Classic peanut butter cookies. Crumbly in their own texture with a bit of chewiness to it. These came out almost as good as the real thing, only problem was – they’re a tad crunchier. If you notice in the recipe, I only have 15 balls but in the macros I have that it makes 18 total. That’s because I ate some of the batter since it couldn’t fit onto the baking sheet.
Using a meat hammer on cookies seems pretty weird, but for the pattern on the cookies I used the spiked side of the hammer. It works well for peanut butter cookies giving a more “classic” peanut butter cookie look. You can always use a fork, but it is much harder to impart a pattern.
If you make your own peanut butter you will reduce the carbs big time in this. Or, use almond butter! That decadence doesn’t fall into my budget until I start making my own, though. I think you’ll enjoy these!
Warning: They won’t seem like they’re done when they come out the oven, just keep your judgement true and let them cool completely. I put them in the fridge, still on the baking sheet, and allow the fats in them to harden. This gives them the crumbly texture you’re looking for from peanut butter cookies.
Yields 15-18 total Peanut Butter Cookies
The Preparation
- 5 tablespoons butter, salted, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6.3 tablespoons erythritol
- 1 large egg
The Execution
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In a mixing bowl, add your softened butter and peanut butter.
3. Add your heavy cream and mix thoroughly.
4. Add your flax seed and coconut flour. You can add additional spices here if you’d like to have a different flavor.
5. Mix the batter well until it becomes a bit thick and dough-like.
6. Add your baking soda, baking powder, and erythritol and stir in very well. As you stir vigorously, the residual heat from the friction will start to warm the peanut butter.
7. Add your egg to the mixture.
8. Continue mixing very well until you get a creamy, but still a pliable mixture.
9. Roll your cookie dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Make sure they are spread apart at least 1 inch on each side.
10. Press each cookie down with your finger and then lightly trace a pattern on the top (if you’d like). I used a meat hammer to impart the pattern in mine.
11. Bake them for 15 minutes. You want semi-crisp edges here. When you take them out of the oven they will feel extremely soft to the touch, but you need to let them completely cool. Once they come back to room temperature, they will start to harden up a little bit so they can be moved around easily.
12. As they are cooling, sprinkle the top with Erythritol.
This makes a total of 18 servings of Classic Peanut Butter Cookies. Each serving comes out to be 92 calories, 8.3g fats, 1.4g net carbs, and 2.8g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 5 tablespoon butter | 509 | 57.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 |
| 1/2 cup peanut butter | 759 | 64.5 | 25.8 | 7.7 | 18.1 | 32.3 |
| 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream | 51 | 5.4 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| 1/4 cup flaxseed meal | 139 | 10.9 | 7.5 | 7 | 0.5 | 4.7 |
| 1/3 cup coconut flour | 105 | 6.2 | 17.6 | 12.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| 1/4 teaspoon baking soda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder | 2 | 0 | 1.3 | 0 | 1.3 | 0 |
| 6.3 tablespoon erythritol | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 large egg | 79 | 5.2 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.4 | 6.9 |
| Totals | 1658 | 149.7 | 53.1 | 27.1 | 26 | 50.1 |
| Per Serving (/18) | 92 | 8.3 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 2.8 |
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon butter salted, softened
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6.3 tablespoon erythritol
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and gather all ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter and peanut butter.
- Add heavy cream and mix thoroughly.
- Add flax seed and coconut flour. You can add additional spices here, if you'd like to have a different flavor.
- Mix the batter well until it becomes a bit thick and dough-like.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, and erythritol and stir in very well. As you stir vigorously, the residual heat from the friction will start to warm the peanut butter.
- Add egg to the mixture.
- Continue mixing very well until you get a creamy, but still pliable, mixture.
- Roll your cookie dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Make sure they are spread apart at least 1 inch on each side.
