No flour, oil, butters, low carb AND only 38 calories… These gluten-free cookies are so chewy and rich— perfect for satisfying peanut butter cravings! If you have any powdered peanut butter like PB2 at home you’ll definitely need to try this!
{Low Fat, Low Calorie, Small Batch, 3 ingredient, High Protein, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, low carb, FODMAP}
You guys! I am so excited to share another PB2 recipe with you🥰
These peanut butter cookies are so impossibly delicious and macro-friendly! Each 38 calorie cookie contains over 4 grams of protein and only 0.8 grams of sugar! Did I mention that the cookie batter tastes like a Snickers bar? I KNOW. You are so very welcome!
Here’s what Ashely from Yummly thought:
Here’s what you’ll need:
- powdered peanut butter (I used Bell Plantation’s PB2 but PBFit is great too!)
- baking sweetener of choice
- one egg
Before we dive in, I really want to thank all of you for helping me reach over 130 Pins on my 90 Calorie Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread AND for sharing pictures of YOUR Butterless Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes for Two!
Also sending all my love to Jackson on Yummly for trying my 50 Calorie Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread Bites … your comment made my day, thank you❤️
Honestly, I still can’t believe people are making my recipes! So crazy! Anyways, onto the recipe 🙂
Pin this before you forget!
*Full macros and nutrient info beneath directions!*
3 Ingredient PB2 Protein Peanut Butter Cookies
Out of powdered peanut butter? Replace the ⅔ cup of peanut butter powder and ⅓ cup of water in Step 2 with 1 cup of peanut butter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter OR ⅔ cup peanut butter powder + ⅓ cup water
- ½ cup baking sweetener
- 1 egg
- ½ cup peanut butter powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your conventional oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add in ⅔ cup peanut butter powder to a medium-sized bowl and gradually incorporate ⅓ cup of water, avoiding lumps. It should become a thick paste. Alternatively, just use 1 cup of regular peanut butter.
- Mix in your sweetener of choice and a pinch of salt, keep mixing until it looks smooth, thick, and glossy. Enjoy a big spoonful. This is NOT optional 😉
- Mix in one egg, the mixture should be quite runny but still smooth and glossy.
- Sift in the remaining ½ cup of peanut butter powder. Or mix it in and AVOID LUMPS AT ALL COST! It looks similar to your batter before the egg is added but makes a huge difference (trust me, I've tried 😂）
- Spoon heaped cookie batter onto the lined baking tray and bake for 10 - 13 minutes. If making the full PB2 version, create a circle of batter on the parchment (a little less thick than a finger) like how you would when making pancakes on the stove, and not spherical scoops; this is because lower-fat cookies will not spread on their own.
- Let cool on a baking rack for 5 minutes. If making the full PB2 version, the cookies will be slightly soft and appear rubbery, but they'll harden up beautifully in the fridge. Just refrigerate for at least 40 minutes for them to become chewy and dense like an energy bar. Enjoy!
Notes
my favourite mix-ins: chopped chocolate, peanut butter chips and dried cranberries!
*replace 1/3 water with oil/butter if you're looking for a gooier and more flavorful cookie😘
Nutrition Information
Yield
11Serving Size
1 cookieAmount Per Serving Calories 38Total Fat 1.5gSaturated Fat 0.1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1.4gCholesterol 15mgSodium 74mgCarbohydrates 3.7gFiber 1.5gSugar 0.8gProtein 4.1g
your reviews:
Happy baking!
Heather
I made a larger batch by adding puréed pumpkin, and rolled oats; substituted Quest PB protein powder for 1/2 of the 2nd powdered peanut butter ingredient, and added vanilla. Also added abt 1 tbsp avocado oil. Great tasting recipe and easy because all the ingredients are always in my pantry or fridge. thanks very much!!!
Wow! I’ll have to test out your pumpkin version on the blog sometime, that sounds delish! Thanks for sharing Linda 🥰
P.S. I’d love to feature your twist on these cookies, so if you have any pictures feel free to share them through Pinterest here 😊
https://pin.it/14HX2EP
This recipe didn’t work for me. I followed the recipe, but the egg was way too strong; I couldn’t taste the peanut butter.
Oh no, so sorry it didn’t work out for you Annie 🙁
Now that you mention an eggy taste, the eggs I buy are from a local farmer and relatively small, maybe that’s why (I will make note of that in future recipes, thank you!)
P.S. I will update this recipe ASAP so it will taste more flavourful (still have a couple more essays to write, *sigh* #highschoollife)… this recipe was developed during my low fat phase and honestly it tastes soooo much better with peanut butter added! I haven’t measured it out but adding around 1/3 cup of peanut butter would probably do the trick, but I’ll get back to you after I test out the exact measurements!
Hi! What type of baking sweetener did you use? Can’t wait to try these
Aww thanks Meelanie! I used Lakanto’s Monkfruit Sweetener (a blend of monkfruit and erythritol), but other granulated sweeteners e.g. Swerve, regular sugar would work fine too ❤️
P.S. If you don’t mind some extra calories, I highly recommend swapping out the 2/3 cup of PB2 and 1/3 cup of water for 2/3 cup of peanut butter! I was in my low fat phase developing this and a little fat, even 2 tbsp of oil or butter goes a long way 😂 😂
Great! Thank you . I will try your suggestions.
