These peanut butter cookies are pillowy soft and chewy. They are easy to make and just 3 ingredients. They don’t need any flour, dairy butter or oil. The cookies store well and are also great for gifting or bringing to an event.
These peanut butter cookies are so fun to eat. They are light and puffy with a delicate crinkle top surface. When you bite in, it feels like a pillow and the texture is both soft and chewy. The cookies only take about 20 minutes to make, including baking time.
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Egg White
Peanut Butter: These cookies are made with unsweetened natural peanut butter. This is peanut butter that has nothing added to it except salt (there should only be salt and peanuts listed in the ingredients). I don’t recommend using sweetened regular peanut butter which has sugar and oils added to it because the recipe will not turn out right.
Powdered Sugar: The cookies are sweetened with powdered sugar. In addition, when the powdered sugar is mixed with the egg white, it creates the soft and chewy texture for the cookies and the crinkle surface. I used store bought powdered sugar which contains cornstarch. If you are making your own, make sure to use a recipe that adds cornstarch.
Egg White: Egg white provides structure for the cookies and the chewy texture.
How to Make Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
The ingredients are all whisked together until a thick sticky batter forms. Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the mixture and release onto a prepared cookie sheet. If you don’t have a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, you can also use a 1 tbsp measuring spoon and use another spoon to release the mixture onto the cookie sheet.
The cookies are then baked for about 12 minutes or until done. When they are done, the surface should be puffed up and cracked.
Baking Tips
If your powdered sugar is clumpy, break up the clumps before measuring and using it. I usually use a small whisk and put it directly into my powdered sugar container to break up any clumps.
If your cookies aren’t cracking on top, you likely didn’t add enough powdered sugar.
More Peanut Butter Recipes
- 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Brownies
- 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 Ingredient Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large (30 g) egg white
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (67 g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (64 g) unsweetened natural peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Whisk until uniform. There should not be any streaks of egg white or clumps of powdered sugar remaining. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop mixture and release onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies two inches apart. (I fill my cookie scoop slightly over 1 tbsp because some of the batter is going to stick to the scoop). The batter should look like round dollops on the baking sheet and the batter should be thick enough that the dollops don't spread much. Try your best to keep the dollops as round circles on the baking sheet. If some of your dollops are not round, you can reshape them the edge of a metal spoon. You do not need to smooth the surface of the dollops.
- Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes. When cookies are done, the tops should be puffed and cracked. Let cookies fully cool before removing them from baking sheet. Use a thin cookie spatula to remove cookies because they do stick a little to the pan. Cookies can be enjoyed as soon as they are cooled. Uneaten cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature.
Notes
- You can double the recipe to make more cookies.
- Make sure to use natural peanut butter. There should only be salt and peanuts in the ingredient list.
- If your powdered sugar is clumpy, make sure to break up the clumps before measuring or using, otherwise you will have clumps in your batter. I usually put a whisk into my powdered sugar container and stir to break up any lumps.
- When measuring out the powdered sugar, spoon it into the measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Do not scoop the measuring cup into the powdered sugar because this will result in too much powdered sugar for the recipe.
- You do need the extra 1 tbsp of powdered sugar. Without it, the cookies won't crack on top.
- If you are making your own powdered sugar, make sure it has cornstarch included.
- You do not need to smooth the surface of the cookies or spread out the batter before baking. But I do recommend trying to keep them round so that they turn out round when they are done baking.
- The dough is quite sticky. If you find it difficult to release using the cookie scoop, you can use another spoon to release the batter.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I made these as instructed and the batter was way to runny. It was like there was no powered sugar in it at all. I have no idea why, but I had to add a lot more powered sugar and even then, I think it was probably not thick enough as the cookies went completely flat after cooking. They tasted great, just didn’t turn out. So, I don’t know what happened ha.
That aside, love Kirbie’s recipes.
That is strange. The cookie batter will be runny but thick enough that the dollops don’t continue spreading on the baking sheet. I wonder if it is the powdered sugar you used. Did you make your own or did you use one you bought from the store? And did you make sure to use a good brand like C&H?
Haven’t tried yet but sounds simple & delicious. made a batch with same recipe, only granulated sugar & any peanut butter. They were good, but I’m hoping yours to be even better ?
hope you enjoy!
This recipe looks perfect for what I crave. I often buy peanut butter cookies i the clamshell containers at the grocery store, with too many cookied and too many bad ingredients. I’m sure I’ll make these Thanks so much
We hope you try them soon!
Can I use homemade pistachio butter which only has ground pistachios and salt added
I have not worked with pistachio butter before so I’m not sure. If it has a consistency like peanut butter it should work. If it’s more grainy and oily, like walnut butter then it likely won’t work