Make these thick, mega-chewy gluten-free peanut butter cookies with almond flour and natural peanut butter in 15 minutes of active time. All you need is a bowl and a spoon to mix up the batter. Add chocolate chips if you like, or keep them classic.
After a 30 minute chill and 15 minute bake, the cookies are ready to nom. They keep beautifully for up to 10 days. You can also chill the dough and bake up fresh cookies when the craving strikes.
Just when I thought I couldn't love almond flour more, in come these almond flour peanut butter cookies. Here, almond flour and tapioca flour combine with natural peanut butter to form a moist, tender, and chewy cookie.
These cookies are simple to make, and they keep like a dream for over a week. I love adding chocolate chunks and topping them with flaky salt for a chocolate peanut butter cup vibe.
Here's what I love about them:
- gluten-free and optionally dairy-free
- crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle
- balanced flavor; not too sweet
- equally delicious with or without chocolate chips or chunks
- made with flavorful and easy-to-find almond and tapioca flours
- easy to make in about 15 minutes of active time
You can find more gluten-free cookie recipes here, such as these reader-favorite almond flour oatmeal cookies. And there are even more in my cookbook Alternative Baker, where I've shared 140+ recipes using all kinds of flavorful gluten-free flours.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
This recipe comes together with 11 ingredients.
Flours
Two gluten-free flours make these cookies chewy and tender, no xanthan gum or starches needed. Be sure to use certified gluten-free flours if need be, such as Bob's Red Mill brand which are made in a dedicated GF facility.
Learn more about my approach to GF baking in my beginner's guide to gluten-free flours.
- Blanched almond flour forms the base, adding a mildly nutty flavor, and extra richness.
- Sub by weight almond meal, hazelnut meal, or any other nut or seed flour you prefer. Or make these flourless peanut butter cookies instead.
- Tapioca flour absorbs moisture and makes the cookies extra chewy.
- Sub by weight arrowroot starch, or try potato starch or corn starch.
Other Ingredients
- Natural peanut butter is the star of this show, so use one you love the flavor of. I'm partial to Once Again Organic, which has a clean, fresh, toasty flavor.
- Butter adds moisture and richness, but you can sub plant-based butter for dairy-free. Decrease the salt if using salted butter or plant butter.
- Egg helps the cookies hold together and puff in the oven. For egg-free, try using commercial egg replacer or 3-4 tablespoons of cream cheese. Readers have found that these work well in some of my other cookie recipes, but I haven't tested them here, so experiment at your own risk!
- Granulated and brown sugars add sweetness and moisture.
- Sub by weight coconut sugar and/or maple sugar for either or both sugars.
- Baking soda helps the cookies spread and brown.
- Salt and vanilla deepen the flavors. Flaky salt adds crunch and flavor to the tops, but it's optional.
- Chocolate chips or chunks optionally add gooey deliciousness, and they keep the cookies extra moist and cohesive even up to 10+ days.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact quantities!
Method
This recipe makes about 15 gluten-free peanut butter cookies. You can double or triple the recipe if you need more cookies! The dough takes about 10 minutes to mix up with just a bowl and a spoon. For the thickest cookies, chill the dough for 30-60 minutes and up to several days before baking.
The cookies take 10-15 minutes to bake, and I recommend baking one pan at a time for the best lift and browning.
Allergy-Friendly Options
These almond flour peanut butter cookies are gluten-free and grain-free, but here are some other options. Because everyone deserves delicious cookies!
- Dairy-Free - use plant butter, such as Miyoko's unsalted, in place of butter.
- Refined sugar-free / Paleo - Instead of brown sugar and granulated sugar, use the same weight of coconut sugar and/or maple sugar.
- Egg-free - Try swapping 3-4 tablespoons softened cream cheese for the egg, or use egg replacer. I haven't tested these options, but readers have found that they work well in some of my other cookie recipes.
Tips for Extra-Chewy Cookies
A few simple techniques make these cookies especially thick and chewy:
- Beat the dough for 60 strokes. This activates the sticky ingredients.
