At nearly every one of our Saturday high school marching band competitions, the Band Boosters Club prepared a hot meal for us in the evenings before we dressed in our uniforms to perform. They always set up multiple folding tables to create a makeshift buffet line, yet they tried to change the menu for us at each event.
Burgers, spaghetti, taco salad… And at the final competition of our season in late November, they even splurged for a full Thanksgiving meal! All 250+ of us in the band and color guard would line up, waiting our turn to grab a plate and walk down the line and politely ask the chaperones serving us for the entrées and sides that looked good.
At the very end of the buffet tables, right before we plunged our hand into the icy cold coolers to grab a water bottle, the chaperones sometimes set out a small dessert for us as well. They splurged for apple pie and pumpkin pie at our Thanksgiving feast, but we usually found small packets of cookies instead, like Oreos, Nutter Butters, and Grandma’s Cookies.
The latter were my favorite… Sweet, soft, chewy—just the way I love my cookies! The regular chocolate chip and the chocolate brownie flavors always disappeared first, so the freshmen that had to stand at the back of the line usually ended up with the oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookie packages.
Even as a chocoholic, I still enjoyed those last two—I don’t discriminate against any soft and chewy cookies!
These Healthy Practically Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies remind me of those marching band competitions and the Grandma’s Cookies we enjoyed with our meals. They’re just as soft and chewy—if not even more!—and absolutely bursting with peanut butter flavor. Yet unlike those packaged cookies, these contain no artificial ingredients, butter, oil, eggs, or refined sugar!
And they still taste like “normal” peanut butter cookies—I promise!!
Let’s go over how to make these healthy peanut butter cookies!
I debated for a long time whether to call these peanut butter cookies “flourless” or “practically flourless.” That’s because instead of “regular” flour, you’ll make your healthy cookies with oat flour (like this, or this for a gluten-free version!)… And oat flour is just finely ground oats!
So… Flourless? Practically flourless? I’ll let you be the judge. But either way, I love oat flour and how yummy these healthy peanut butter cookies turned out!
Tip: You can easily make your own oat flour at home! Just follow my tutorial here.
Remember to measure your oat flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I have!) Too much oat flour will make your cookies turn out cakey or dry. And we definitely want nice, soft, chewy peanut butter cookies!
The next key ingredient in these healthy peanut butter cookies is—you guessed it!—the peanut butter. I highly recommend using my easy blender peanut butter recipe! You just need 2 ingredients + a blender to make it, and it only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Super simple! And although I may be biased, I think it tastes even better than store-bought!
Tip: If you’re using store-bought peanut butter, make sure it’s (a) creamy and (b) the natural drippy-style kind where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Crunchy peanut butter doesn’t work in this recipe, and peanut butters with other added ingredients (like sugar and preservatives) are a bit too thick.
You’ll skip the eggs and use a touch of milk to give the cookie dough enough moisture instead. I generally use cashew milk or almond milk because I have enough family members who are lactose intolerant… So it means they get to eat these healthy flourless peanut butter cookies too!
You’ll sweeten your cookies with coconut sugar (like this!) instead of refined granulated sugar. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: sweetener that comes from coconuts. However, it does not actually taste like coconuts! It has a rich caramel-like flavor similar to brown sugar, and you can generally find it right next to the regular sugar on the baking aisle.
Once you’ve dropped your cookie dough onto your baking sheet, remember to flatten it a little bit with a spatula! These healthy flourless peanut butter cookies spread a little, but not very much, so flattening the cookie dough gives them a spreading “head start” before baking.
I shared these practically flourless peanut butter cookies with a neighbor who’s a personal trainer (I give lots of treats to her and her family!)… And she said these were her all-time favorite thing I’ve ever baked! ??
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your healthy peanut butter cookies!
| Healthy Practically Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed and measured like this)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter
- 3 tbsp (45mL) unsweetened cashew milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a spoon and a spatula. Slightly flatten using a spatula. (The cookies should spread some, but not a lot, if there isn’t too much oat flour in the dough!) Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
It’s extremely important to measure the oat flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much oat flour will make your cookies turn out dry and crumbly, instead of soft and chewy, because oats act like sponges and soak up more moisture from your cookie dough compared to traditional flour.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the oat flour.
For a NON-oat-flour gluten-free option, I recommend the following: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
This is my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe! You just need 5 minutes to make it. It’s so easy! If you prefer to use store-bought peanut butter, make sure it’s the natural drippy-style kind with the only ingredients as peanuts and salt. (Remember to stir any oil that’s on the top back into the peanut butter before measuring!)
I haven’t tried this recipe with any other types of creamy peanut butter (i.e. Skippy, JIF, etc); they’re usually a bit too thick. Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter.
Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened cashew milk.
Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Extra Fudgy Brownies
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Seriously, you always have the best backstories and most delicious treat recipes 🙂
Awww you’re too sweet — thanks SO much, Liz!! 🙂
We made these today, heaven
They are really good!
We didn’t have any coconut sugar so we substituted 1/2 cup dates and 2 Tbsp water
They’re delicious, even my toddler was eating the dough and the cookies, toddlers are honest they don’t spare your feelings
Thanks for another great recipe
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed these cookies, Linda! What a great idea about dates and water as a substitute — thanks for sharing! 🙂 And if your toddler loved them, that’s the BEST kind of compliment! There are many, many toddlers that live on my street… So I know exactly what you mean about them being so honest! 😉
I am in love with these peanut butter cookies! I love that they have no refined sugar and uses cashew milk! Pinning! ❤️
Thanks so much for your kind words and pinning, Samina! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try them!
I remember in my high school band days we did the exact same thing! whenever they had nutter butters I was in heaven! these cookies really do look and sound amazing and healthy, plus I love me some peanut butter! great post and recipe 🙂
Thanks so much, Albert! It seems like most people I’ve talked to who were in high school marching bands had a similar experience, too. That must’ve been the best way to feed a crowd! 😉 And I’m with you — I definitely have a soft spot for Nutter Butters! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you ever try these peanut butter cookies!
Um, these look SO perfect and the ingredient list is SO simple!!! I can eat everything in here!! Did you use a scoop to get these all the exact same size?! They are perfection! These are going on my summer baking list for sure, friend! Pinned!
Thanks so much, sweet pea!! 🙂 I’m so glad everything is sweet-pea-diet friendly! 😉 No cookie scoops here… I just use a spoon and spatula! You know me and how I love the soothing, drawn-out process of baking… ? I can’t wait to hear what you think of these!!
These were delicious. However I used crunchy peanut butter and added a little more milk, this time oat milk. Totally recommend ?
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Hanna! Thanks so much for including your recipe substitutions — I always love hearing what tweaks work! 🙂
These were so good! I like how they still had just the right amount of sweetness without having a ton of sugar. Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Maddy! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Disappointing….these were very cakey and dry 🙁
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nikki! That sounds frustrating and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to help you solve that issue. 🙂 How did you measure the oat flour? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe how you used them? Also, did you use my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe? And did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? Once I know all of that information, I should have a much better idea of what happened with your batch! 🙂