✔ Updated · new tested ratios, classic fork marks, 3-ingredient option
These peanut butter cookies need no brown sugar at all, just white sugar, butter and creamy peanut butter, and they still bake up soft, chewy and full of peanut flavor. Lucy is always on fork-crisscross duty.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Pull them out when the centers still look a little underbaked. White-sugar cookies firm up as they cool, and overbaking is what makes them crumbly.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- No brown sugar needed, just pantry basics.
- Soft and chewy, with crisp sugared edges and those classic fork marks.
- 25 minutes, one bowl, no chilling.
Can You Make Peanut Butter Cookies Without Brown Sugar?
Absolutely. Brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of caramel, but white sugar on its own makes a lovely peanut butter cookie: slightly lighter, with crisp, sparkly edges and a soft, chewy middle. The butter and peanut butter bring plenty of richness.
This is the version I make when the brown sugar jar is empty, which happens more often than I'd like to admit. If you want a little of that caramel flavor back, a spoonful of molasses or honey does the trick.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Use regular creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter separates and makes the dough oily and crumbly. Stick with a no-stir kind for the best texture.
- Weigh or spoon the flour. Too much flour is the main reason peanut butter cookies turn dry. Spoon it into the cup and level it off.
- Underbake slightly. At 9 to 11 minutes the centers look soft. They firm up on the sheet, and that's how they stay chewy.
- Want brown-sugar flavor? Stir 1 tablespoon of molasses or honey into the butter mixture for a deeper, more caramel taste.
- Dip the fork in sugar. It stops the fork sticking to the dough, and it's the part Lucy and Max fight over doing.
Peanut Butter Cookies Without Brown Sugar
24
cookies15
minutes10
minutes160
kcal25
minutesSoft, chewy peanut butter cookies made with only white sugar: creamy peanut butter, butter, granulated sugar, an egg and vanilla, with flour and baking soda, rolled in sugar, pressed with a fork and baked at 350°F. Makes 24.
Ingredients
- For the Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter (regular, not natural)
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Make the Dough
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Beat the butter, peanut butter and 1 cup sugar together for 2 minutes until creamy and lighter in color. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low just until a soft dough forms.
- Shape and Bake
- Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons), roll them in the remaining sugar and set 2 inches apart on the sheets.
- Press each ball with a fork twice to make a crisscross pattern, flattening them to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still look soft. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then move to a rack.
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Easy Variations
- 3-ingredient: 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
- Chocolate chip: fold in 1 cup chocolate chips and skip the fork marks.
- Peanut butter blossoms: skip the fork, bake, then press a chocolate kiss into each hot cookie.
- Crunchy: use crunchy peanut butter for extra texture.
More Cookie Recipes
Keep the cookie jar full with our chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar, McDonald's-style chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make peanut butter cookies without brown sugar?
Yes. Granulated white sugar works perfectly; the cookies are a little lighter in color and slightly crisper at the edges, but still soft in the middle. Adding 1 tablespoon of molasses or honey gives back some of that brown-sugar flavor.
How do you make 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies?
Mix 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 large egg until smooth. Roll into balls, press with a fork and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. They're flourless, so they're more delicate; cool them fully on the sheet before moving.
Can I use brown sugar instead of white sugar?
Yes. Swap some or all of the white sugar for packed brown sugar. The cookies will be softer, chewier and more caramel-flavored. Many classic recipes use half white and half brown sugar.
Why are my peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly?
Usually too much flour, natural peanut butter or overbaking. Spoon and level the flour, use a regular creamy peanut butter and take the cookies out while the centers still look soft.
How do I store peanut butter cookies?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, store baked cookies or dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 3 months; bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