- Press each cookie down with your hand and then lightly trace a pattern on the top (if you'd like). I used a meat mallet to impart the pattern on mine. A fork pressed (lightly) horizontally, then diagonally, will give the traditional pattern.
- Bake them for 15 minutes. You want semi-crisp edges here. When you take them out of the oven they will feel extremely soft to the touch, but you need to let them cool completely. Once they come back to room temperature, they will start to harden up a little bit, so they can be moved around easily. As they are cooling, sprinkle the top with erythritol.
Thank you for this godsend! My boyfriend and I just went keto at the start of the year, and the change has been a little hard on him. Peanut butter cookies are his favorite, so I decided to bake these for him and his carb craving was totally satisfied. One question–how long do these cookies (or any baked, low-carb, sugar-free goods) last before they go bad?
Marcy (hope you don’t mind that),
I have had a batch (non refrigerated) sitting in my cupboard for a week and a few days now and I still have some left. I think they’d last a while, around 2 weeks. If you don’t want to push it too much, you can freeze half or half the recipe next time 🙂
Glad you liked them though!
Can you substitute the coconut flour in this for almond flour, protein powder, or casein?
Eric,
You may be able to sub in protein powder for the coconut flour. Usually protein powder is pretty absorptive and gives similar consistencies
Just made these. Very dry and gritty.
Any suggestions?
Emi, you could try baking them for less time. Normally when you bake them for a little less time they’ll get a bit more moist. Normally if I find something’s dry, I leave it out in a tupperware on the counter overnight and it seems to pick up a bit more moisture the second day. Hope that helps!
Hi there, Can you use coconut sugar in these while on keto?
Jimmie,
Coconut sugar has quite a lot of carbs in it so it’s not really advised to use. You’d have to use such a small quantity that you’d not get much sweetness out of it.
Hi Craig, I just made these and they are awesome! Satisfies a need for a treat once in a while without all the flour and sugar. I can enjoy a few and not turn on the out of control sugar cravings that usually happen with regular cookies. I made one tweak because I’m kind of tired of flaxseed, so I used almond flour for half of the flaxseed and they turned out great! Another good recipe, Craig! Maybe you will have your own TV show soon!
Haha thanks Carol, maybe in 5 years 😛 I think I’m going to experiment with using chia seeds to make cookies next. Great omega 3’s in them so I’m curious as to how a cookie would come out.
Hi Craig,
Could you use xylitol instead of erythritol?
Hey Rose, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t!
I don’t have any flax, can i use almond flour or meal? Thanks!
Almond flour should work 🙂
These are GREAT! I just made them, but sadly was too impatient with the butter and with it melted as much as it was, they weren’t very clean circles. They’re still delicious, though!
I’ll go for something in your recipe book next time, but I had to make ’em! 😀
Glad you liked them! I need to make some more sometime because I haven’t had PB cookies in a long time 🙂
I just tried these and they are dry (which I sure can be remedied with shorter bake times) and not very sweet. I used Truvia. Is that the reason?
Serious carb craving quenched either way!
Yeah Andrea, the bake times will definitely help with the dryness. If you’re new to keto then the Truvia amount may need to be increased for you to taste the sweetness. Normally the longer you’re on keto, the sweeter things taste.
These are the bomb…..love them
Glad to hear it Macine!
I love these, they are delicious!
Thanks Melanie! Glad you liked them 🙂
I used these as a base for making keto whippets. I made keto marshmallow patties and a peanut butter cacao ganache, sandwiched them together and drenched them in a cacao coating. I lost my shizz, man. they were amazing!
That sounds awesome – I’m really glad to hear they served a purpose in your recipe!
hi there, making these now. Very excited! I was wondering if you had tried these with almond flour. Also wondering why you didn’t include your 1/3 Cup Erythritol in your macros?
