Flourless low carb peanut butter cookies – easy, quick and only 4 ingredients needed. Perfect for low carb and keto diets. Gluten free and sugar free!
We’re all about back to basics today with this fabulous 4 ingredient low carb peanut butter cookies recipe!
There are a number of reasons why you’ve got to try it ASAP:
Opulence Fatigue.
We’ve just survived December. Which with Christmas, parties, gingerbread-this-and-that and 10 kilo turkeys can become ex-haus-ting. After the last hurrah that is New Year’s eve, January is a most welcome change. I’d love to be that person who screams “another five course dinner with three types of wine? Bring it on, baby, and don’t forget the giant cheese board!” But, to be honest, at this moment I’m kinda glad I can go back to simple and easy food. 4 ingredients in a recipe? Yes, please.
Treat Need.
Eating simple has nothing to do with denying yourself a treat.ย If there are people around you who stop anything fun in January, keep a safe distance until February. Or tell them to finally start eating low carb. Because if you snack on a cookie that’s packed with healthy fats instead of sugar, January suddenly feels totally okay. We all need a treat now and then to brighten up our day ๐
Peanut Butter.
The wonderful main ingredient in this recipe. Peanut butter + me = love. True story – I could eat it every day! It tastes amazing, it’s a great source of protein, potassium and fibre and it’s pleasingly filling. My friends, these low carb peanut butter cookies are a super delicious energy booster.
I’d been wanting to make peanut butter cookies for a while, after trying out and gobbling up a number of other nutty cookies including these Italian Walnut Kisses, my Hazelnut Low Carb Keto Cookies and these Sugar Free Keto Pecan Cookies. Please do not point out that a peanut is not a nut but a legume. I do know that. In my book, peanuts are welcome to live alongside almonds, pecans and the like. Let a nut be a nut.
Now, let’s delve into the recipe details.
To make low carb peanut butter cookies, you need NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT. In fact, you can mix the dough in a bowl with a fork. And then lick it (the fork). See? No labour-intensive cleaning of blenders/food processors = more fun!
All ingredients go in as-is, and in any order you like. Some cookie recipes require that you beat egg whites stiff, or that you mix your dry ingredients before adding the wet and if you don’t – you might as well start again. Here, you throw in your 4 ingredients (or 5, if you want to add cinnamon) in any order you like. YOU JUST CAN’T GO WRONG. Guys, this recipe is easy on the brain.
The ONLY ever-so-slightly challenging part of this recipe is the creation of those pretty criss-cross markings on top of the cookie. Naturally they are not essential at all, so if you cannot be bothered, by all means, don’t. But if you want to post your cookies on Instagram, wow your crowd or just feel up to it, wet your fork before you get going and clean/wet again as you work your way through the batch. This prevents the cookie dough from sticking to the fork.
If you want a cookie that’s soft in the centre, bake for around 8 minutes. If you prefer a crunchy one, leave it in the oven for 10 minutes. And don’t panic when they’re all soft freshly out of the oven.
Patience. They firm up as they cool down.
The one essential thing I’d recommend is to get hold of a decent peanut butter. Often, brands add palm oil and sugar. Here in the UK there are several brands that sell peanut butter that contain only one ingredient – peanuts. Make sure you check the label before you buy!
Last but not least, this recipe is easily customisable. You could add sugar free chocolate chips, for example. Dip one half in melted chocolate. Or use smooth peanut butter instead of crunchy.
If you love peanut butter as much as I do, you should definitely also check out this chocolate peanut butter freezer fudge. Equally simple and equally delicious.
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Starting out on low carb? Find out all about my top 10 essential low carb kitchen gadgets!
Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (Flourless)
A deliciously rich low carb chocolate lava cake with a gooey molten centre. Only 5 ingredients and sugar free! Keto and diabetic-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (100% peanuts) (250g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener (100g)
- 1 egg large
- pinch of sea salt
- optional: 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork.
- Roll small balls of dough (ca 15g each) with your hands (or use a small cookie scoop) and flatten them on a baking sheet.
- Wet a fork and press on cookies to create a criss cross pattern.
- Bake 8 -10 minutes, until the edges are firm. (8 minutes = soft centre, 10 minutes = overall crunchy)
- Let cool completely before eating. They are very soft when just out of the oven, but will become crunchy once cooled.
- Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Try getting hold of a peanut butter that contains 100% peanuts and nothing else. If you have a food processor, you can even make your own. I mixed a bit of sea salt into the dough and sprinkled a bit more on top. It's the salted caramel effect - sweet and salty together are just crazy good.
Pat says
Just wanted to let you know that I made your your low carb flourless peanut butter cookies. I used p. b. 2 peanut butter and 2 tbsp. Refrigerated egg whites and 1/4 tsp. Vanilla extract. + 1/4 cup monk fruit sweetner. They came out perfect. Thank you for your recipe. Pat
Katrin says
Hi Pat, thanks for your comment and letting us know how you made the recipe your own! Using just egg whites in cookies always works well. I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies ๐
Alex says
Can I do this with almond butter instead?
