Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
on Feb 26, 2024, Updated Mar 27, 2026
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These almond flour peanut butter cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with peanut butter flavour. Made with just a few simple ingredients in one bowl, they come together quickly and bake up perfectly tender every time.
They’re naturally gluten-free and easy to customize, making them a great option when you want a homemade treat without much effort. These cookies are simple, satisfying, and consistently good!
Top Review
These are so easy to make and very delicious. I used crunchy peanut butter for an extra bit of texture. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks Deryn!
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- Soft and chewy with rich peanut butter flavour
- Made with just 4 simple ingredients
- Naturally gluten-free and vegan
- Quick and easy, ready in about 20 minutes
- Easy to customize with chocolate chips or add-ins
I also have these Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies for a variation on peanut butter. If you’re craving cookie dough but not the baking, you can use almond flour to make Healthy Edible Cookie Dough or Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough.
I also have these Peanut Butter Powder Cookies made with oat flour, so another gluten-free option!
🔍 Recipe at a Glance
Prep Time: 10 min
Chill Time: 12 min
Servings: 12 cookies
Nutrition: 160 cal each
Diet: Vegan, gluten-free.
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredient Notes
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Almond Flour: You’ll need blanched almond flour, not almond meal. You can use store-bought almond flour or make your own by finely blending blanched almonds. Do not use almond meal or your cookies will be dark and gritty (you can use it, the cookies will just be different). The flour adds texture and structure. The recipe has not been tested with alternate flours.
- Peanut Butter: You’ll need natural smooth peanut butter. It should be nearly pourable/runny and not overly dry (don’t use the peanut butter at the end of the jar). If your peanut butter is unsalted, add a little pinch of salt to the cookies. You can substitute peanut butter with another nut or seed butter for peanut-free cookies.
- Maple Syrup: This can be substituted with agave syrup or honey, you may need to adjust the amount slightly if use a sweetener with a different moisture content than maple syrup. Do not substitute a granulated sweetener like coconut sugar as you need the moisture from the liquid sweetener.
- Vanilla: A must for the best flavour!
Extra almond flour? You can also try these almond flour matcha cookies, sesame tahini cookies and chocolate chip almond flour cookies.
Recipe Variations
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add up to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. Regular chocolate chips are ok but mini chips mix in a little easier. If you’re not adding chocolate chips to the cookie dough, try placing a chunk of chocolate in the centre of each cookie.
- Raisin Walnut: Add 1/2 cup each chopped walnuts and raisins.
- Peanuts: For double peanut cookies, add up to 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts to the dough.
- Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies: Create a well in the centre of each rolled cookie dough ball using your thumb or a small measuring spoon and fill with jam to make PB & J thumbprint cookies.
- Spiced Cookies: Add up to 1 tsp cinnamon and/or a pinch of nutmeg. Chai spice would be yummy too!
How to Make Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until completely smooth.
- Add the almond flour and mix until you have a thick, moldable dough. If it’s too wet, add a sprinkle of almond flour. If it’s too dry, add 1 tsp plant-based milk or a little extra peanut butter.
- Scoop the dough into 12 roughly 1-heaping tablespoon scoops, then use your hands to roll the scoops into balls.
- Place the balls evenly on the lined baking sheet and press the top of each cookie with the back of a fork to create a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms are just golden brown. The edges should be set and centre soft. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Optional. If you’d like to dip your cookies, wait until the cookies are completely cooled, then dip into melted chocolate and place back on cooling rack to set.
Tips for Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
- Don’t overbake. These cookies will look soft and slightly underdone when you take them out. That’s what you want. They firm up as they cool, overbaking will make them dry and hard.
- Use natural peanut butter. Smooth, runny peanut butter works best. Thick or processed peanut butter can make the dough too dry or affect the texture.
- Adjust the dough if needed. The dough should be thick and easy to roll. Too wet: add a little more almond flour. Too dry: add 1 tsp plant-based milk or a bit more peanut butter
- Flatten before baking. These cookies won’t spread much on their own. Press them down with a fork to get the classic shape and even baking.
- Let them cool before handling. They’re very soft straight out of the oven and can fall apart. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes to firm up.
- Add salt if needed. If your peanut butter is unsalted, add up to ¼–½ tsp salt to enhance the flavour.
