Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

These Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies taste just like classic peanut butter cookies, but are made grain-free! They boast chewy centers with a crispy edge and a positive explosion of peanut butter flavor.

We’re big fans of peanut butter cookies around here, and I must say, these almond flour peanut butter cookies are a new favorite! 

They have the same classic taste and texture as traditional peanut butter cookies made with regular flour, yet they are grain-free for my friends who can’t do wheat.

In fact, they present stiff competition for my much loved 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, which had previously been a household favorite.

The texture? Soft and chewy. The flavor? Buttery and peanut buttery. The sweetness? Just the right amount!

I love that they taste just like classic peanut butter cookies, with the added benefit of working magically for those who follow a gluten-free diet.

Plus, they can easily be made sugar-free by using sugar-free granulated sweetener instead of regular sugar.

Perfect for any occasion, including everyday living, birthdays, holidays, bake sales, cookie exchanges, and more!

I love that this recipe makes a big pile of cookies. If you use a small cookie scoop like me, you’ll end up with 36 cookies. No shame in making larger cookies, though! 

You can also halve the recipe if you aren’t looking to serve a lot of people.

If you prefer using a gluten-free flour blend instead of almond flour, make my Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for almond flour peanut butter cookies.

Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients:

Almond Flour: The star of the show, we use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour for the base of this recipe.

This provides rich flavor, chewy texture, and some added health benefits like healthy fats, a little protein, and some dietary fiber.

I use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour, which is a finely-ground almond flour. I find this yields better results than almond meal, which is a coarser grind. 

Almond flour is a wonderful alternative to regular wheat flour, because it can closely mimic the texture in many applications, as is the case here. 

Peanut Butter: For the best results, use natural peanut butter that contains no additives like oil or sugar. I use creamy peanut butter, but crunchy peanut butter works too.

Unsalted Butter: You might think to yourself, “Why do we need butter if there’s already peanut butter?” It’s a great question, and the answer is, you just do.

Butter is responsible for classic buttery flavor and adds the right level of grease to really make that cookie moist. I have made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies without butter, and they are great, but just not the same.

Eggs: Another contributor to the amazing texture, we need a couple of regular eggs. They help the cookies rise, and ensure they hold together nicely once cooled.

I don’t recommend using a flax egg replacement, as grain-free almond flour recipes require eggs in order to stay together.

Granulated Sugar: A cookie wouldn’t be a cookie without some form of sugar! Regular white sugar produces the best results for the texture, but brown sugar works too. 

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings that bakery-style cookies vibe by adding warm flavor. Skip it if you don’t have any on hand.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The leavening agents here. Both help the cookie dough rise and ensures they bake evenly without spreading too much. The baking soda in particular gives us that lovely crispy edge.

Sea Salt: Salt enhances flavors, so we must add it here too! It ensures the cookies taste rich and give you that full palate experience.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Looking for unrefined sweetener options? Use coconut sugar or maple sugar. 
• Looking for sugar-free cookies? Use any kind of sugar-free granulated sweetener for keto peanut butter cookies. My favorite is Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener. 
• Almond butter works as a replacement for peanut butter, but you’ll lose that classic nutty flavor.
• Halve the recipe for less cookies. This is a double batch of cookies, designed for serving many individuals and having leftovers.
• You can add 1 cup of chocolate chips to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Rather than mixing in the chocolate chips, I think the best way is to press the chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough. Feel free to mix it in, too.
• Coconut flour cannot be used as a 1:1 replacement for almond flour due to its high level of absorbency. You can make my Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies though, if you want to stick with coconut flour.

Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for almond flour peanut butter cookies, let’s make this amazing peanut butter cookie recipe!

How to Make Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies:

Before you begin the recipe, be sure the butter is softened to room temperature and that the peanut butter is room temperature too. If your peanut butter has been sitting in the refrigerator, microwave it for 30 seconds, or until it is easy to stir.

Add the butter, peanut butter, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium high speed until combined. 

Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until all of the wet ingredients are combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Note: if you don’t own a stand mixer, you can use a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Transfer the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat on medium speed until combined.

Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes to allow it to set up. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much during the baking process.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can spray the cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the peanut butter cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Be sure to position the mounds of cookie dough at least 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet to allow them room to spread.

Although the cookie dough starts rounded due to the scoop shape, it puffs up and spreads quite a bit while baking.

Bake for 9-11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are just barely golden brown. I bake mine for 10 minutes, which results in the perfect chewy and soft texture.

Remove cookies from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. I put mine on my stove top, where my burner grates allow a lot of air flow.

Storage Options:

1. Room Temperature: Cookies can be stored on the kitchen counter in a zip lock bag or airtight container for up to 3 days.
2. Refrigerator: Keep leftover cookies in a large sealable bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
3. Freezer: Cookies freeze very well! Place them in a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze cookie balls in a large zip lock and bake them off for 10-12 minutes at 350 from frozen.

With traditional peanut butter cookies, one uses the back of a fork to make the crisscross pattern on the top of each cookie.

Because these peanut butter almond flour cookies spread so easily, we don’t need to flatten the cookie dough balls out with a fork.

And that’s it! The next time you’re craving peanut butter cookies, whip up this easy recipe. These gluten-free peanut butter cookies are dedicated to my peanut butter lovers who go nuts over chewy cookies.

If you love baking delicious cookies, also try out some of my other gluten-free cookie recipes!

More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes:

• Snickerdoodle Cookies  
• ​Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies  
• Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies  
• Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies  
• Chewy Oatmeal Ginger Molasses Cookies  

Give your sweet tooth the ultimate treat with this gluten free cookie recipe!

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