My goodness, this week has been a shit show. Both Rich and I got hideous colds. Not just bad colds but the In bed for a week colds. THE WORST. Thankfully early January isn't too busy for us so we were able to hide away in our apartment until we weathered the sick storm. Of course now it is safe to come out it's bloody freezing outside. Can't win.
Today I finally felt better, so of course it was time to make cookies! I have made these a bunch of times but never gotten around to sharing them. bought a few sometimes from our local smoothie shop without realising that I had the recipe sitting at home. They are from the Ovenly cookbook, which is one of my faves, but I also took a lot of notes from the Queen herself, Deb of Smitten Kitchen. These cookies only have four ingredients - Peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. You simply whisk it all up, scoop them out, and bang them in the oven and it is a done deal! They are fudgy on the inside, and a lovely level of sweetness, balanced out by flaky sea salt on the top. They also happen to be dairy and gluten free, by some sort of happy accident (which in my opinion is the best way!). THE BEST EVER AND YOU HAVE TO TRY THESE.
I followed Deb's tips and froze the mixture both before scooping and before baking to help keep the striations on the top, but you can most definitely just scoop them out straight away if you are strapped for time / aren't as worried about the look of the tops. I used a ¼ cup sized cookie scoop, which gave me 12 cookies, but you could use a 2 Tbsp scoop to make twice as many. If you don't have a cookie scoop in your life, I strongly suggest that you get one right away, they are a game changer (I have about four and use them all as much as each other)
Ovenly suggests that you use Skippy peanut butter, which is, for those not from America, a smooth, more heavily processed peanut butter, as it helps them hold their shape well (For NZers, Kraft Smooth would work really well, otherwise any smooth peanut butter will work perfectly! I'm a big Eta or sanitarium fan)
I converted both the peanut butter and sugar measurements into grams because I dunno about you, but measuring peanut butter with a cup seems to be a recipe for disaster. If you don't have scales, I highly suggest spraying the inside of the cup measure with a little baking spray before you start so that the peanut butter slides out nicely. Trust me on this one, it makes things much less sticky. And there is far less chance of getting it in your hair (Trust me on that one too)
Made this recipe and love it?
If you made this recipe then I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!
A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
PrintGluten Free, Dairy Free Peanut butter cookies
- Yield: Makes 12 large cookies or 24 smaller cookies. 1x
Description
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Peanut butter cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (490g) Smooth peanut butter
- 1 ¾ cup (350g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until uniform and well combined, and you cannot see any streaks of peanut butter. (I started with a whisk and finished with a rubber spatula).
- Place the bowl of mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Using a ¼ cup cookie scoop for larger cookies or a 2 Tbsp scoop for smaller cookies, scoop out portions onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading. (I grouped them close together to begin with so they would fit in the freezer, then spread later for baking because we have a teeny freezer).
- Place the baking tray in the freezer for 15 minutes to allow the cookies to firm.
- Sprinkle with sea salt, and Bake for 19 to 22 minutes for large cookies, or 14 to 16 minutes for smaller, until golden brown around the edges.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing using a spatula, and cooling completely on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
From Ovenly, following method by Smitten Kitchen
Leave a comment & rating, or ask a question