These no-bake peanut butter cookies are bursting with peanut butter flavor! They are perfectly sweet, chewy, and tender. The cookies are vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, and refined sugar-free.
Raw cookies are one of my favorite desserts (any raw desserts are my favorite, really).
There are a few reasons why I prefer raw and no-bake cookies over classic baked cookies:
- Flavor: raw cookies taste fuller and have a greater variety of flavors than baked cookies. The main reason is that all the nutrients stay intact.
- Texture: no-bake cookies have an entirely different texture and mouthfeel than baked cookies. They are not dry, crunchy/soft, or even crumbly. In general, the texture of no-bake cookies is denser and moister although there are ways to create light and airy no-bake cookies.
- Color: have you ever noticed how vibrant raw desserts are? They make a stunning addition to any occasion.
So, with that said, let’s make no-bake peanut butter cookies.
Tips for Making No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
These easy no-bake peanut butter cookies require only three ingredients:
- Almond flour: the beauty of no-bake cookies is that the recipe is almost always fairly flexible. I prefer using finely ground almond flour here, but almond meal or oat flour works just fine as a substitute.
- Medjool dates: my favorite type of dates in raw desserts are Medjool dates. They are sweet, caramel-like, soft, and juicy. However, you can use any dates you like as long as the dates are soft and not overly dry. If your dates are too dry, soak them in water first, so they soften up a little.
- Peanut butter: look for natural peanut butter with a smooth, slightly runny consistency. Dry, stiff peanut butter is difficult to work with and may result in incohesive cookies. If you’d like to make these no-bake peanut butter cookies raw, look for raw peanut butter. There’s a misconception that peanut butter is never raw. The truth is that while peanut butter is typically made from roasted peanuts, you can find peanut butter made from raw peanuts. You can also make homemade peanut butter using raw shelled peanuts. Whether you use peanut butter made from raw or roasted peanuts, make sure it’s natural with peanuts (and potentially salt) being the only ingredient.
How to Make No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Want to learn how to make easy, no-bake cookies? Here’s what you need to do:
- Process the ingredients. Add the almond flour, Medjool dates, and peanut butter to a food processor bowl fitted with an S blade and process until all the ingredients begin to stick together. The mixture should be moist and tender. If it’s too dry, pulse it a little bit more or add 1 Tbsp./15 ml coconut oil to help bind everything together.
- Shape the mixture. Using a 2-Tbsp./30-ml cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out the mixture and roll it into a ball (or form it into a mound). Place the ball onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. Then use a fork and press down to give the peanut butter cookies their signature crisscross pattern.
- Chill. Transfer the peanut butter cookies to the refrigerator to firm up, for about 20 minutes.
- Dip in chocolate (optional). Once chilled, you can dip the sides of the no-bake cookies in melted chocolate.
Peanut Butter Cookies Variations
There are many possible variations of these cookies – add vanilla extract, stir in chocolate chips, drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate, etc.
Also, if you don’t feel like shaping the dough into flat cookies, you can roll them into energy bites.
How to Store No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- Refrigerating: transfer the cookies to an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 1 month.
- Freezing: transfer the cookies to an airtight container, separating each layer with parchment paper so the cookies don’t stick together, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
More No-Bake Cookies Recipes
If you love these no-bake peanut butter cookies, try these raw desserts next:
- Peanut butter & jelly thumbprint cookies: if you love peanut butter and jelly but want an upgraded version of the classic, make these no-bake thumbprint cookies. They are sweet, peanut buttery, and filled with a tart, flavorful jam.
- Coconut macaroons: the most coconut-y of all cookies, these coconut macaroons will leave you in tropical, coconutty heaven. They are delicious by themselves but even more irresistible when dipped in dark chocolate.
- Chocolate coconut macaroons: if you love the combination of chocolate and coconut, these raw chocolate coconut macaroons will be your new favorite dessert. They are coconutty, chocolaty, tender, and slightly chewy.
If you try any of these recipes, please, leave a comment and rate the recipe below. It always means a lot when you do.
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour , finely ground
- 3/4 cup Medjool dates , pitted
- 1/2 cup peanut butter , smooth
- pinch sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Process the ingredients. Add the almond flour, Medjool dates, peanut butter, and salt to a food processor bowl fitted with an S blade and process until all the ingredients begin to stick together. The mixture should be moist and tender. If it's too dry, pulse it a little bit more or add 1 Tbsp./15 ml coconut oil to help bind everything together.
- Shape the mixture. Using a 2-Tbsp./30-ml cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out the mixture and roll it into a ball (or form it into a mound). Place the ball onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. Then use a fork and press down to give the peanut butter cookies their signature crisscross pattern.
- Chill. Transfer the peanut butter cookies to the refrigerator to firm up, for about 20 minutes.
- Dip in chocolate (optional). Once chilled, dip the sides of the cookies in melted chocolate and then place the peanut butter cookies back onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate to allow the chocolate to set, for about 10 minutes.
- Store. Leftover peanut butter cookies keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. For longer-term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
will make peanut cookies, they soung great. thanks
Thank you, Frances! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Wow so good!!! Can’t believe these are raw and so few ingredients! Thank you for creating this 🙂
Thank you for the kind feedback and rating!❤️ So happy you liked the cookies.