Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
My Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies are incredibly rich, flavorful, and completely melt-in-the-mouth.
They are impossible to resist – I challenge you to stop at one!
In under 30 minutes, not only will your kitchen smell amazing, but you’ll also have a batch of the best peanut butter cookies you’ve ever tasted! These Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies are naturally gluten-free so regardless of your dietary requirements, these cookies are always a crowd-pleaser!
If you love my Italian Macarons, Lemon Curd Cookies, or Norwegian Cookies, then this is recipe for you! I love serving these cookies as a simple dessert with ice cream or filling the cookie jar for weekday snacking. Whatever the occasion, I’m certain they won’t last long!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Irresistibly tasty – Just like my Orange Cranberry Biscotti or my Italian Butter Cookies these cookies are completely irresistible. You simply cannot stop at one or two cookies. And sometimes not even three!
- Soft and tender texture – The almond flour in these peanut butter cookies gives them a deliciously chewy and soft texture. Imagine the most perfect tender cookie – this is it.
- Easy to make – Everyone (including me) needs a quick and easy cookie recipe you can whip up in a matter of minutes. This Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookie recipe takes no more than 30 minutes!
- Naturally gluten-free – Almond flour is free from gluten, which means these peanut butter cookies are naturally gluten-free. You’ll love that this recipe, just like these peanut butter banana overnight oats, is suitable for your loved ones with gluten intolerance and it doesn’t skimp on flavor or texture.
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Almond flour – Made from blanched and finely ground almonds. Almond flour is nutty and buttery – perfect for these cookies.
- Peanut butter – My preference is smooth peanut butter, but whatever you have on hand will do. If you have a choice, try to select a natural peanut butter that doesn’t contain any additional fats or oils – just peanuts and salt. Use leftover peanut butter to make this quick and easy chocolate dump cake or my delectable Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake.
- Granulated white sugar – Or castor sugar in some countries.
- Brown sugar – A small amount of brown sugar adds a little moisture to the recipe, as well as a slightly caramelized flavor and color to these Peanut Butter Cookies.
- Egg – I recommend using large free-range eggs.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best for this recipe because peanut butter is already quite salty.
- Vanilla extract – Just one teaspoon will provide enough flavor for these gluten-free peanut butter cookies.
- Baking powder – To give the cookies a little ‘lift’ during the baking process.
- Chocolate chips – I prefer dark chocolate chips for this recipe.
Ground Almonds vs Almond Flour
Ground almonds (also known as almond meal) are made using unpeeled almonds and are usually coarser than almond flour. Almond flour on the other hand is made with blanched (skin-free) almonds.
You can substitute ground almonds for almond flour, however, please remember to use a little extra ground almonds because it doesn’t absorb as much moisture as almond flour. Additionally, keep in mind that your cookies will be slightly darker when using ground almonds because the almonds are ground with their skin on.
Instructions
Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with non-stick parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350ºF/ 180ºC.
Using a whisk, combine the blanched almond flour and baking powder to break up any lumps.
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugars. Then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Add in the peanut butter and combine until the ingredients are well blended.
Stir in the almond flour and baking powder mixture, and the chocolate chips.
Use a small cookie (or ice cream!) scoop to portion out the cookie dough and roll it into balls. Place a prepared baking sheet then top with a few more chocolate chips.
Bake for 8 – 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Hint: Allow some room between each dough ball because they will spread during the baking process.
Substitutions
- Milk chocolate chips – Substitute milk chocolate chips if you don’t like the taste of dark chocolate.
- Almond butter version – Not a fan of peanut butter? Try another nut butter like almond butter, hazelnut butter, or even tahini.
- Salted butter – If salted butter is all you have, feel free to substitute it for unsalted. The cookies will be slightly more salty but you could always add more chocolate chips to balance it!
Variations
- Spiced – If you’re looking for a little burst of zing, why not add half a teaspoonful of ground ginger or cinnamon to the dough?
- Extra nutty – For a seriously nutty cookie, mix in chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds instead of the chocolate chips.
- Kid-friendly – Add M&Ms instead of chocolate chips to entice the kids (and big kids).
Equipment
An electric mixer is ideal for beating the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together. However, if you don’t have one you can do this by hand using a whisk (it will just take a little longer).
Storage
These gluten-free peanut butter cookies will stay fresh for several days if stored in an airtight container in the pantry at cool room temperature.
You can also freeze the cookie dough. After preparing the dough, go ahead and roll and flatten the balls as if you’re going to bake the cookies. Instead of baking, place the baking sheets with the dough balls in the freezer until frozen solid. Put the dough balls into a labeled zip topped bag. You can write the temperature and cooking time on the bag also. Bake from frozen, allowing an extra minute or two.