Since the monk fruit is 200x sweeter and I’m only supposed to use half of the amount will it still work? I know that baking requires exact measurements.
Hey Erica, I’d stick to the exact amount since reducing dry ingredients by a large amount may result in a cookie that doesn’t hold its form.
Is this pb recipe keto friendly ???
Hi Kim, as long as your PB powder is free of added sugar (Sugar-Free PBFit powder or PB2 Pure are great options) the cookies will be keto-friendly. I’d replace the ⅔ cup of peanut butter powder and ⅓ cup of water in Step 2 with 1 cup of nut butter… healthy fats are super important in a keto diet and this modification will drastically improve the texture too! Let me know how it turns out ❤️
P.S. If you could spare the time, I’d love to hear your thoughts on my keto protein pancake recipe here ! They’re delish topped with PB 😉
CAn we replace the 1/2 cup peanut powder with protein powder
Can you substitute the egg for a chia egg or another sort of egg replacement?
Hi Jennifer, thanks for popping by 🙂
I’d suggest 1 cup of peanut butter + ½ cup powdered peanut butter + ½ cup baking sweetener + a chia egg using ground powder (1 tbsp powdered chia seeds mixed with 2.5 tbsp water). Let me know how it goes 🙂
I noticed salt is in the ingredients but not the steps. I noticed this AFTER I baked them 😂. I hope they turn out.
omg thanks for pointing that out Nichole! It shouldn’t have affected the cookies too much, how did you find them?
Were you joking when you said to enjoy a spoonful? I’m guessing so, otherwise that would affect the bake, no?
Hi Matina, so nice having you here! Unless you’re not using a pastureised/flax egg, enjoying a spoonful or two of cookie dough is completely safe and won’t affect the bake, but you’ll end up with one less cookie/ a smaller batch of cookies. Hope that helped ❤️
I made these last month and used chocolate PB2 powder. I didn’t use a sweetener. They didn’t turn out well. Very dense and I wasn’t sure if maybe I should have baked longer. They looked done. Any suggestions or tips? I want to make them again
Oh no, thats strange… which version of the recipe did you try (full PB2 vs part PB2 part regular peanut butter)?
Hi, I used full PB2. Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I was responding via Pinterest and always kicked me off.
Hmm, regular sugar shouldn’t have affected the bake. However, the full PB2 version is slightly drier and denser than the alternative version, so I’d suggest folding in 2 to 3 whipped egg whites (whipped into stiff peaks, like how you’d make meringues) into the batter after step 5 for a lighter cookie💖
You didn’t use a sweetener that makes up a large portion of the dough and wonder why it didn’t turn out well?
Thank you so much for the recipe, the cookies are delicious. Instead of using water, I use coconut oil and peanut butter powder. After one hour in the fridge, my cookies broke easily and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions to fix that for next time.
Ah my bad Khanh, refrigeration is only needed for the low-fat version, I will clarify in the recipe right away (refrigeration might’ve reduced the moisture content in your cookies!) However, given your replacement with coconut oil, I would add 1 to 2 tbsp of pumpkin puree (cream cheese, yoghurt, banana is okay too) OR 1 egg yolk PLUS 1 extra tablespoon of sweetener for a softer, fluffier and moister cookie… lots of options hehe I wasn’t sure what ingredients you have on hand 😂
Thanks for stopping by, do leave an update on how it turns out (✿◠‿◠)*:･ﾟ✧
would a liquid sweetener, such as agave or honey, work?
Hi Nancy! Directly substituting granulated sweetener for liquid would make the cookie-dough too runny on its own, but you can easily fix that by adding a few spoons of flour 💖 (the likes of oat/ almond/wheat would be great options, but I’d advise against coconut)
Thank you!
No worries, I hope you love them just as much as I do 🥰
Tried this recently, using the full PB2 version, turned out great! Thanks so much! I used Swerve, and I did use a regular egg, but I may substitute egg whites next time. Between my husband and I they didn’t last long! 🙂 I’m hoping to prep them for snacks for the week in the future.
Merry belated Christmas Liz, that makes me so happy 🥰 I can’t believe I’ve never thought of subbing egg whites yet… super curious as to how it will turn out!
I made these using the powder pb and water combo. They turned out rubbery on the outside? Any suggestions?
I’m so sorry to hear that Cararah, I reckon it might be because of the particular type of sweetener you used …. Lakanto baking and Swerve are my go tos, but if you don’t have those on hand, I’d say upping the fat content will eliminate rubberiness (and add satiety and richness!). Try replacing at least half the water with oil/ butter for the water combo, or alternatively, using half regular pb and half water combo. Hope that helps!
Mine too! It tasted better before baking!
