Valentine’s Day is upon us, and it’s my guess that a lot of folks will be consuming some form of sweets this week. It could be specialty truffles or the office candy dish full of heart-shaped chocolates. Regardless, this is typically a chocolaty, sugar-filled week. I’m not complaining nor discouraging. No, I would simply advise everyone to proceed with caution and savor every bite of only the most deserving treats. We just made it through the first month of our “new year, new me” attitude. I would hate for a sugar overload in the name of a love-themed holiday to cause a health goal setback or make anyone feel anything less than fabulous.
So, to show my love for all of YOU taking the time to read this blog, I am sharing one of my favorite cookie recipes; 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies that are low in sugar and gluten free! They are flour-less, only require 5 ingredients, minutes to prep, and 12 minutes to bake.
These cookies are seriously magical. The first time my mom made them for me I said, “Wait, where’s the flour? You can’t possibly make cookies with just those 5 ingredients, can you?!”. The answer was “YES, you sure can!”. My version here has been adapted from hers to have just a little less sugar and an optional (but not optional) chocolate dunking or drizzling sauce. These cookies are a sweet treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth with half of the sugar. Another great thing about this recipe is that you’ll spend less than half an hour making these cookies, including the baking time. You also likely have all the ingredients on hand so no special trip to the store is needed. You’ll have plenty of time to serenade your sweetie rather than stressing in the kitchen and that is what the Cheers Years recipe style is all about. π
So whether you’d like to whip up these tasty treats for a special occasion or to simply satisfy a craving with reduced guilt, these cookies are so simple and SO satisfying. Ready to make them? Here’s how:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Measure out peanut butter (you could sub any other nut butter alternative here that you like), sugar, vanilla, and egg (or sub 1 flax egg, if making vegan) and throw together in a large mixing bowl.
Hold the salt! Stir all ingredients together until it begins to form one giant cookie ball. Then, pinch off small chunks and roll them into 1 inch balls between your hands and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave about half an inch between each for pressing and room to spread out a bit during baking.
Once you have all the cookie balls lined in rows on the baking sheet, take a fork and press down once long-ways, then another sideways so that you get a neat little pattern on the cookie.
From there, after all of your cookie balls have been pressed down, you can sprinkle the top of each with a little salt. This is key! Any salt will do, but my best results have come from Kosher or sea salt.
The salt really brings out the natural sweetness of the peanut butter along with the vanilla and sugar combo.
Now the cookies are ready to bake for approximately 12 minutes. If you happen to bake the cookies before adding the salt, you can top them with salt as soon as they come out of the oven. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes (if you can wait that long!) then let’s talk about chocolate options to take these cookies to the next level.
You’re going to love how easy this homemade chocolate sauce is. 2 ingredients and 2 steps. First, measure out your 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, then add 1 tsp. of coconut oil right on top of the chips. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir until the mixture is smooth and silky chocolate sauce perfection. So easy!
I wanted to dunk half of the peanut butter cookies and then roll an edge into these colorful sprinkles. If you also decide to Jordan dunk your cookies into the chocolate sauce and then roll an edge with sprinkles, I would suggest popping them into the fridge for about 5-7 minutes afterwards so that they can set. Otherwise, drizzling chocolate sauce produces equally delicious results! You could certainly get fancy by putting the chocolate sauce into a pipping bag or a zip-lock bag with cut tip for a more precise drizzle pattern. I decided to more artfully free-hand the chocolate sauce. π
These cookies can be enjoyed by most everyone without a peanut allergy as they are gluten free and can be vegan if made with flax egg and vegan chocolate chips.
That’s it! You’re ready to enjoy. These cookies did not last long in our house. With the added chocolate sauce, these cookies reminded me so much of peanut butter cups and my childhood Valentine’s Day experiences in elementary school. We may not give tiny Valentine’s cards with candy anymore, but we can certainly give smiles, hugs, and a homemade cookie every once in a while. I hope you give these cookies a try for your next sweet snack in a snap!
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg (or flax egg)
- Pinch of salt for topping each cookie
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix together peanut butter, vanilla, sugar, and egg in a large bowl until it forms a large ball. Pinch small 1 inch mounds and roll into balls.
- Place balls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Take a fork and press down on each cookie ball long-ways then horizontally to form a criss-cross pattern.
- Sprinkle salt over each cookie and then bake 12 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Measure chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and stir until silky smooth. Either dunk cooled peanut butter cookie or drizzle chocolate sauce over. Pop dunked or drizzled cookies into the fridge for 5-7 minutes to let the chocolate set.
What are you making for those you love? I’d love to hear – comment below and let me know!
Cheers!
-XOXO, Mallory
Claire says
These cookies look delicious – I literally cannot get enough of peanut butter – can’t believe they are flour free! Are they chewy or crunchy?
Mallory says
Thank you Claire! I’m the SAME way – I love PB. π These actually are a bit crunchy, but still remain moist. The power of peanut butter as a baking base really is incredible!
Stephanie says
Wow these look amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Mallory says
Thanks so much Stephanie! I hope you get a chance to try them out! π