If you’re craving something a little sweet & salty then look no further! These gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are super chewy & soft, slightly doughy – and made completely with almond flour!
Psst! If you not a fan of almond flour, check out my regular flour cookie recipe > Panera Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Easy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that are gluten free!
- Make for an easy after-school treat, summer barbecue, or quick potluck dessert!
- These flourless cookies are currently rivaling any "normal" cookie recipe I have! Almond flour gives the cookies an amazing, extra chewy texture and nutty flavor.
- Not a fan of chocolate chips? No worries, skip them and have classic gluten free peanut butter cookies or use peanut butter chips.
- Don’t feel like scooping cookies? Bake the flourless cookie recipe in a 9×13 pan to make a bar cookie (you will likely just need to increase baking time a few minutes).
- Want to jazz it up a bit? Replace them with colorful M&M’s or Reeses Pieces for fun flourless peanut butter cookies.
- For best results, use a creamy natural peanut butter (I use Smuckers brand).
What You Need to Make Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (I prefer Smuckers brand)
- Unsalted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Large Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Almond Flour (I've used both Bob's Red Mill & Thrive Market brands and both work great)
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
How to Make these Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:
Step 1: Cream Peanut Butter, Butter & Sugar
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the ½ cup natural peanut butter and 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter on medium speed for 20-30 seconds until combined. Add in the ½ cup brown sugar and continue beating on medium for another 20-30 seconds until creamy.
Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients
While the mixer is on low speed, add in the egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Once mixed, add in the ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt (you can omit salt if your peanut butter is salted, although I still prefer the extra saltiness). Mix for another 10-15 seconds until combined.
Step 3: Add Almond Flour & Chocolate Chips
On low speed, add in the cup of almond flour and mix until combined. Fold in the ¾ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Step 4: Scoop & Roll
Use a 3-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once scooped, use your hands to roll each of the scoops into a ball then slightly flatten the tops into a thick disc (see photo below). If needed, spray your hands with non-stick cookie oil before rolling.
Tip: If you notice 2-3 chocolate chips are stuck together, separate them before baking. This will allow the chocolate to be evenly dispersed and prevent the cookie from having a giant clump of chocolate in one spot.
Step 5: Bake
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the edges look lightly brown (mine are perfect at 11 minutes). The centers should look slightly underdone, which is what will give them that slightly dough, super soft texture.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot sheet, as well as help them set. If you remove too soon, these cookies will crumble right before your eyes!
After 10-15 minutes, transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Lastly, remove the cookies from the pan and serve!
Step 6: Eat Warm, Freeze or Gift!
To Store: These easy gluten free cookies are delicious warm but are also really good on Day 2 or 3 if stored in an airtight container or bag.
To Freeze: They are also real dang good straight from the freezer since the doughiness prevents them from getting rock hard. I find them best to eat after letting them thaw for about 10 minutes out of the freezer!
These would also be SO GOOD chopped into little bite sized pieces then frozen for ice cream toppings. Pair with my no churn chocolate ice cream for the ultimate, decadent gluten free dessert!
To Gift: allow them to completely cool (so the chocolate chips harden) and place in a plastic cookie bag, box, or wrap individually and slip in a printable cookie pouch.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I use regular peanut butter?
I haven't tested this recipe with regular peanut butter (aka. non natural), but I will say that a big part of what makes these cookies amazing is the strong peanut taste from natural peanut butter. If you try this, you may need to decrease the amount of flour since regular peanut is much thicker and less moist. Be sure to report back if you do!
Can I use regular all-purpose flour?
Again, I haven't tested these with regular all-purpose flour since that would not make them gluten free. But the almond flour is the key component of making these cookies have the most amazing texture, so even if you haven't tried gluten-free baking before, trust me that these will blow your mind! I currently like these more than any other "regular" cookie I have simply because of the texture!
Can I use almond butter or another nut butter?
Sure! The taste will obviously be different, but you can substitute the peanut butter out for another natural, runny nut butter. If you try this, be sure to report back in the comments below!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy all-natural peanut butter I recommend Smuckers brand
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened or microwaved for 15 seconds
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt you can omit salt if your peanut butter is salted, although I still prefer the extra saltiness
- 1 cup almond flour ideally super fine
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the creamy all-natural peanut butter (½ cup) and softened unsalted butter (4 tablespoons) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds until combined. Add in the light brown sugar (½ cup) and continue beating on medium for another 20-30 seconds until creamy.
- While the mixer is on low speed, add in the egg (1 large) and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Once mixed, add in the baking powder (½ teaspoon), baking soda (¼ teaspoon), and salt (¼ teaspoon). Mix for another 10-15 seconds until combined.
- On low speed, add in the almond flour (1 cup) and mix until combined. Fold in semi-sweet chocolate chips (¾ cup[a/djustable]).
- Use a 3-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once scooped, use your hands to roll each of the scoops into a ball then slightly flatten the tops into a thick disc (see photo in post above). If you see a few chocolate chips sticking together, separate them to help the cookies bake flatter with less chocolate mounds throughout. (If needed, spray your hands with non-stick cookie oil before rolling.)
- Bake at 350℉ for 10-12 minutes until the edges look lightly brown (mine are perfect at 11 minutes). The centers should look slightly underdone, which is what will give them that slightly dough, super soft texture. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot sheet, as well as help them set. If you remove too soon while they are hot, these cookies will fall apart.
- After 10-15 minutes, transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Lastly, remove the cookies from the pan and serve! See notes section below for storage and freezing instructions.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
- To Store: These easy gluten free cookies are delicious warm but are also really good on Day 2 or 3 if stored in an airtight container or bag.
- To Freeze: They are also real dang good straight from the freezer since the doughiness prevents them from getting rock hard. I find them best to eat after letting them thaw for about 10 minutes out of the freezer! These would also be SO GOOD chopped into little bite sized pieces then frozen for ice cream toppings. Pair with my no churn chocolate ice creamfor the ultimate, decadent gluten free dessert!
- To Gift: allow them to completely cool (so the chocolate chips harden) and place in a plastic cookie bag, box, or wrap individually and slip in a printable cookie pouch
Nutrition
Did you make these cookies? Be sure to leave a comment below with how you liked them!
Jacquelyn Twigg says
This is my go to recipe for almond flour chocolate chip cookies! They are SO delicious!!
Melissa says
So glad to hear you enjoy this recipe so much, Jacquelyn! Thank you so much for leaving a review!