Description
These 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are quick, easy, and delicious with minimal ingredients. Perfect for when you want a classic sweet treat without a long ingredient list. Featuring creamy peanut butter, egg, and brown sugar, these cookies come together effortlessly and bake up soft and chewy. There’s also a keto-friendly variation using a sugar substitute to keep carbs low while maintaining great flavor.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Standard Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Keto / Sugar-Free / Low Carb Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (choose one that is just peanuts or peanuts and salt, with the lowest net carb count)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar alternative (e.g., Purecane Sugar Substitute Brown Sweetener)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it’s at the correct temperature for baking your cookies evenly.
- Mix ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the creamy peanut butter, egg, and brown sugar (or sugar substitute if making keto version). Whisk well until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
- Form dough balls: Use tablespoon-sized scoops to portion the dough. Roll each scoop into a ball using your hands for consistent sizes.
- Arrange on baking sheet: Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
- Flatten cookies: Press the back of a fork into each dough ball in a crisscross pattern to flatten them slightly and create a traditional peanut butter cookie look.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, just until set. Avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
- Cool: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. This helps them firm up slightly before storing.
- Store: Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided calculates the values for the entire recipe, not just one variation.
- Standard version nutrition per serving: 155 calories, 11.2g fat, 16mg cholesterol, 106mg sodium, 10.2g carbohydrates, 1.3g dietary fiber, 7.9g sugar, 5.9g protein.
- Keto version nutrition per serving: 132 calories, 11.2g fat, 16mg cholesterol, 105mg sodium, 4.3g carbohydrates, 1.3g dietary fiber, 2.1g sugar (erythritol counts as zero, making about 0.9g net carbs), 5.9g protein.
- If dough is too soft, it may be due to brown sugar not packed firmly or oilier peanut butter brands. Possible fixes include using 1 cup granulated sugar instead of ½ cup brown sugar, increasing brown sugar quantity, or chilling peanut butter before mixing.
- Use a large egg for best dough consistency; medium eggs may cause dough to be too soft.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 155 (standard), 132 (keto)
- Sugar: 7.9g (standard), 2.1g (keto)
- Sodium: 106mg (standard), 105mg (keto)
- Fat: 11.2g (both versions)
- Saturated Fat: 2g (estimated based on peanut butter fat content)
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g (estimated, primarily from peanut butter)
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10.2g (standard), 4.3g (keto)
- Fiber: 1.3g (both versions)
- Protein: 5.9g (both versions)
- Cholesterol: 16mg (both versions)