Katrin says
Absolutely! Any nut butter would work.
Esther Zielke says
Thanks for all the great recipes!
I was very excited to try these & made them today. Unfortunately, I found them to be WAY too sweet! Next time I will try with 1/2 the sweetener. Do you think it will work as well?
Katrin says
It should still work ๐ It’s so funny, I’ve had a couple of people saying they were not sweet enough! We all have such different ideas of what’s sweet & what’s just right. Always best to try the dough before baking. Can I ask you what sweetener you used?
Esther Zielke says
Oops! My mistake! I realized I mistakenly used the wrong amounts of the sweetener (combination of Truvia & erythritol). Truvia baking blend is one of those you use less of than the recipe calls for… Next time I’ll check it twice! ๐
Katrin says
No worries, next time they’ll be perfect then! Thanks for getting back to me!
Heather says
Hi Katrin, these cookies are just delicious. I thought they were just on the right side of sweet and couldn’t believe how easy this recipe is!
Katrin says
Glad you enjoyed them!!
Debbie says
Mine tasted great but were so crumbly they were hard to eat. Is there a way to make them less crumbly?d
Katrin says
Maybe you could try reducing the baking time? If they retain more moisture they should be less crumbly.
Carmen Chan says
Hi, would this work with Lakanto monkfruit sweetener? Itโs got monkfruit and erythritol
Katrin says
Hi Carmen, of course it would. It’s not that common in Europe, that’s why I have not tried it yet. I hear it tastes great though.
Stephanie says
I am new to this low carb thing & with my sweet tooth it has been so hard to stay committed. I followed this cookie recipe using creamy peanut butter then added a touch more cinnamon. Not only did it satisfy my craving but I couldnt believe how filling it was! Love this & will recommend it to everyone I know!!
Katrin says
Hello Stephanie, glad you enjoyed the cookies. One of the best things about a low carb diet is that the foods are so filling and thereby rather satisfying.
Marijane says
I noticed that you have many positive comments on this recipe, and probably don’t need one more, But I just have to add my 2 cents worth. I have made these twice now, both with my own homemade peanut butter ( just peanuts and a bit of sea salt). The first batch I did with just the peanut butter as I made it, as in mostly smooth in texture. They were pretty impressive if you ask me. The second batch I added some chopped peanuts to it. The cookies were harder to get to hold together in the balls, but the peanut taste really pops. Making your own peanut butter is so easy, I don’t know why I never thought of doing it before. Of course, before Keto, buying a jar of Jif was just a given!
Katrin says
Hi Marijane, thanks for your comment! I love hearing how well my recipes work for others and how people customise them. You’ve just inspired me to make a batch of nut butter…yum.
NOREEN says
YUM, THE SECOND TIME I MADE THEM I PUT SOME BAKING SODA MADE THEM LIGHTER VERY GOOD NEXT TIME A DOUBLE BATCH
Gladys Frank says
How many cookies is a serving and how many calories in a serving?
Katrin says
I calculated the nutrition for 1 cookie – it’s 78 calories. If you want to eat 1 or 2 or… up to you ๐ They are quite filling!
Danni says
Can you substitute the sweetener for honey or dates?
Katrin says
I’m sure you can! If you use honey, you might want to opt for a variety that’s not totally runny. You could also use coconut sugar.
Amy says
Maybe I moved them to the cooling rack too soon or cooked them too long. I was afraid they were not done because they were so mushy soft so I left them in a few more minutes. I โll try another batch.
Thanks for responding.
Katrin says
Sure! Just leave them to cool completely and it should be fine!
Amy says
I made these with smooth all natural peanut butter because itโs what I had on hand. The cookies fell apart after baking. Has this ever happened when you bake them? Wondered if I needed some coconut oil or something. They just crumbled apart.
Katrin says
Hi Amy, the cookies are really crumbly and soft when they are hot. I always wait until they cool down. When cold, mine were nice and firm. Were yours still crumbly when they were cold? I don’t think your cookies need more fat – peanut butter is mainly fat on its own, and the egg helps to bind it.
Joyce says
I made these today. Didnโt have enough peanut butter, so I added almond butter. I used half the amount of sweetener too. I used Pyure stevia and erythritol blend and added the cinnamon. I only got 15 so I made mine a little too large, but they were awesome! I will definitely make these again!!
Katrin says
I’ve been meaning to try them with different types of nut butter. Mixing peanut and almond sounds great!
selina prager says
Love the video! Brilliant!
