Three ingredient peanut butter cookies with brown sugar

If you’re looking for a soft chewy cookie exploding with peanut butter flavor that are quick and easy, look no further than these 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies.

With only three ingredients these cookies can be whipped up in a snap.  Delicious, quick, and easy these cookies are the whole cookie package, they are literally as easy as No Bake Cookies.

Straight out of the oven these warm and soft peanut butter cookies will melt in your mouth and give you a burst of yummy nutty peanut butter. With ingredients that are already in your pantry you can create a chewy sweet dessert that will have people raving.  And if you decide peanut butter isn’t what you are feeling after all, maybe these Lemon Shortbread Cookies are what you need. 

Peanut butter is one of my all time favorite things to eat. I am obsessed with this peanut butter frosting, and love all things peanut butter! I just can’t get enough. So when I say these cookies are amazing, believe me. I was so skeptical at first if 3 ingredients could be enough. But they are, and they make such a simple and fun treat.

Can you use brown sugar instead of white sugar in peanut butter cookies?

To answer this question you really need to know what effect your going for.  Brown and white sugar don’t just add a sweet element to cookies, they actually are the workhorses of any cookie.  It’s really cool what these different sugars do for texture and flavor.

• When mixed with baking soda brown sugar creates carbon dioxide creating a thicker cake like cookie.  White sugar alone doesn’t do this.
• When creamed with butter into a recipe white sugar helps aerate the dough producing puffier cookies, but because brown sugar compacts so tightly it doesn’t have the same effect.  
• When soft or melted butter is used white sugar lets the dough spread more so you get a flat more crispy cookie, where the brown sugar keeps things tighter and more spongy.  

For a traditional peanut butter cookie it’s best to use a combination of both white and brown sugar otherwise you risk a too cake like cookie, or a flat cookie crisp.

However, in this recipe I’ve only used brown sugar. The first reason is the molasses in the brown sugar helps balance the flavor adding just the right amount of sweet.  And, because these peanut butter cookies don’t have any flour for the sugars to react with, the denser sugar helps the egg proteins activate quicker and hold in more moisture making a soft and chewy cookie filled with peanut butter goodness.

If you want crispy, this isn’t the recipe for you.        

How do you make a good peanut butter cookie?

Here’s a few tips for making delicious yet easy peanut butter cookies:

• Don’t use natural peanut butter.  It splits while mixing and leaves an oily dough.
• Make sure to chill the dough.  It is worth it. 
• Don’t over mix.  Just like many things over mixing leaves a tough batter.  Mix until things are just combined.
• Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven, so the cookies heat evenly.
• Use a cookie scoop so that all the cookies are the same size and bake evenly.  
• If you want a crunchier outside you can roll the cookie in granulated sugar.
• If you’re feeling adventurous you could also try to add in some things like chocolate candies, sandwich them with chocolate ice cream, or add a smear of your favorite jelly.        

Why are my peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly?

With this recipe, you should not have this problem, especially if you are using regular peanut butter instead of an all-natural variety. However, when trying to determine the way your cookie has crumbled, know that it’s all about the moisture.  Some things to look at when troubleshooting a dry and crumbly peanut butter cookie are:

• Was the flour too packed into the measuring cup? It’ll absorb more moisture if it’s too tightly packed.
• Was enough or the right kind of fat used? Different fats have different water contents which can throw off the way that the dough retains moisture when heated.
• Check the temperature of your oven. If it’s off you risk over cooking and drying out the cookies.
• Try cooking for the minimum amount of time the recipe calls for.  
• Try using an aluminum shiny cookie sheet.  A darker cookie sheet gets hotter and could overcook your little peanut butter delights.

Here’s the nice thing about the 3 ingredient recipe, short of over cooking, the fat from the peanut butter, and the moister brown sugar make them very soft, chewy, and yummy.   So a too dry cookie is difficult! I used Jif peanut butter and the results were great. And are great every time. 

How do you make Betty Crocker peanut butter cookies?

The Betty Crocker cookies are a classic, and traditional staple in any cookie lovers recipe book.  They follow the traditional pattern of cookie making by creaming a mixture of white and brown sugar with butter and peanut butter then adding an egg.

Then the batter is mixed with the dry ingredients of flour baking soda, baking powder and salt.   The the key that makes them different though is that ¼ c. of shortening is also creamed in with the other fats.

The added fat helps keep them soft and moist. 

While I love that traditional mix sometimes I want a peanut butter cookie in a hurry, but still want that tender, soft, and chewy result.

So, while it’s true that this recipe isn’t your traditional Betty Crocker what it lack in tradition it makes up for in ease. 3 ingredients is hard to beat.  And in my humble opinion, the flavor is just as good! 

Other Sweet Treats

• Smoked Chocolate Chip Cookies
• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Toffee Pecan Cookies
• Pecan Sandies
• Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Are you looking for an easy weeknight dinner solution?

Try the Eazy Peazy Mealz Recipe Binder: Get a printable version of all our favorite recipes in one convenient e-book for only $5!
 Plus, you’ll get so much more, from conversion charts and tips, to meal planning worksheets and shopping lists. 200 + pages to make your weeknights easier.
⇒ ⇒ Get it here ⇐ ⇐

• 1 cup peanut butter creamy NOT all-natural
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg

• Place ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.

• Refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm the dough up, it will be very soft.

• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper (requires 2 trays or two batches).

• Scoop about 1 Tbs of cookie dough into a ball and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Makes about 14 cookies

• Use a fork to press down on the dough making a cross hatch pushing it down until it is approx 1 cm thick.

• Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden on the surface and golden on the edges.

• Leave to cool on the tray.

• Store in an airtight container for up to 4 - 5 days.

This recipe will not work if you use an all-natural peanut butter, you need the added oils and sugars in the non-all-natural kinds of peanut butter to make this work.

Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

Pin to your cookie board on Pinterest:

Can you use just brown sugar in cookies?