Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
You won’t be able to resist these incredible gluten free peanut butter cup cookies! Thick, chewy and super easy to make, they’re a fun, flourless spin on traditional peanut butter blossoms. And with only one bowl and a handful of ingredients, they’re perfect for anytime of the year. Dairy free.
Fire up those ovens because today we talk about these ridiculously easy flourless gluten free peanut butter cup cookies.
Which are so darn good my husband declared them his all-time favorite cookie. A bold statement coming from him.
But I completely get it. These babies are seriously hard to resist.
They’re thick, chewy and packed with dreamy peanut butter flavor.
There’s plenty of chopped peanut butter cups folded right into the dough PLUS extra halved peanut butter cups pressed into the cookies after baking.
You know, kinda like peanut butter blossoms but with peanut butter cups instead of chocolate kisses.
And did I mention that there’s only one bowl and a handful of ingredients involved (and no need to chill the dough)?
That’s a triple threat right there. And some major cookie love. ♡♡♡
How To Make Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
So, let’s chat about how these delicious cookies go down:
Beat together ingredients. First up, we’ll use a hand mixer to beat together some peanut butter, sugar, an egg, vanilla and baking soda until nice and combined.
Fold in chocolate. Next, we’ll use some arm power to fold in ½ cup of chopped peanut butter cups.
Scoop and bake. We’ll drop the dough onto a lined baking sheet, flatten slightly and then pop in the oven until just set.
Press in peanut butter cups. After the cookies have cooled for about 5 minutes, we’ll press half of a peanut butter cup into each.
The hardest part? Waiting for them to cool down before enjoying!
Tips & Tricks
- I mention this down in the recipe but it deserves repeating. If you are using a natural peanut butter PLEASE be sure to use one that is not at all drippy in texture and is truly no stir (i.e. it has added oils). This is important for the structure of the cookies. While I love peanut butter that only has peanuts and salt, I find it’s not the best for baking.
- Now, as far as brands, I tested these with both Skippy’s No Stir Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and Simple Truth Organic No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and both worked great (not sponsored, just what I tried myself). If you are using conventional peanut butter, any kind will work.
- Moving on. I prefer to use coconut sugar (or brown sugar) in these cookies as it adds a little bit of caramel-y flavor. But regular granulated sugar should work just fine as well.
- And finally, I did try these once with almond butter and the results were not great – the cookies had a weird spongy texture. It may have just been the brand of almond butter I used but I’d recommend sticking with peanut butter to be safe!
How To Store
The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
With that said, I do find they taste best when enjoyed within the first 2 to 3 days.
Additionally, I highly suggest layering the cookies with parchment paper to keep them from sticking to one another.
Additional Gluten Free Desserts You Might Enjoy:
- Flourless Peanut Butter S’mores Cookies
- Gluten Free Monster Cookies
- Gluten Free Dairy Free Apple Crisp
- Dairy Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Dairy Free Brownies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies
- Almond Flour Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
You won’t be able to resist these incredible gluten free peanut butter cup cookies! Thick, chewy and super easy to make, they’re a fun, flourless spin on traditional peanut butter blossoms. And there's only one bowl and a handful of ingredients involved. Dairy free.
Ingredients
- 14 mini peanut butter cups, divided*
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter**
- ½ cup coconut sugar (or lightly packed brown sugar)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Unwrap all the peanut butter cups. Slice 8 of the cups in half, place them on a dish, then transfer to the freezer to chill for 20 minutes before proceeding with the recipe (this helps the cups stick and not completely melt once in the cookies - keep them in the freezer until ready to use).
- Chop the remaining 6 peanut butter cups and set aside (you should have about ½ cup).
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt with a hand mixer until well combined. Use a spatula to gently fold in the ½ cup chopped peanut butter cups (it will be a thick batter).
- Scoop about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the dough and drop on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Use your fingers to slightly flatten each cookie as they won’t spread much during baking.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are just set and starting to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, working quickly, press half of a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie cut side up.
- Let the cookies finish cooling completely on the baking sheet (try not to move them at all while cooling - this helps prevent the peanut butter cups from getting too melt-y).
Notes
*To keep these dairy free / gluten free - be sure to use an appropriate brand of mini peanut butter cups (I personally use Justin’s mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups which are both dairy and gluten free at the time of writing).
**If you are using a natural peanut butter, be sure to use one that is truly no stir and not at all drippy in texture (i.e. it has added oils). If you use something that is drippy, it won’t behave quite the same in the recipe. See the tips & tricks section in the post above for my recommendations on natural peanut butter brands to use in these cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 4g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
I made these today for a friend’s cookout. My friend must eat gluten free. For 3 cookies for my friend, I made the batter without peanut butter cups and then added a Hershey’s chocolate square (gluten free) on top. The remainder of the cookies I did per the recipe. My peanut butter cups were not gluten free so that’s why I had to deviate from the recipe. My friends liked all of the cookies-those with Hershey’s chocolate and those with peanut butter cups. I’m surprised more people have not rated this recipe. I appreciated not having to use almond flour. I cooked for 15 minutes and they were perfect!
I’m so happy to hear you all enjoyed them Ashley! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I can never pass up flourless peanut butter cookies! These look irresistible!
I’m so with you! And they’re so easy to make!
Wish I could have one right now 🙂 They look so good with peanut butter cups.
You can’t go wrong with chocolate + peanut butter!