These classic gluten free peanut butter cookies are just like the ones you remember from your childhood! Soft, chewy, and full of peanut flavor, these are like the ones your mom used to make!
Cookies are a total comfort food for me. Maybe they are for you, too?
I definitely remember my mom’s peanut butter cookies growing up…they were so delicious, and she did the crisscross thing on top with the fork, just like I’ve done here. I used to love to help her mix the batter and then roll it into balls – we had lots of fun baking together.
I do have a flourless peanut butter cookie recipe that I love, and I did adapt that one to be egg free as well, but I was missing the sweeter, more tender cookie that you get when you use flour along with peanut butter. So I tried my hand at making classic gluten free peanut butter cookies, and I was soooo happy that they turned out really well! Darryl says they are the best peanut butter cookies he’s ever had.
These gluten free peanut butter cookies are perfect for:
- dunking in a glass of milk
- taking on a picnic
- making for a friend who can’t eat gluten, dairy, or eggs
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Classic Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.
Tender and chewy, these gluten free peanut butter cookies are a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup organic canola oil
- 1/4 cup vegan buttery spread softened
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Mix sugar, peanut butter, applesauce, oil and maple syrup in large bowl. Stir in all other ingredients.
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Pat the dough into a disk, and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm. (This is important! With this gluten free dough, you need the full 2 hours to chill).
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Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
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Bake 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets once. Cool for ten minutes – they will break if you try to move them too soon. (Of course if they break, you have a good excuse to gobble up the broken pieces!) Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.
These are really good with a glass of almond milk. Or tea, or hot chocolate. Or plain…you really can’t go wrong here. :)
Anyone else ready for a mid-week cookie break?
This post is part of my series, “31 Days of Gluten, Dairy, and Egg Free Comfort Food.”
Kelly Roenicke
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These cookies look amazing! I love baking gluten-free treats and have yet to make a PB cookie using GF flour. HUGE PB fan over here, so these are a must-make! :)
Thanks, Julia! I hope you love them! We love peanut butter here, too!
I love peanut butter cookies! Especially vegan and gluten free ones. :)
The kids and I made these cookies today. Yum! Thanks for a great recipe
Which gluten free flour do you recommend? Does the type make a difference?
I like the Namaste perfect flour blend, and I also like the Trader Joe’s gluten free flour blend as well. You should be able to use any gluten free blend that says that it is a cup for cup substitution for regular flour.
Which means I could simply use regular whole wheat flour?
These cookies look delicious! I used to make the recipe on the Kraft peanut butter jar… processed PB and white refined sugar. Fortunately, times have changed! :)
Can you use regular flour instead of gluten free?
Yes, you sure can!
Does the dough still need the 2hours to chill in that case?
I’m not a fan of gluten free baking, so I’d like to use regular flour instead. Maybe use spelt/dinkel wheat flour for that special taste for the second try of making it.
I am looking to make these for a family member who is gluten, egg, dairy & sugar free. She can have maple syrup so I was wondering if I could replace the 3/4 cup white sugar with maybe 1/2 cup maple syrup, or do you think they would have too much liquid in them?
is there a substitute for the applesauce?
You can use mashed banana if that works for you!
Wow, these are so good, every bit as good as regular pb cookies! I am gluten, dairy, egg, and corn-free due to an autoimmune disease, and of the cookie recipes I’ve made so far, these are far and away the best! (Since baking powder contains cornstarch, I put in an extra 1/4 t. baking soda and 1/4 t. cream of tartar instead.) Thank you so much for this recipe!
For anyone wondering about my flour blend, I used 3/8 c. tapioca starch, 3/8 c. potato starch, 3 T sorghum flour, 3 T brown rice flour, 2 T coconut flour, and 1 t. xanthan gum.
So glad you liked these! I like your substitution for the baking powder. There is a brand of corn free baking powder – Featherweight is the brand name. I’m not sure if that would work for you or not, but it sounds like you have it covered with the baking soda and cream of tartar anyway. :)
I like to freeze cookie dough to make a few cookies at a time, do you think this recipe would freeze well?
Yes, I think it would freeze fine!