Hi! These taste delicious 🙂 however mine didn’t spread out at all like yours did in your photos. They stayed the same shape entirely. I used PBfit and lakanto monkfruit sweetener .. could it have been PBfit vs pb2 that caused it?? So bizarre!
Hey Liza, so bizarre indeed! Given the similarity between PBfit and pb2, I don’t think it as the peanut powders. Did you use the peanut butter + peanut powder recipe? It could be that your peanut butter was extra thick/creamy… flattening the cookie ball would do the trick!
Hi Liza,
I just had the same experience, which is really weird because I used the exact same combo as another user above (Liz P. who said it worked great) and mine didn’t spread AT ALL! I used full pb2 + egg + Swerve.. They all stayed in tight little scoops from my cookie scoop, even after extending the baking time another 10 minutes to see if that helped.
I’m disappointed but still excited to try them once they cool. I’ll have to try being more careful measuring next time as well..
Hi Tim! The full PB2 version is low in fat, so the cookies won’t spread on their own; they will remain the same shape after baking (and will need to be refrigerated after cooling to be come chewy and dense like an energy bar). By “spooning”, just use a regular spoon to create a circle of batter on the parchment (a little less thick than a finger), quite like how you would when making pancakes on the stove. Apologies for the miscommunication, I have now amended the recipe instructions!
Same issue with me, and I also used PB2. Cookies didnt flatten. I used stevia (1/4 cup). Kinda disappointed.
Hey Stephanie, the full PB2 version is low in fat, so the cookies won’t spread on their own; they will remain the same shape after baking (and will need to be refrigerated after cooling to be come chewy and dense like an energy bar). By “spooning”, just use a regular spoon to create a circle of batter on the parchment (a little less thick than a finger), quite like how you would when making pancakes on the stove. Apologies for the miscommunication, I have now amended the recipe instructions!
I didnt, I just used the powder. Now that I think about it though, the powder compresses really easily and I didn’t do the *correct* scoop into measuring cup with a spoon and level, I just dunked the measuring cup into the PBfit and patted it down so it’s possible my pb powder to liquid ratio was just too much! They’re still delicious, just more like little PB buns 🙂 will definitely try to measure the “right” way next time !
Hahaha now you’ve got me craving some peanut butter banana bread! Glad you’ve found the root of the problem Liza, do let me know how they turn out if you make them again 🙂
Hi! I want to try this recipe but don’t trust the measurements by cups too much. What would be a good conversion to grams? Thank you!
Hey there Jon – I totally get you! Scales are much more accurate (and less dishes to wash too)! Hope this helps:
1 cup peanut butter (highly recommend this version! approx 250g) OR ⅔ cup peanut butter powder (70g) + ⅓ cup water (79g)
½ cup baking sweetener (96g)
1 egg (50g – 55g)
½ cup peanut butter powder (52g)
There might be slight variations in weight between different kinds of PB powder (fat content/flavor), nut butter (runniness, roasted VS unroasted), sweetener (granule size), and eggs, but it won’t affect the bake too much 🙂
Thank you very much Heather! Today I’ll try to make these cookies, I can’t wait 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe, I have been looking for a low carb, protein rich snack/breakfast and I love these! Plus nobody in my house does 😆 so I get them all to myself. I do have a question though, how so you recommend storing them? I have found if I keep them too long, they mold quickly 🙁 my solution so far is to just make less at a time. (I use pb2, egg & dark chocolate chips for my sweetener, yummm)
In their defense, it’s an acquired taste LOL… I’ve been working on more “traditional” low-carb and low-cal cookie recipes which will be up after my exams soon! Regarding the molding, I’m afraid I’ve never encountered that problem since they’re usually gone in a couple of days 😂. I store them in an air-tight container in the fridge, but maybe freezing portioned out batter and defrosting/baking when the craving hits? Sorry I couldn’t be of much help Sarah 🥺
That was helpful – I think I will try storing them in the fridge if they are going to last longer than a couple of days 😉 and continue making just 1 batch at a time. I also plan on trying PB2 with cocoa to see how those go! Thanks again!
Hahahaha happy to hear that! Thanks again for stopping by 😊
Hi! Thank you so much for these healthy and yummy desserts. I used the PB only and the consistency was very liquid. Do you have to use a mixer? If so, for how long?
Oh no, I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you! Good news is that I used a spoon, no mixer – I reckon the runniness could’ve been due to adding too little pb powder (maybe try a measuring scale next time, around 70g powder with 79g water)…the pb powder mixed with water in step 2 should have a creamy/paste-like consistency, as it is based off the ratio of water to powder the PB2 packaging recommends. After the addition of egg and sweetener the batter should be silkier, but won’t glide off a spoon. Hope that helped Bryna 💖
So good!! They almost melt in your mouth. 🤤 I used full PB2 powder. I made 11 cookies in one batch, each cookie containing about 58 calories, 1.7F/4.3C/5.7P 👌🏼
That’s awesome to hear, thanks for stopping by Callie!
Can I use Truvia in this?
Hey Cathi, I’ve never tested it myself but I’ve heard that it works well in baking 🙂
Can I make these without the PB powder?