding chocolate chips makes them 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies! Mix in any type of chocolate chips from dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter chips, or Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips.
How to Store
Store: I like to keep cookies on the counter so they’re easy to grab! Store in an airtight container or on a plate covered with a towel or plastic wrap for up to 5 days in a cool, dark place.
Freeze: Freeze cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months, and you’ll have a stash of cookies ready whenever you feel like one.
FAQs
Yes, it’s totally fine to use a hand mixer. It can help mix the ingredients quickly, but be careful not to overmix the dough.
Absolutely! You can eat the dough raw since it doesn’t contain any raw eggs or flour.
I think you can. Preheat your air fryer and bake them at 325 F for about 7 minutes. They’ll probably come out a bit more browned, but still delicious.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
More Peanut Butter Desserts to Try
2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter natural or organic
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add peanut butter and maple syrup. Stir with spatula until smooth. Dough will thicken as you keep mixing.
- Using small trigger scoop, scoop the cookie dough and release on a baking sheet, leaving 1.5 inches in between. Using a fork, press on cookie dough balls to flatten them and make a pattern.
- Bake for 10 minutes before any visible browning occurs and cookies are still soft.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for about 30 minutes or until hardened right on a baking sheet. You can transfer them after to cool off more on a cooling rack, if you want.
Notes
- Store: Store in an airtight container or on a plate covered with towel or plastic wrap for up to 5 days, in a cool dark place.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