- Dip your fork in water. This prevents sticking when pressing the cookies and keeps the tops smooth.
How to Store and Freeze
- Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4–5 days. They’ll stay soft and chewy.
- Freeze: Freeze baked cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the unbaked dough balls and bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. To make these keto peanut butter cookies, use liquid monk fruit sweetener such as the one from Lakanto.
This may happen if you didn’t use a digital scale to measure ingredients and the ratios are off, or your peanut butter is too dry.
If the cookie dough is too dry, add almond milk 1 teaspoon at at time until you can form the cookies. If the cookie dough is too wet, add almond flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you can form the cookies.
No. You can substitute almond butter, cashew butter, tahini or sunflower butter.
Yes, you can use crunchy peanut butter to make these cookies.
Yes. This recipe is doubled for a double batch or cut in half if you only want 6 cookies.
I developed this recipe specifically for almond flour and I have not tested alternative flours. If you are confident with gluten-free flour substitutions, feel free to make a substitution. I have not tried all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour in this recipe. I can’t guarantee success if you swap the flour, sorry!
Troubleshooting
If your cookies didn’t turn out quite right, here are a few quick fixes to help you troubleshoot and get perfect results next time. My best tip is to measure accurately with a scale for the best results!
| Problem | Possible Cause | How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies are too dry or hard | Over baked, too much almond flour or substituted almond flour | Bake for less time (they should look soft when removed), measure almond flour accurately (don’t over-pack), follow recipe. |
| Cookies are too soft or falling apart | Underbaked or handled too soon | Let cool for at least 10-15 minutes before moving. They firm up as they cool. |
| Dough is too dry | Peanut butter too thick or not enough moisture | Add 1 tsp plant-based milk or a bit more peanut butter. |
| Dough is too wet/sticky | Peanut butter too runny or not enough almond flour | Add 1–2 tbsp almond flour until dough is easy to handle. |
| Cookies taste bland | Not enough salt or vanilla | Add a pinch of salt and ensure vanilla is included. |
| Cookies are too crumbly | Inaccurate measurements | Double-check measurements, use a scale and ensure dough is well mixed. |
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
More Recipes to Try!
Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup creamy natural peanut butter, 167 g
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup packed almond flour, 112 g
Optional Chocolate Dip
- ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, 80 g
- 2 tsp coconut oil, 10 g
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until well combined. If your peanut butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt.⅔ cup creamy natural peanut butter, ⅓ cup maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add Almond Flour: Mix in the almond flour until well combined into a uniform dough. If the ingredients were measured accurately, you should have the perfect consistency to roll the dough into balls. However, if the dough seems too wet or dry you may need to adjust it a bit. If it's too wet, add a sprinkle of almond flour. If it's too dry, add 1 tsp plant-based milk or a little extra peanut butter.1 cup packed almond flour
- Shape Cookies: Scoop 12 roughly 1-heaping tablespoon sized scoops using a spoon or small cookie scoop and place them evenly spread out on the baking tray. Adjust as needed if some are bigger than others. Use your hands to roll each scoop into a smooth ball. Use a wetted fork to press down on each cookie twice, creating a crisscross pattern.
- Bake and Cool: Bake cookies at 350˚F (177˚C) for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are just turning golden. Remove the cookies from the oven and let sit on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. This helps the cookies firm up.
- Optional Chocolate Dip: If you'd like to add the optional chocolate dip, wait until the cookies have cooled for at least 30 minutes. Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil, preferably in a small, deep bowl, in the microwave in 20-second increments until completely smooth. Dip each cookie into the chocolate half-way then place back on the baking tray. Tip: Place the cooling rack on top of the baking sheet you used for baking (if lined with parchment paper) or place a piece of parchment paper under it for easy clean up. Let the cookies set for at room temperature or transfer to the fridge until the chocolate has set.½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2 tsp coconut oil
Love this recipe! It’s easy and delicious. I like to add a little honey. I just add it into the measuring cup when measuring the maple syrup.
Thank you, Shelly!
Can you replace the maple syrup with a granular sugar-free substitute or would it be too dry? Wanting to make this recipe keto-friendly.
It would be too dry, sorry. You could use a sugar-free maple syrup like Lakanto.