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Occasionally I see recipes that look like they’re so easy a monkey could make them. So I decided to test a few of these “2 ingredient” recipes and see how they turned out. A few failed miserably, but my quest was successful with this peanut butter cookie recipe using 2 ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen pantry.
Peanut butter is one of my favorite treats, but when I’m feeling like a treat in the middle of the week (I love desserts), it’s not easy to whip up something luxurious like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or Brenda Gantt Biscuits. But lately, I’ve been craving peanut butter on any day of the week. In fact, I’ve been craving it uncontrollably for the last couple of weeks. Tonight, I decided to satisfy my craving with these 2 ingredient peanut butter cookies.
What is 2 Ingredients Peanut Butter Cookies?
These 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are the simplest, most delicious cookies you will ever make. It’s not surprising that these cookies are so easy to make—they’ve been around since the 1930s. The first recipe for them appeared in a 1936 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, but they were popularized by the Betty Crocker Cooking School Cookbook in 1948.
These cookies are made with only 2 ingredients: crunchy peanut butter and sugar. For an extra treat, you can add chocolate chips or M&M’s after you’ve baked them.
The original recipe calls for margarine instead of butter, but we think it’s tastier with real butter. They’re also good without any add-ins at all—just straight-up peanut butter cookie goodness!
Ingredients
- 2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 1 cup sugar
How to make 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter and sugar until well blended and crumbly in texture (about 2 minutes). Add in optional ingredients if desired.
- Use an ice cream scoop to drop batter onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2″ apart from one another (you should get 12 cookies total). Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown.
- Cool on wire racks before serving.
Tips
- Make sure you use creamy peanut butter, not crunchy. The crunchy peanut butter will give you a very different texture.
- Don’t bake them for too long! They’re only supposed to be lightly browned on top, not golden brown like traditional cookies. This is important because it helps them maintain their softness for longer periods of time (if you want to keep them around that long).
- Make sure you have a good non-stick pan for baking these cookies; otherwise, they’ll stick and fall apart—and that would just be sad!
Health Benefits
Peanut butter cookies are one of the best things in the world. They’re delicious, they’re filling, and they can be made with just about any kind of flour. But did you know that they’re also good for you?
Here are just some of the health benefits of peanut butter cookies:
- They can lower your risk of heart disease. Peanut butter is rich in protein and unsaturated fats; these two nutrients help lower cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
- They can help you lose weight. The high-protein content of peanut butter cookies makes them a great snack to keep cravings at bay when dieting. They also make a great base for healthy desserts: mix in some fruit or vegetables to boost their nutritional value!
- They can help you get stronger muscles. Peanut butter contains high levels of amino acids, which are essential for building muscle mass as well as repairing damaged muscle tissue after exercise sessions.
- They can improve your mood! Eating peanut butter has been shown to increase serotonin levels (the happy hormone), making it easier for people who suffer from depression or anxiety disorders like panic attacks or PTSD to feel happier overall throughout their day-to-day lives.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 cookie (17g)
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 8g
- Protein: 5g
- Carbohydrate: 15g
FAQ
What ingredient makes cookies more moist?
The answer is eggs! Eggs are the ingredient that makes cookies moister. When an egg is added to the cookie dough, the protein in the eggs helps to hold water in the cookie dough and make it nice and chewy.
What makes cookies fluffy vs. flat?
Fluffy cookies are made by creaming the butter and sugar together, then adding in other ingredients. This creates air pockets that make the cookie soft and light. Flat cookies are made by mixing the butter with the dry ingredients first, then adding liquids and eggs to create a dense texture.
Conclusion
It’s a perfect cookie recipe, everything you could want in the average peanut butter cookie: soft and dense, with nice crispy edges that have been dusted with powdered sugar. This 2 ingredient peanut butter cookies is easy to make and never last long at my house! Everyone loves them! Let me know what different variations you come up with!
Ingredients
- 2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter and sugar until well blended and crumbly in texture (about 2 minutes). Add in optional ingredients if desired.
- Use an ice cream scoop to drop batter onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2" apart from one another (you should get 12 cookies total). Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown.
- Cool on wire racks before serving.
