What has 2 ingredients, comes together in under 15 mins and melts in your mouth?! These two ingredient peanut butter and honey cookies!
These cookies require minimal time and effort, are dairy-free and gluten-free and give you plenty of healthy fats, protein and fiber! They have a similar texture to shortbread cookies, but with way less ingredients and fuss to make.
This recipe is one that I can almost guarantee you’ll keep coming back to. It makes for the perfect snack or sweet treat after dinner and is super nutty and sweet while still giving you some great nutritional benefits. Peanut butter + honey are one of my favourite combinations and make for lots of yummy recipes like these 5 ingredient protein bars or these matcha dessert balls. While I was quite sceptical that using just these two ingredients would successfully make a cookie… I was pleasantly surprised. Oh, and it goes without saying, if you’re not a fan of PB this recipe might NOT be for you 😅
Why you’ll love these 2 ingredient peanut butter cookies
- Only TWO ingredients needed: do I even need to elaborate further? It doesn’t get much simpler than this AND chances are you already have peanut butter and honey in your pantry.
- Satisfying yet nutritious: These cookies definitely hit a sweet spot, yet they don’t have any food additives and are actually quite nutritious.
- Dairy-free, gluten-free and refined sugar free: these cookies are a great alternative to regular shortbread cookies, without sacrificing on flavour or texture!
- Minimal time needed: You’ll need about 15 minutes for prep and baking time! And then just a little longer for the cookies to cool down, if you can resist..
Ingredients
Natural peanut butter: This part is crucial to successfully making these cookies. Make sure the PB you are using is natural and contains only peanuts (and salt is also fine). Peanut butter with other additives will not work in this recipe as the added oils will prevent the peanut butter and honey from forming a cookie dough. So once again, the non-negotiable for this recipe is natural peanut butter!
Honey: Personally i like to use organic honey, but any honey you have on hand will work just fine for this recipe. As long as it is in a liquid form.
Are these cookies more nutritious than regular shortbread cookies?
The short answer is yes!
Here are a few of the nutritional benefits you’ll be getting from these 2 ingredient peanut butter cookies:
- Plenty of protein: Thanks to our star ingredient, peanut butter, which has around 8g of protein per two tablespoons. Peanut butter is a great source of plant based protein and will help fuel your body, repair tissue and keep you full for longer.
- Heart healthy fats: PB contains plenty of healthy fats! Over half of the fat in PB consists of oleic acid which can help reduce cholesterol and inflammation. High fat content is also why peanut butter contains so many calories, however incorporating it into your diet in moderation is completely fine.
- Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants: PB and organic honey contain nutrients which help our bodies fight infection, support bone health and protect our body from cell damage.
However you look at it, these peanut butter cookies are definitely more nutritious than your store bought shortbread and contain no additives or ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Tips for making the best PB cookies!
- Use a natural peanut butter: Any brand of natural peanut butter is fine, just make sure the ingredients on the back state 100% peanuts OR peanuts and salt only. And watch out for any PB that is unusually runny/oily. Using natural peanut butter is what will ensure that the dough will form into shape.
- Taste for sweetness: Once you have combined the PB and honey, have a quick taste to ensure it’s sweet enough for your liking. If following the recipe, the cookies won’t be overly sweet, but feel free to add up to 1.5 tablespoons more honey if preferred.
- Let the cookies cool completely once baked: these cookies will be very delicate and WILL break apart while still hot. They will firm up as they cool.
- Do NOT over bake! These cookies only take around 8-12 mins to bake. You’ll know they’re ready when the surface looks dry, with golden brown edges and a lighter colour in the centre.
Happy baking!
2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175 ℃. Line a large sheet pan with baking paper.
- Combine peanut butter and honey in a mixing bowl. Keep mixing until peanut butter thickens and resembles a wetter cookie dough.
- Scoop around 1 tbsp of cookie dough, roll it into a ball and place onto prepared sheet pan with a few centimetres of space between each cookie.
- With your hand, gently press down on each cookie to flatten. Then, use a fork to make a criss cross shape on each cookie.
- Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes. Regularly check on cookies to avoid over baking. Cookes will be ready when they appear dry on the surface and golden brown on the edges with a lighter centre.
- Allow to cool completely before touching as this will ensure cookies set completely.
- Enjoy!
