We recently took on the challenge of creating flourless peanut butter cookies with the fewest number of ingredients. No eggs, no sugar, and of course, gluten free. I pared down the recipe to only 4 ingredients, or 3 ingredients if you really want to go minimal. You’re going to love these sweet little cookies:
- Eggless
- No Sugar
- No Flour
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Vegan
With the flavor and texture you crave in a peanut butter cookie!
How did we do it?
I whittled down the recipe to 4 components: natural peanut butter, dates, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Then the question arose: does the recipe actually need baking soda?
The Baking Soda Test
We split the dough and added baking soda to half, leaving the other half without.
After the cookies baked, it was time for some serious taste testing: warm cookies, cool cookies, and next day cookies.
I wouldn’t say the cookies without baking soda came out dense, but they were on the crispier side. Meanwhile, the cookies made with baking soda came out a little softer and chewier, and also a shade darker since baking soda contributes to browning in baked goods.
1 vote for without
The Vanilla Test
The next test was vanilla extract. We followed the same testing method as before, but this time half the dough had vanilla extract, and the other half did not.
The consensus was the cookies were delicious either way, but the vanilla slightly elevated the overall flavor. So, we leave it up to you: slightly tastier cookies with the vanilla, or leave it out and slim down to only 3 ingredients.
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
A quick note: We made mini cookies for taste-testing. If you opt to make larger cookies, it might affect your bake time. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup medjool dates, no pits
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup natural peanut butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Soak the dates in warm water for about 10 minutes, reserving soaking water after.
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Place the dates in the bowl of a food processor equipped with an S-blade. Add vanilla extract and then pulse to chop the dates.
Add peanut butter, and continue pulsing, scraping down the sides often. If the texture seems dry, add up to 2 teaspoons of the soaking water—the dough should be moist, but not wet. Process for a few minutes, scraping down as needed. The dough will eventually look sandy, but will stick if you press it together. Add the baking soda and process to combine.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (you should get about 2 dozen) and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to create the classic crisscross peanut butter cookie pattern.
Bake for about 10 to 13 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cookies because the bottoms can go from browned to burnt in a flash.
Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet, then move them off the pan to cool completely (try gently lifting the parchment and transferring to the counter). They will be very crumbly if you try to eat them before they cool all the way.
MAKES 2 DOZEN MINI COOKIES.
Did you make these flourless peanut butter cookies? Did you include the vanilla extract? Tell us how they came out in a comment, and don't forget to leave some stars in the rating!
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup medjool dates, no pits
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup natural peanut butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Directions
- Soak the dates in warm water for about 10 minutes, reserving soaking water after.
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Place the dates in the bowl of a food processor equipped with an S-blade. Add vanilla extract and then pulse to chop the dates.
- Add peanut butter, and continue pulsing, scraping down the sides often. If the texture seems dry, add up to 2 teaspoons of the soaking water—the dough should be moist, but not wet. Process for a few minutes, scraping down as needed. The dough will eventually look sandy, but will stick if you press it together. Add the baking soda and process to combine.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (you should get about 2 dozen) and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to create the classic crisscross peanut butter cookie pattern.
- Bake for about 10 to 13 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cookies because the bottoms can go from browned to burnt in a flash.
- Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet, then move them off the pan to cool completely (try gently lifting the parchment and transferring to the counter). They will be very crumbly if you try to eat them before they cool all the way.