- Don't overbake. Moisture keeps the cookies chewy, while overbaking will make them more dry and crumbly.
- Rap the baking sheet on the counter when you remove the cookies from the oven. This will deflate the cookies, making them extra dense and chewy.
Troubleshooting
Here are some common cookie troubles and how to fix them:
- The cookies spread too much.
- Add 1 tablespoon more tapioca flour to the cookie dough
- Increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees
- Don't flatten the dough balls as much
- The cookies didn't spread enough.
- Lower the oven temperature by 25-50 degrees
- Flatten the dough balls more before baking them.
- Next time you make them, use 1 tablespoon less tapioca flour.
Make-Ahead & Storage
These cookies keep beautifully, staying moist and chewy for days. Here's how to keep them fresh:
- Layer the cookies between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container.
- Store at room temperature for up to 10 days.
- Refrigerate the dough balls in an airtight container for up to 1 week, then flatten and bake as directed when a cookie craving strikes.
- Freeze the dough balls or baked cookies airtight for up to 1 month. Thaw before baking or eating.
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies with Almond Flour
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and hot
- ½ cup (100 g) packed dark or light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50 g out of the shell)
- ¾ cup (200 g) natural creamy peanut butter (unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 g) Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (42 g) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Flaky salt for the tops (optional)
Chocolate version:
- 5 ounces chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate (I prefer 65-85% cacao mass; plus a little extra for topping the cookies)
Instructions
Make the dough
- Combine the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the hot melted butter, stir to combine, and let cool for 5 minutes.
- While the mixture cools, whisk or sift together the almond flour, tapioca flour, salt, and baking soda to get the clumps out of the almond flour.
- When the butter-sugar mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the egg and vanilla until the mixture looks smooth, then stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until combined, then beat the batter for 60 strokes. This will make the cookies extra chewy.
- Stir in the chocolate, if using.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days.
Prepare to bake
- When you’re ready to bake, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. I recommend using an external oven thermometer to verify the temperature. Line two rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Portion the dough into 2-3 tablespoon balls (a #24 scoop works well). Place the dough balls on the baking sheets and flatten slightly. Top each with a pinch of flaky salt if you like, and a few chocolate chips or chunks if using.
Bake
- Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, on the upper rack of the oven until the edges are just set and barely golden and the centers are puffed and cracked but soft to the touch, 10-15 minutes, rotating the pan at the 10-minute mark for even browning. Take care not to over-bake so the cookies will be moist and chewy. My cookies take 13 minutes in my oven.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and rap the pan on the counter a few times to deflate the cookies and keep them dense and chewy. If the cookies are uneven or spread too much, you can use a large glass or biscuit cutter to “scoot” the cookies into a thicker, more even shape while still warm and soft.
- Slide the cookies, parchment paper and all, onto a wire rack to stop the cooking and cool completely. The cookies will be soft and delicate at first, but will firm up when cool.
Storage
- Store baked cookies in a container layered with parchment paper at room temperature for up to 10 days. They’re most chewy the day of baking and will become slightly more tender after a day or two.
Make-Ahead
- For fresh-baked cookies on the fly, freeze the cookie dough balls airtight for up to several months. To bake, thaw the dough balls until soft but cool in the fridge or at room temperature, then flatten and bake as directed.
Notes
- In place of butter, use plant butter such as Miyoko's. Decrease the salt if the butter is salted.
- In place of the brown and granulated sugars, use an equal weight of coconut sugar and/or maple sugar.
- In place of egg, try using egg replacer or 3-4 tablespoons cream cheese (I have not tested this, but readers have found that these work well in some of my other recipes)
- In place of peanut butter, use another creamy nut butter such as almond or hazelnut butter.
- In place of blanched almond flour, use almond meal, hazelnut meal, other nut or seed meal, or try tiger nut flour (which comes from a tuber). Or make these flourless peanut butter cookies instead.
- In place of tapioca flour, sub by weight arrowroot flour, or try corn starch or potato starch
Nora says
Looks fabulous! Is there Nutrition Information available? Thank you for your inspiring and healthy recipes. Nora