To freeze the baked cookies, layer the cookies in a container, with parchment paper between each layer so that they don’t stick to one another. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter. You may want to pop them into the oven to refresh.
Tips for Success
- Remember to stir the peanut butter in the jar before you use it. The natural oil from the peanuts can separate and rise to the top of the jar, making the peanut butter at the top more oily, and the peanut butter at the bottom drier. If you use either overly oily or overly dry peanut butter, it will affect this cookie dough.
- I like to use a small cookie scoop to help portion the cookies into the same sizes. This means they will bake more evenly.
- Cookies with almond flour can brown quite quickly so take care not to overcook them. I set my timer for a couple of minutes early because I know my oven cooks these quickly. Ovens vary greatly, so the same when you bake these for the first time.
- These cookies are very tender when they are warm. So you must always allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for five minutes before removing them. Use a flat spatula or similar to transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
- I love that these Peanut Butter Cookies are naturally gluten-free and delicious to enjoy even if you don’t have a gluten intolerance. However, if you are baking these cookies for family or friends who are gluten intolerant, please be sure to check the chocolate chips you use are 100% gluten-free. Most brands are, but it’s always good to double check.
FAQ
Almond flour is not a perfect substitute for regular flour, so I wouldn’t recommend using almond flour for any cookie recipe. However, for this peanut butter cookie recipe, almond flour gives these cookies their tender and moist texture.
This can happen for two reasons. The first is you may have measured your ingredients incorrectly. And the second is you may have removed the cookies from the baking sheet before they have cooled. These cookies are very tender and delicate when hot, so I recommend letting them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before you remove them.
Yes! It makes these Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies seriously tender, and moist. Oh and did I mention, seriously delicious?!
Serving Suggestions
Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies are an excellent addition to your kids’ lunchboxes or to fill the cookie jar. They are the perfect homemade sweet treat for snacking!
Looking for more sweet-inspired recipes? What about my delicious Tosca Cake? Or my easy-to-make Mango Gelato? Or the ever-popular Raspberry Almond Bars? And for true decadent dessert lovers, what about my Sicilian Cheesecake?
Made this recipe?
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Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (216 grams) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt more if using unsalted peanut butter
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 grams) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (150 grams) superfine white (castor) sugar
- ¼ cup (53 grams) brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (250 grams) peanut butter smooth or crunchy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips plus more for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/ 180ºC and line two baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
- Whisk almond flour, baking powder and salt to combine and break up any lumps.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, and sugars until well combined and creamy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until completely combined.
- Add the peanut butter then beat until fully incorporated
- Stir in the almond flour and baking powder mixture.
- Then stir through the chocolate chips.
- Roll a heaped teaspoonful (or use a small cookie scoop) of cookie dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet with room for spreading. If the dough is too soft to roll, add just a little more almond flour or refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Press a few chocolate chips on top of each. Press the balls down to flatten a little with the tines of a fork.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes watching carefully that they don’t burn.
- Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Stir the peanut butter well before measuring.
- Use a small cookie scoop to help make portioning easier.
- These cookies will brown quickly – keep an eye on them.
- Warm cookies are very soft and tender so use a flat spatula or similar to transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Remember to check that the chocolate chips you use are 100% gluten free if you are serving to gluten intolerant guests.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This updated and improved recipe was first published on September 20, 2021.
Can I make these without the chocolate chips?
Yes, Anna, you can leave out the chocolate chips if you prefer.
I can’t wait to try this gluten free almond flour peanut butter cookies!:) Ready in 20 minutes, this is so awesome to me. Thanks!:)
Hi, could I use other flours as a substitute if I don’t have almond flour in my cupboard, for example coconut flour? We are not allergic to gluten.
And would I be able to reduce the sugar, and substitute sweetener, as my husband is diabetic?
Hi Anita, I have never tested this recipe with anything other than almond flour or ground almonds and I wouldn’t know the proportions to use (coconut flour absorbs A LOT of moisture, so you only need a little). Maybe you could try another ground nut like ground hazelnuts. I’m thinking that it may work with all purpose wheat flour. You’d have to just add a little at a time until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
As for the sugar, again I have not tested the recipe using a sweetener, if you have experience in that you’d probably know what to do. You may find a sweetener that works well in this recipe. But again, that’d be trial and error.
I’m sorry I couldn’t have been more of a help. Hopefully you find something that works for you both.
These biscuits look do delicious, and I generally only bake with almond meal. These are a great idea using almond flour. Thanks Marcellina. .