Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

Ever since I shared the recipe for my almond butter cookies made with almond flour I have been getting emails from readers asking me if they can make them using peanut butter instead. 

The answer is yes, and that is what we are making today. These almond peanut cookies are based on that recipe and are just as delicious, and ahem, addictive. Just like my Tahini Almond Flour Cookies and Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So, those of you who are peanut butter lovers and need a paleo-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, low-carb, and refined sugar-free peanut butter cookie recipe you are right where you should be.

I know I am excited to add a brand new recipe to my collection of almond flour baked goods.

Made with only 7 simple ingredients (plus optional chocolate chips), these gluten free cookies come together in a food processor in just a few minutes. They are sweetened with coconut sugar but with just one ingredient swap you can easily make them keto-friendly as well (more on that later.)

I used O Organics® Unsalted Organic Peanut Butter, Open Nature® Almond Flour, and Signature SELECT™ Parchment Paper that I purchased from our local Shaw’s to make them. I love that I can easily find the highest quality of organic and natural ingredients for all my holiday baking needs. Not to mention, all with compatible prices in just one quick trip and without having to go to multiple places.

What is in this recipe?

As I mentioned earlier, you will only need 7 basic ingredients for this recipe.

Gather together almond flour, baking powder, sea salt (kosher salt would also work), natural peanut butter, coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.

A Few Helpful Notes About The Ingredients:

• Add in chocolate chips: While it is optional, I usually add in a handful of chocolate chips in the end. If you too are a fan of almond peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, then you will need a quarter cup of chocolate chips as well.
• Ingredients should be at room temperature: As it is in most baked goods, in order to ensure even baking it is important that all your ingredients are at room temperature.
• Peanut Butter: I used a creamy peanut butter without any sugar added. If you use one that is sweetened you may have to adjust the amount of sugar you use. Or better yet, make your own. Here is a tutorial on How To Make Peanut Butter from scratch in 5 minutes.
• Almond Flour vs Almond Meal: You can use almond meal and almond flour interchangeably in this recipe. If you can’t get your hands on almond flour, be sure to check out my Homemade Almond Flour recipe.
• Brown Sugar: If you can’t get your hands on coconut sugar, you can use an equal amount of light brown sugar in this recipe.

How To Make?

The process of making these peanut butter almond flour cookies could not be easier. Simply:

1. Preheat the oven & prep your sheet pans: Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Place all ingredients in the food processor: While you can mix everything in a bowl by hand, I prefer a food processor attached with the blade attachment as it is much quicker. 
3. Pulse until combined: Pulse everything for 8-10 times in 1-second increments just until all ingredients are fully mixed (as shown in the picture above.) You do not want to let it run for a long time. Since the dough is very sticky if you run it nonstop it could clog your food processor.

4. Scoop onto the sheet pan: Using a small cookie scoop, measure 2-tablespoon balls of dough and place them 2 inches apart from one another on a single layer on the sheet pan. Alternatively, you can roll them in between the palm of your hand, but please be aware that this is a very sticky cookie batter.
5. Sea salt on top: While it is optional, I highly recommend sprinkling the top of each cookie with a pinch of (about 1/16 of a teaspoon) coarse sea salt.
6. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes or until they spread slightly, form crunchy edges and turn light golden brown. Be sure to rotate and swap the sheet pans mid-way through.

7. Let them cool and enjoy: Let cool for 3 minutes in the sheet pan and then transfer onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Variations:

• Use almond meal instead of almond flour: I am a big fan of Open Nature’s almond flour and enjoy baking with it. However, you can also use almond meal to make this peanut butter cookie recipe.
• Keto diet friendly peanut butter cookies: If you are following a low or no-carb diet, you can make peanut butter keto cookies by simply swapping coconut sugar with monk fruit sweetener. 
• With chocolate chips: I personally cannot imagine these peanut almond cookies without chocolate chips. While it is a little more work, I think the addition of a quarter cup of chocolate chips takes these cookies to the next level.

To do so, transfer the dough into a large bowl and mix in the chocolate chips. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed. And if you are a fan of chocolate chip cookies, be sure to check out my almond flour chocolate chip cookies.

Do I Need To Refrigerate and Let Cookie Dough Rest?

During my recipe testings, I tried it both ways. Honestly, there was not much of a difference in taste, so it is okay to bake them right away.

However, it is totally okay to make them a few hours ahead, cover them with stretch film, and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake.

How To Store & Freeze?

As it is with most cookies, these almond flour peanut butter cookies are best on the day they are baked. However, my family enjoys them for several days after I bake a batch as well. 

To store leftovers, be sure to cool them fully on a wire rack before placing them into an airtight container. They should be fresh for up to 3 days on the kitchen counter.

These gluten free almond and peanut butter cookies are perfect for freezing. As a matter of fact, I usually make a batch, bake some right away, and freeze the rest later to bake whenever I want freshly baked cookies.
To freeze:

• Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Cover the sheet pan tightly with stretch film.
• Place in the freezer and let it sit for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Next day, transfer them into a plastic freezer bag, get the air out of the bag as much as you can and seal tightly.
• When ready to bake, take them out of the freezer and let them sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before baking. 

I should note that, as is the case with most almond flour baked goods, they will not fully freeze. This is due to the high fat content of almond flour and peanut butter and it is totally normal.

Can I Freeze Already Baked Cookies? 

Technically, you can also freeze the already-baked cookies as well. However, I find that freshly baked peanut almond cookies are much better than reheated cookies. 

Still, if you have some leftover cookies that you want to freeze, bring them to room temperature and then place in a freezer bag and seal tightly before placing in the freezer.

A Word On The Ingredients:

As you can see in the pictures, I am a fan of the O Organics®, Open Nature® and Signature SELECT™ products that are available exclusively from our local Shaw’s grocery store. I appreciate the convenience of finding the best quality ingredients for all my baking needs all in one place.

If you are not living close to a Shaw’s, you can also find them exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Carrs/Safeway.

Visit shaws.com to find a store near you and discover meal prep tips and recipe ideas.

FAQs:

If you try this Almond Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.