Vicki says
I do so love your recipes. Posted about the crepes, the seafood pancakes were great by the way. Made a couple of other recipes from your website which were also amazing. However, these biscuits are just so easy I had to comment. I only had peanut butter that also contained sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds, still only 4.6g net carbs per 100g. Still came out yummy. Thanks Katrin
Katrin says
Oh, I’m glad you’re enjoying the cookies too then! I always love it when people adapt my recipes – it’s so interesting to hear how they can be changed ๐ Thank you for your comment ๐
Satwinder says
Dear Katrin,
nice recipe, could you please advise for egg substitute
Katrin says
That’s an interesting question. I think adding a spoonful of flaxseed (ground) could work, it is used as a binder in vegan cuisine. Or a tsp of xanthan gum. There is another way to make peanut butter cookies –
If you get yourself the Sukrin Fibre Syrup, you just use that as the sweetener. You just have to stir the syrup and the peanut butter for a while, it comes together as a dough after a couple of minutes!
Paula says
These were super easy to make and are so good! I added a little vanilla and and a little sea salt on top
Katrin says
MMMMh, adding vanilla sounds like a great idea!
Cheri says
Have tou tried freezing these? How welldo they hold up?
Katrin says
I have not tried freezing them, but peanut butter is freezable so you should have no problem ๐
Rose says
Crunchy, nutty, delicious. Love how easy they were to make!
Katrin says
Don’t we all love easy (I do, for sure! :))
Gemma says
Could you use normal granulated sugar?
Katrin says
Sure, you can use normal sugar in all recipes where I use the granulated erythritol or xylitol
Sheila says
Made these tonight. Added a teaspoon of dark chocolate and they were fabulous! Thank you.
Katrin says
You’re welcome! Nice idea to use some dark chocolate in it. Peanuts and chocolate go so well together ๐
gjeanieg says
Fabulous recipe! Thank you! ๐
Katrin says
You’re welcome! Glad you like it!
Jim Cos says
I’m kinda new to this whole carb counting thing so please forgive my ignorance. I am neither a chef nor a mathematician so could somebody explain to me where my carb calculations are off?
1 cup P.B. = 8 (2 TBSP) servings. then (6-2) = 4 carbs / servings, so the P.B comes to 32 carbs / BATCH.
1/2 cup sweetener = 8 TBSP = 24 TSP. with 4 carbs / TSP.(*) so I count 96 carbs there.
So with the PB and sugar, I count 128 carbs in the batch, split to 20 servings I get 6.4 carbs/cookie.
What am I doing wrong?
(*From the labels of all three erythritol granulated sweeteners I found. Stevia, Truvia and even the Sukrin linked above)
Katrin says
I do not count the carbs from the polyols in erythritol. We cannot digest erythritol, as we do not have an enzyme for it, so it passes through the body without sugarโs harmful effects. Most of it is passed out virtually unchanged through our urine, making it effectively 0 net carbs.
Jim Cos says
Well this newbie appreciates your feedback. I knew to subtract fiber, but hadn’t indoctrinated myself as to the sugar alcohols. That makes about 100 carbs/batch difference in your recipe. Back to the kitchen with me then!
Again, sincere thanks.
Casey says
Would Splenda be a good sugar substitute?
Katrin says
Splenda would be absolutely fine ๐
Jaime says
Can I use coconut sugar for this recipe
Katrin says
Yes, that would work too ๐
Sandy says
Came out great. Only used half the he sugar still tasted great
Katrin says
That’s good to know! Thanks for sharing
Jian mercant8 i says
I am going. To reduce the sweetener to a couple of tbsp. Then taste the raw dough. I cut sweetener to the bone.
Susan says
Any idea what the carb count would be if you used Kraft peanut butter?
Katrin says
I use this website to calculate nutrition info: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp – it’s free and you can input any ingredient you like. I don’t know what’s in Kraft peanut butter. If it’s only peanuts, it should be the same as my calculation. If it has other ingredients, just add the relevant percentage to get a ballpark figure
Amanda S says
Do you think I can make this with stevia too?
Katrin says
I think it could work with stevia powder. I’m not sure how crunchy you would get these if you used stevia drops.
Beth says
I’ve got all ingredients at home. Making them now!
Katrin says
Awesome! Enjoy!
Rose says
Love the huge cookie stack! I wish I could eat it right off my screen….
Katrin says
I know the feeling…. the good thing is these cookies are so simple they basically make themselves ๐
Lara says
I don’t like peanuts. Do you think I can try this recipe using almond butter instead?
Katrin says
I thank almond butter would work just as well as peanut butter.
Nanabella says
Any nut or seed butter works…
Magda says
Can’t wait to try these. I’m the biggest peanut butter fan ever ๐
Katrin says
Haha, I thought that was me ๐ Let me know how you get on!
Catherine J says
I made a batch yesterday using smooth peanut butter. So good.
Katrin says
So glad you liked the cookies Catherine!