I made these for the second time, yesterday. The first time, they were excellent. Second time, too cakey. I think I should have flattened them more. The save: Bittersweet ganache made with heavy cream and erythritol and liquid stevia; homemade whipped cream. Place a cookie on a plate; put a dollop of peanut butter, followed by a tablespoon of the chocolate ganache and topped with another dollop of whipped cream. Yum.
Can psyllium husk be used as a 1:1 substitute for flaxseed?
Unfortunately not Heather. Psyllium is MUCH more absorptive than flaxseed meal. I’d say try a 1/4 ratio to start if you’re dead set on using psyllium. Keep in mind that the flavor will be changed and the total amount of cookies yielded will decrease.
I made these last night and they are delicious. My non-keto roommate loved them too.
Awesome to hear it – it’s a super easy recipe!
Yum! I am about a month in on my first experience with keto. I loved these! I used coconut oil instead of butter and ground chia seeds instead of flax. These are going in to the rotation for sure. Thanks so much!!
Glad to hear it and I’m really sorry for the late reply. I was in the middle of 2 cross country moves. Hope you still make them and love them 🙂
Would these be possible to make with chunky peanut butter?
Yep – you definitely could!
I went ahead with it (I’m now for them to cool!) 🙂
Why do you use the flax seed? Is it a binder like gluten? If so, could you substitute xantham gum?
It’s a binder but it doesn’t act the same way gluten does. You could use xanthan but it might be a strange texture if you use enough to keep the cookies together.
Can I use ground flax seed in place of the flax seed meal?
I can’t tell you how many versions of LCHF peanut butter cookies I’ve made – and these are the best… with a couple of tweaks. One is that I added 4 drops of stevia to mine because I thought they needed just a bit more sweetness. I also sprinkled (heavily, because I love it) cinnamon on top with the erythritol. HEAVEN! I like my frozen because they were a bit too soft for me. Really nice recipe. Thank you!
I’m glad you liked them! Thanks for the tips.
If you don’t have flax, what do you use to substitute? Almond flour? How much?
I think almond flour would work great, but the cookies will be higher carb than with the flax.
Can the flaxseed be eliminated all together? Is the coconut flour enough?
Thanks!
It’s not extremely simple to replace flours from 1 to the other. It’s possible, but may lead to a different taste or texture than what was originally anticipated in the recipe. Feel free to check over our flour substitution post here: https://www.ruled.me/keto-flour-substitutions/
Can I leave out the heavy cream or replace it with almond milk?
Sure!
Out of interest, how long are you able to store the cookies in your refrigerator for? I love making keto cookies but I usually only have one every other day or so, and so storage becomes an issue. I guess you could halve the recipe and make a smaller batch. Love the recipes. Thanks.
They should be good for at least a week, you could also try freezing some of the dough and baking up as needed. 🙂
Thanks Laura. I’m not sure they’ll last a week as they are fantastically tasty cookies 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! These cookies have the best flavor of any Keto cookies I’ve made. I followed the recipe exactly but mine were a little dry. I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes but I’m thinking my oven might run a little too hot. I will definitely be using this recipe going forward on a regular basis.
Happy to hear! Yes, it may need a few less minutes in your oven – you can always adjust the time to get the consistency/texture you’re after 🙂
I just made these for a family event, and they were a big HIT! I did make a couple of minor modifications that I don’t think affected the basic results. I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla and a drizzle of molasses (I know, not keto, but I was willing to risk a tiny cheat for the “brown sugar” flavor). I also didn’t have any HWC (how did that happen???) so I used some ricotta cheese I had on hand. If anything, the ricotta probably made the final result a little softer, but still delicious!
A helpful hint for anyone who wants the traditional criss-cross: Dip your fork in water in between pressing each cookie, and drag the fork across the width after the press, rather than picking it straight up. Perfect!
Sounds like some awesome additions – glad to hear it came out with ricotta. I’m sure it added a really creamy texture to the cookies. Glad to hear everyone enjoyed them!
i used the almond butter variance and added cocoa powder. Chocolate Almond cookies …. were delish