Everyday dinners
Gluten-free peanut butter cookies
Flourless peanut butter cookies with fork-marked tops and gently golden edges.
Free guide: thirty gluten-free dinners, with the shopping lists
These peanut butter cookies need no flour. The dough comes together in one bowl, and a fork gives each cookie its familiar ridged top.
Makes 16 cookies, allowing two per serving. Leave them to cool before lifting: they are fragile straight from the oven. This recipe is in development and has not been kitchen-tested.
The recipe
Gluten-free peanut butter cookies
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Total*
- 29 min
- Makes
- 8 servings, with two cookies per serving
*Estimated development timings. Allow 10 minutes standing on the trays and about 20 minutes cooling on a rack, beyond the preparation and cooking time.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
For the cookies
Equipment
- Use digital kitchen scales and measuring spoons.
- Use a mixing bowl and a sturdy spoon.
- Use two large baking trays lined with baking paper.
- Use a fork, a flat spatula and a wire cooling rack.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Prepare the trays
Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Line both trays with baking paper and check that they fit on separate shelves with room for air to circulate.
- 02
Mix the dough
Stir the peanut butter, sugar and salt together, then mix in the egg until no streaks remain and the mixture holds together. Wash your hands after handling the egg and do not taste the raw dough.
- 03
Shape the cookies
Divide into 16 portions, roughly 27 g each. Roll into balls and space across the trays. Press with a fork into discs about 1 cm thick, leaving at least 4 cm between them.
- 04
Bake until set
Bake for 12–14 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through. Look for golden rims and set, matt centres without wet patches; allow another minute or two if needed.
- 05
Let them firm up
Wait 10 minutes before moving the cookies with a spatula. They should lift without bending or breaking. Transfer to the rack until completely cool before storing.
Ingredient checks
Check the peanut butter and all packaged ingredients for gluten-free suitability and allergen warnings. Avoid spreads with biscuit pieces or barley malt. For someone with coeliac disease, use clean trays, utensils and work surfaces, and a peanut butter jar free from crumbs introduced by shared knives.
Allergens: Contains peanuts and eggs.; No other UK priority allergens are deliberately included; check packaging for additional allergens and cross-contact warnings..
Make it work for you
Use the same weight of crunchy peanut butter for a rougher texture, choosing a thick spread suitable for a gluten-free diet.
White caster sugar can replace golden caster sugar in the same quantity.
Avoid replacing the peanut butter with reduced-fat spread or powdered peanut butter, as these change the dough's fat and moisture balance.
An egg-free version needs a separately developed recipe; egg replacements have not been assessed here.
For another day
Once completely cool, keep the cookies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three days.
For longer storage, freeze the cooled cookies in a sealed container with baking paper between layers for up to one month; this suggested quality window has not been kitchen-tested.
Thaw only the number needed at room temperature and eat the same day; reheating is unnecessary.
Exploding food
What goes in.
The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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