Equipment
Ingredients
Dough Base
- 250 g peanut butter, creamy, commercial brand preferred
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 4 g baking soda
- 2 g kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 135 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 208 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 12 mg
- Potassium
- 118 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 28 mg
- Phosphorus
- 64 mg
- Zinc
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 0 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.04 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 2.3 mg
- Folate
- 11 mcg
- Water
- 3 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, baking soda, and kosher salt in a mixing bowl. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until a thick, cohesive dough forms and no streaks of egg remain.
Scoop the dough into roughly 30 gram portions. Roll each portion between your palms into a smooth ball and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 5 centimeters of space between each cookie.
Press the tines of a fork into each dough ball, first in one direction and then the other, to create a crisscross pattern. This gently flattens the cookies to about 1 centimeter thick to ensure even baking.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly golden, even if the centers still appear slightly soft and puffed.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes. The residual heat will finish cooking the centers. Carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef's Notes
- Commercial emulsified peanut butter yields the most reliable texture. If using natural peanut butter, ensure the oil is thoroughly stirred in and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to prevent over-spreading.
- Do not skip the resting step on the baking sheet. Because these cookies lack the structural support of flour, they are extremely fragile when hot and rely on residual heat to set their final structure.
- For an indulgent twist, fold 80 grams of dark chocolate chips into the dough before shaping, or sprinkle the tops with a pinch of flaky sea salt just before baking.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 weeks — Store in an airtight container to maintain chewy texture.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze baked cookies or unbaked, shaped dough balls in an airtight container.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread too much and became very flat and greasy
Cause: Used a runny, natural style peanut butter instead of a commercial emulsified brand
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but they will still taste delicious crumbled over ice cream
Prevention: Use standard commercial peanut butter, or chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking if using natural peanut butter
Cookies crumbled and fell apart when moving them
Cause: Moved off the baking sheet while too hot
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Allow the full 10 minute resting time on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack
Cultural Context
The peanut butter cookie is a beloved American confection that gained national popularity in the early 20th century. The iconic crisscross fork mark was popularized by a 1932 recipe published by the Pillsbury company to help the dense dough bake more evenly. The flourless variation emerged later as a brilliant minimalist adaptation, originally designed to highlight the pure, unadulterated flavor of roasted peanuts while serendipitously creating a naturally gluten-free treat.
