No Gluten Peanut Butter Cookies

Proof that you don’t need flour, butter, or a long ingredient list to bake a real cookie. Just three things go in the bowl: a cup of peanut butter, half a cup of sugar, and a single egg. No flour means these are naturally gluten-free, and it also lets the peanut flavor come through pure and intense.

The egg is the entire structure here. Without flour to bind, it’s what holds the cookie together and keeps it from crumbling, so don’t skip it or change the ratio.

Roll the dough into small balls and press the classic crosshatch with a floured fork, which flattens the dense dough so it bakes through evenly. About eight minutes in the oven is all they need, until just set. They firm up as they cool, so pull them while the centers still look soft for a chewy bite.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a no-stir conventional peanut butter for the most reliable texture. Natural, oily peanut butter can make the dough greasy and the cookies spread or crumble.
• Let them cool on the pan before moving them. Flourless cookies are fragile while hot and set firm as they cool.
• Pull them at eight minutes even if they look soft. Overbaking turns them dry and crumbly fast.

Variations

• Use crunchy peanut butter for little nuggets of texture in each bite.
• Roll the dough balls in sugar before baking for a sparkly, crackled top.
• Press a chocolate kiss into each cookie right out of the oven for gluten-free blossoms.