These truly amazing keto peanut butter cookies are made with natural peanut butter and a touch of sweetener.
They are so very flavorful and wonderfully chewy! The fact that they are flourless makes their peanut butter flavor extra concentrated.
Made with just four ingredients, these cookies are incredibly good. They are sweet but not too sweet, soft, and chewy.
I make them with natural peanut butter and a powdered sweetener, to ensure a smooth texture. I like to add a few dark chocolate chips on top, and although you could skip those, they really take these cookies to the next level.
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Ingredients
You'll only need four simple ingredients to make these tasty cookies. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Egg: I use large eggs in most of my recipes including this one.
Powdered sugar-free sweetener: Such as erythritol.
Natural peanut butter: The only ingredients should be peanuts and salt. Make sure you've stirred it thoroughly.
Dark chocolate chips: As dark as you can go and still enjoy them! I like to use 85% cacao chocolate chips made by Pascha.
Instructions
Making these keto peanut butter cookies is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Lightly whisk an egg, then add the sweetener. Mix with a rubber spatula, then whisk until smooth.
Next, add the peanut butter and mix well using a rubber spatula. The mixture will be very thick.
Measure 1.5 tablespoons per cookie (using a cookie scoop) and shape them with your hands into a ball.
Arrange the dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and gently flatten them with your hands. Gently press a few chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie.
Bake the cookies until their edges are beginning to darken, about 15 minutes in a 350°F oven. Cool the cookies in the pan, then remove them to a cooling rack.
Expert tips
If your peanut butter is unsalted, add a bit of salt – try ¼ teaspoon. The peanut butter I use is quite salty, and the saltiness comes through in the cookies and enhances them.
It's important to let the cookies cool on the cooling rack and not in the pan. That’s when they get a proper cookie texture.
Frequently asked questions
I use Whole Foods' natural creamy peanut butter. It's salted, and there's no added sugar. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt.
It's important to mix the peanut butter well before using it. It's also best to use a fresh jar. Natural peanut butter at the bottom of the jar tends to be too dry to bake with, even if you've mixed it well when you first opened the jar.
It's best to use a powdered sweetener to ensure the cookies have a smooth, non-grainy texture.
While this recipe should work in terms of texture with any smooth and creamy natural nut butter, the flavor will obviously be very different.
If you do use almond butter, check the consistency of the batter. It should be very thick and dough-like. If it's too liquid, you might want to add some almond flour to your batter.
Variations and substitutions
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:
- It's fine to omit the chocolate chips, although they are fabulous in this recipe. If you do omit them, make the cookies pretty by using a fork to create a crisscross pattern. So after placing the dough balls on the cookie sheet, press on them with the backside of a fork, then rotate the fork 90 degrees and press again.
- Try adding a few drops of pure vanilla extract to the batter.
- One of my daughters adds a pinch of cinnamon to the batter. Personally, I'm not a fan... but she loves it.
Serving suggestions
Keto peanut butter cookies are wonderful with tea, coffee, keto hot chocolate, or a tall glass of cold almond milk.
When I make them without the chocolate chips, I sometimes turn them into sandwich cookies and add a layer of chocolate hazelnut spread in the middle.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers keep well for about 3 days in an airtight container on the counter.
If you refrigerate them, remove them from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
You can also freeze these cookies for up to three months, separated with wax paper, in freezer bags.
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Recipe card
Soft and Chewy Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup powdered erythritol
- 1 cup natural smooth peanut butter
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips I use Pascha
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, lightly whisk an egg, then add the sweetener. Mix with a rubber spatula, then whisk with a wire whisk until smooth.
- Add the peanut butter and mix well using a rubber spatula. The mixture will be very thick.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Shape them with your hands into balls.
- Arrange the dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet, 1-inch apart, and gently flatten them with your hands.
- Gently press 6-7 chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie.
- Bake the cookies until their edges are beginning to darken, about 15 minutes.
- Cool the cookies in the pan for about 10 minutes. They will be too soft to remove from the pan at this point.
- Use a spatula to gently remove the cookies to a cooling rack. Cool them to room temperature, about 30 more minutes. The cookies will be very soft initially but will harden and set as they cool and get a proper cookie texture.
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NOTES
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NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 