Lovable Peanut Butter Cookies

Four ingredients, no flour, no butter. These flourless peanut butter cookies get all their structure from the protein in egg whites and the natural fats already in the peanut butter. The result is naturally gluten-free, lower in saturated fat than typical peanut butter cookies, and packed with peanut flavor.

Egg whites instead of whole eggs is the unusual choice, and it shapes the texture. Without yolks, the cookies bake firmer and crisper at the edges with a slightly chewier center. They also stay paler in color, which lets the peanut bits on top show off more.

The chopped peanuts in the dough plus the optional whole peanut pressed on top double down on peanut intensity in every bite. Use natural peanut butter (the stuff that separates) for the cleanest flavor; commercial brands with added sugar will push these toward overly sweet.

The classic fork-flattening trick gives them their crosshatch look and helps them bake evenly. Skip it and they hold their ball shape and bake unevenly through the middle.

Pro Tips

• Roll the dough into uniform walnut-sized balls. Inconsistent sizes mean some cookies are dry and some doughy at the same bake time.
• Don’t grease the pan. Peanut butter contains enough fat to release on its own, and grease can make these spread too thin.
• Let the cookies cool on the sheet for several minutes before moving. They’re fragile right out of the oven and firm up as they cool.
• Bake just to the edge of golden. Overbaked, they turn dry and crumbly fast.

Variations

• Use brown sugar instead of white for a more caramelized, slightly chewier cookie.
• Press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie right out of the oven for a peanut blossom version.
• Stir in a half cup of mini chocolate chips before rolling for a peanut-chocolate combo.