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Peanut Butter Cookies Without Brown Sugar

By on , updated - 4 Comments

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Make the best Peanut Butter Cookies without brown sugar in just 35 minutes. These cookies are easy to make and come out tasting amazing - all with simple ingredients you probably already have at home.

Peanut butter cookies on a wire rack.
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If you enjoyed my Chocolate Chip Cookies, you are going to love this Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. With lots of peanut butter flavor and a salty touch, these peanut butter cookies without brown sugar are loved by both kids and grown-ups.

Why you will love this recipe

  • It's quick and all done in 35 minutes
  • It's easy with just a few simple steps
  • Simple ingredients you probably already have at home
  • A sweet treat - or a filling snack

What you need to make them

Ingredients for peanut butter cookies without brown sugar.

Ingredient notes & substitutions

  • Vanilla extract can be swapped for vanilla powder or vanilla sugar
  • Unsalted butter can be swapped for salted butter if you're using unsalted peanut butter. If you make this swap, don't add any extra salt in the dough.
  • Peanut butter should be plain and unsweetened. I prefer to use unsalted, but have a hard time finding it. This recipes is optimized for using salted peanut butter, so if you're using unsalted peanut butter, please add 1 teaspoon of salt to the dough as well.
  • Crunchy and creamy peanut butter both work
  • Salt flakes are optional, but add a nice touch

How to make them

Collage showing how to make peanut butter cookies without brown sugar.
  1. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl
  2. Cream the butter and sugar, that is; mix it until fluffy and creamy
  3. Add peanut butter
  4. Mix well
Collage showing how to make peanut butter cookies without brown sugar.
  1. Add eggs and vanilla extract
  2. Mix until fluffy
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour & baking powder
  4. Add to the dough
Collage showing how to make peanut butter cookies without brown sugar.
  1. Mix until just combined, not more
  2. Roll into cookie dough balls, and place on a baking sheet. Press with a fork to make the cookies flat and form ridges.
  3. Top with crushed sea salt flakes
  4. Bake 12-14 minutes, until they are just starting to brown at the edges

Tips & tricks

  • Be careful with the salt - peanut butter and butter can both have salt, and in this case the cookies can end up too salty. Use unsalted (at least one of them) to be safe!
  • Add chocolate chips to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I like a mix of milk and dark chocolate.
  • Make them gluten-free by using a gluten free flour mixture. Most kinds will work but they've been tested with a mix of rice flour and buckwheat flour.
  • Store leftovers in room temperature in a cookie tin or other airtight container, they dry out as time goes by but are good for at least 1 week
  • Freeze unbaked cookies to have freshly baked cookies whenever you crave them. Roll into balls, smash with a fork, and freeze individually.
  • Freeze baked cookies and they are good for up to 6 months
Peanut butter cookies on a wire rack.

Recipe FAQ

What happens if you don't add brown sugar to cookies?

Brown sugar makes cookies spread more, so they turn out flatter. It also helps them stay moist, and makes them chewier than when using only white sugar. So if you don't add brown sugar the cookies will be a bit thicker, and more crispy than chewy.

Can you use white sugar instead of brown sugar for cookie dough?

Yes, you can make chocolate chip cookie with just white sugar, with just slight changes to the taste and texture.

What can I use in cookie dough instead of brown sugar?

Instead of brown sugar you can either make your own brown sugar from white sugar and molasses, just use regular white sugar, or (for most recipes) you can swap it for coconut sugar.

A peanut butter cookie being piked up from a wire rack.

Looking for more quick & easy cookie recipes?

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Recipe

Peanut butter cookies on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Cookies without Brown Sugar

5 from 4 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: North American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 233kcal
Prep time: 9 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Author: Emmeline Kemperyd

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut in small pieces
  • 1.5 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cup all purpose flour
  • 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine table salt only add if using unsalted peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt flakes optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix until soft, creamy and fluffy.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 1.5 cup white sugar
  • Add peanut butter and mix until well combined.
    1 cup peanut butter
  • Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well combined and fluffy.
    2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder (and fine table salt, if you are using it)
    2.5 cup all purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon fine table salt
  • Add the flour to the rest of the batter and mix until well combined, but not more than necessary to combine.
  • Divide the dough into 32 even-sized balls, they will be about 1.5 inches (3.5 cm) across.
  • Space out the balls on the baking sheets, then press them down with a fork until they are about ½ inch thick. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
    1 teaspoon salt flakes
  • Bake one set at a time for 12-14 minutes. They are done when the edges and the ridges on top are starting to brown.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool down slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing!

Equipment (may contain affiliate links)

Video

Notes

Ingredient notes & substitutions

  • Vanilla extract can be swapped for vanilla powder or vanilla sugar
  • Unsalted butter can be swapped for salted butter if you're using unsalted peanut butter. If you make this swap, don't add any extra salt in the dough.
  • Peanut butter should be plain and unsweetened. I prefer to use unsalted, but have a hard time finding it. This recipes is optimized for using salted peanut butter, so if you're using unsalted peanut butter, please add 1 teaspoon of salt to the dough as well.
  • Peanut butter can be crunchy or creamy - unfortunately the crunch is lost when mixing, but either works
  • Salt flakes are optional, but add a nice touch

Tips & tricks

  • salt, and in this case the cookies can end up too salty. Use unsalted (at least one of them) to be safe!
  • Add chocolate chips to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I like a mix of milk and dark chocolate.
  • Make them gluten-free by using a gluten free flour mixture. Most kinds will work but they've been tested with a mix of rice flour and buckwheat flour.
  • Store leftovers in room temperature in a cookie tin or other airtight container, they dry out as time goes by but are good for at least 1 week
  • Freeze unbaked cookies to have freshly baked cookies whenever you crave them. Roll into balls, smash with a fork, and freeze individually.
  • Freeze baked cookies and they are good for up to 6 months

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.

Did you make this? Tag me today!Tag @alwaysusebutter and use the hashtag #alwaysusebutter!
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About Emmeline Kemperyd

Emmeline Kemperyd is a writer, food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer and the founder of alwaysusebutter.com. She has more than 20 years of experience creating and simplifying recipes so they taste good, and are quick, easy, and approachable. She is a regular contributor to MSN  and her work has been featured by The Guardian, Well+Good, Vulture, SheKnows, Good Men Project, Daily Kos, The Grio, The Asian Parent, and The Feed Feed, among others.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ROBBIE

    I love crispy cookies; is this Peanut Butter Cookie crispy? If not, how can I make it crispy?

    Reply

    • Emmeline Kemperyd

      Hi Robbie! This cookie is neither really chewy or super crispy, but more toward crispy. Generally cookies that have baking powder will not be SUPER crispy, if that’s what you’re after I recommend trying a shortbread cookie recipe. I don’t have one with peanut butter, but I do have a cinnamon one that’s delicious! /Emmeline

      Reply

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