Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies taste so classic your family won't even notice they're gluten free.
This gluten free peanut butter cookie recipe bakes up perfectly chewy, thin, crispy, oversized cookies that taste straight out of a bakery. They're especially great for novice gluten-free bakers because the dough isn’t sticky and rolls beautifully, making the process, you know, actually enjoyable. (Yay!)
With zero chilling required, they come together quickly and consistently bake up into the best gluten free peanut butter cookies every single time. If you’re craving easy gluten free peanut butter cookies, you can have two dozen bakery-worthy cookies on the cooling rack in less than an hour.
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Looking For More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes?
If you want to make these peanut butter cookies extra special, try shaping the dough balls into little peanuts and make Homemade Gluten Free Nutter Butters!
While my most popular cookie recipe on the blog remains my Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, I think these Gluten Free Maple Cookies deserve more attention. They have the most drool-worthy maple glaze.
And then, of course, if you're looking to make some gluten-free Christmas cookies, you should try these Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies or these Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Oatmeal Raisin is a must-have.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- Creamy Peanut Butter. I use Jif’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter for this recipe. Note that I haven’t tested it with fully natural, oil-separated peanut butters.
- High-Quality Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Containing Xanthan Gum. I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Baking Flour (the blue bag).
- Granulated White Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Whole Eggs
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease one or two large baking sheets with butter or nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Mix in the eggs until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the dough together until just combined—avoid overmixing.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Optional: If using, roll each dough ball in granulated sugar. These cookies spread while baking, so place them at least 2 inches apart from each other and from the edges of the baking sheet.
- To create the classic crisscross pattern, gently press the tops with the back of a fork twice to form an “X.” This will slightly flatten the dough, which is what we want.
- Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Tip: Oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye on the cookies to prevent burning. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Repeat with remaining batches.
- Enjoy!
How to Make Sugar-Coated Peanut Butter Cookies:
Rolling peanut butter cookies in granulated sugar adds a little extra sweetness and gives the cookies a fun, lightly “sandy” texture when you pick them up.
To make sugar-coated peanut butter cookies, simply add a couple tablespoons of granulated sugar to a small bowl and roll each dough ball in it before baking. Use a spoon to sprinkle a bit more on top to ensure they're evenly coated.
How to Store Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies:
GF peanut butter cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy within 3 to 5 days. Tip: You can also freeze these cookies and thaw them once ready to eat.
How to Bake the Best Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies from Frozen:
Want to get ahead on Christmas baking or keep an emergency stash of gluten-free cookies on hand? You can easily prep these ahead by freezing the unbaked dough balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the frozen cookie dough balls on the sheet, spacing two inches apart from each other and the sides of the pan.
(No need to thaw—bake straight from frozen.) - Add 1 to 3 extra minutes to the baking time. Bake this frozen peanut butter cookie dough for 12 to 16 minutes instead of 10 to 13.
- Bake until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
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Ingredients
For the Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies:
- 1 ½ cups high quality gluten-free all-purpose flour containing xanthan gum*
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jif’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter. I don’t recommend fully natural, oil-separated peanut butter, as the extra oil can make the dough greasy.)
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
(Optional) Cookie Topping:
- 1-2 tbsp. additional granulated sugar for rolling before baking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease one or two large baking sheets with butter or nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup granulated white sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Mix in the eggs until just combined.2 large eggs
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.1 ½ cups high quality gluten-free all-purpose flour containing xanthan gum*, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the dough together until just combined—avoid overmixing.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Optional: If desired, roll each dough ball in granulated sugar. These cookies spread while baking, so place them at least 2 inches apart from each other and from the edges of the baking sheet.1-2 tbsp. additional granulated sugar for rolling before baking
- To create the classic crisscross pattern, gently press the tops with the back of a fork twice to form an “X.” This will slightly flatten the dough, which is what we want.
- Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until lightly browned and the middle is slightly soft. Tip: Oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye on the cookies to prevent burning. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Repeat with remaining batches.
- Enjoy!
Notes
How to Bake Frozen Cookie Dough Balls:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Place the frozen cookie dough balls on the sheet, spacing two inches apart from each other and the sides of the pan.
(No need to thaw—bake straight from frozen.) -
Add 1 to 3 extra minutes to the baking time. Bake this frozen peanut butter cookie dough for 12 to 16 minutes instead of 10 to 13.
- Bake until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
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