Tender and nutty gluten free peanut butter cookies are one of my favorites! They're easily made gluten free with oat flour, and are packed with salty-sweet flavor.
Delicious Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Two peanut butter inspired recipes in a row - oops. Although, I really love peanut butter so I can't regret it. These lovely little cookies are an update of a recipe I posted years ago; cookies are often so easy to adapt to being gluten-free especially if the original recipe doesn't call for a lot of flour. In this case, the one cup of all-purpose flour called for is easily swapped out for the equivalent amount by weight of oat flour. The result is a cookie that's a mix between chewy and crisp with a lot of delicious peanut butter flavor.
If you can't have peanuts, you could try almond flour here although the consistency might be a little different. I buy freshly ground peanut butter at our local market and that's what I use in all of my recipes that contain peanut butter. A "natural" peanut butter without any added sugar or salt would be preferred here if you can't get fresh ground. Other than that, this is a straightforward, unfussy recipe that calls for a trio of sweeteners (see below for easy substitutions) and just a few other ingredients. I put it together in about five minutes last weekend when I was craving something sweet and gluten-free.
Need substitutions? Swap sorghum or buckwheat flour for the oat flour. Use 1 flax egg for the egg. Try brown sugar for the maple sugar and coconut sugars.
To make the cookies dairy-free: use coconut oil in place of the butter.
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups/125 g gluten-free oat flour (125 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- ¾ cup fresh ground peanut butter (200 grams)
- ½ cup cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup maple sugar or sugar
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy, about one minute. Add the sugars and maple syrup and beat on high speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to medium and add the egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Using a spatula, scrape up from the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Place the bowl, covered with a cloth, in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a teaspoon or a cookie spoon, scoop up generous helpings of dough, roll between your hands to form balls, and place on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. With a fork dipped lightly in water, press the tines onto the dough to lightly flatten. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with salt if you wish.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned and just set. Remove from oven, let cool 2 minutes on baking sheets, then remove cookies to a rack until they cool completely.
- Cookies will keep in an air-tight container for 5 days.
Helen says
These cookies are simple, delicious & a favorite very quickly. The new china is lovely as well!