These chewy and delicious gluten free peanut butter cookies have a buttery taste that's loaded with creamy peanut butter! While excellent without it, I highly recommend the chocolate dip for a chocolate peanut butter cookie that's sure to impress everyone, whether gluten-free or not!
The dough balls are rolled in sugar like a traditional peanut butter cookie. This also makes them more festive for holidays like Christmas!
Without fail, I make these incredible chocolate dipped gluten-free peanut butter cookies for Christmas, New Year's, and my brother's birthday! They are such a highly regarded gluten-free Christmas cookie. So much so that they are always requested at New Year's as well!
My neighbor keeps asking me when I can bring more of "those chocolate dipped peanut butter things" over!
For more super shareable gluten-free cookies using all purpose gluten-free flour, check out my Maple Brown Sugar Cookies, Gluten-Free Monster Cookies, Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coconut Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies, Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies (vegan), and Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Cut Outs.
Or turn these into Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches!
For more gluten-free cookies that are made with almond flour, check out my Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies and Paleo Molasses Cookies.
And for an extra chocolate kick, serve these gluten-free peanut butter cookies with Microwave Hot Chocolate with chocolate chips, Thick Italian Hot Chocolate, or Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate!
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How to make it (with photos)
Ingredients Notes
Just 10 common baking ingredients stand between you and amazing chocolate dipped gluten-free peanut butter cookies! I bet you have most (or all) of these ingredients on hand already.
Creamy Peanut Butter
I like unsweetened creamy peanut butter so I can control the level of sweetness in the cookie. The natural peanut butters (with separated oil on top) work great, as do the ones with no added sugar that add a little palm oil to prevent separation (like Skippy no sugar added).
I found that crunchy peanut butter made a slightly drier cookie, and I have more notes on this in the FAQ section below.
Butter
I used salted butter because I had it on hand, but unsalted butter works just fine. If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
To make this recipe dairy-free, check out my favorite dairy-free butter substitution in the "Substitutions + Variations" section below.
Gluten-Free Flour with xanthan gum
I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour to make all of my traditional quick bread and cookie recipes. It is a rice flour blend. If your gluten-free flour does not contain xanthan gum or guar gum, add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum and thoroughly whisk it into the flour.
More Ingredient Notes
- brown sugar - I love the brown sugar and peanut butter combination, but you can also use regular granulated white sugar as a replacement.
- chocolate (optional for dipping) - Use gluten-free chocolate. I use Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips. You can also use a gluten-free chocolate bar. My favorite chocolate bar for baking is Endangered Species Smooth 72% dark chocolate. It is certified gluten-free and vegan, and I buy it in bulk for baking and my favorite Italian Hot Chocolate.
- vegetable oil - A teaspoon of vegetable oil is used to thin the chocolate just a little, so the chocolate shell doesn't get too thick on the peanut butter cookie. This is common practice for making truffles as well.
You also need one egg, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt for this recipe.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions + Variations
I tried and use all of these gluten-free peanut butter cookie substitutions in my own kitchen! None of my taste testers could tell the difference between the original recipe and the dairy-free/egg-free/vegan versions. The peanut-free version does taste a little nuttier, and it was also well-loved.
- Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter. I like Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for this recipe. Make sure to use dairy-free chocolate for dipping.
- Egg-Free: Instead of the 1 egg, use 1 tablespoon of potato starch or cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix the starch in with the dry ingredients, and the water in with the wet ingredients.
- Vegan: Use the above dairy-free and egg-free substitutions together. The vegan version of this recipe turns out great and we frequently make this version in my house.
- Peanut Free: Unsweetened creamy sunflower seed butter makes a good 1-for-1 substitution for peanut butter in this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is a really easy gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe, but it does take a little time to refrigerate the dough, roll the balls in sugar, criss cross, and then dip in chocolate. We found the extra steps were well worth the time! It turns out that just about everyone is a sucker for a chocolate dipped peanut butter cookie!
If you need a delicious gluten-free cookie that's ready quickly, check out my Maple Brown Sugar Cookies! They don't require refrigeration or rolling into balls. I often make both at the same time during the holidays, since the quickness of one offsets the time needed to make the other.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract until well-mixed.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Make the dough: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Then place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool. If refrigerating for longer, let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- Shape and roll in sugar: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then use a melon baller or tablespoon measure to scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Leave about 2 inches between the dough balls to account for spreading. Then roll each dough ball gently with your hands until smooth before rolling it in the extra granulated sugar.
- Mark and bake: Gently press the tines of a fork in a criss-cross pattern across the top of each cookie, compressing by about ⅓ of the original height of the dough ball. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the outer edges are just slightly golden and the center appears set. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack.
- Cool the cookies and prepare the chocolate: Place the baked and cooled gluten-free peanut butter cookies in the freezer for 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the chocolate and vegetable oil to a large microwavable liquid measuring cup or jar with wide opening (I use a 2 cup liquid measuring cup). Microwave the chocolate in 20 second increments until completely melted and smooth. Stir together and let rest for 5 minutes before dipping. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone liner.
- Dip the cookies: Remove the gluten-free peanut butter cookies from the freezer. One at a time, dip each cookie about half way into the chocolate. Allow some of the extra chocolate to drip back into the mixture and lay the cookie flat on the lined baking sheet so that there is a little space between cookies. When all cookies have been dipped, place in the refrigerator until set. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes.
Expert Tips
Make amazing gluten-free peanut butter cookies on the first try with these expert tips!
Don't wait for the cookies to brown before removing them from the oven!
Gluten-free flours brown differently than traditional flour. A slight golden color around the edges is usually a good indication that these gluten-free peanut butter cookies are done baking.
Get to know how your favorite gluten-free flour browns to improve all your future gluten-free baking projects!
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about these gluten-free peanut butter cookies. If you don't see your question, leave it in the comments and I will answer within 2 business days.
Store leftover gluten-free peanut butter cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. In an airtight container in the freezer, they last for up to 3 months.
We tried substituting crunchy peanut butter in our recipe trials. The cookies were a little drier and had more texture, but they were still delicious! Next time I would try adding an extra tablespoon or two of peanut butter to see if it helps the dryness. Overall, I think unsweetened creamy peanut butter works best in this recipe.
You can use sweetened peanut butter in this recipe, but the cookies will be sweeter. You could combat this by not dipping them in sugar. I do not recommend changing the sugar amount in the cookie dough because it will change how the cookies spread and their baking time.
I like semi-sweet chocolate chips or a good dark chocolate (60-80% cocoa) for this recipe. Make sure that it is gluten-free.
Without adding the oil, the chocolate makes a very thick layer. With a little added vegetable oil, it's thinned slightly for a really nice dipping and chocolate shell consistency.
Related gluten-free cookie recipes to consider...
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons salted butter , softened at room temperature (141 grams)
- ⅔ cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter (208 grams)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar , lightly packed (135 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar , (50 grams) plus more for rolling the cookie dough balls (I use an additional ⅓ cup)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups gluten-free all purpose flour with xanthan gum (188 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Chocolate
- 2 ⅓ cups chocolate chips (400 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract until well-mixed.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Make the dough: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Then place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool. If refrigerating for longer, let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- Shape and roll in sugar: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then use a melon baller or tablespoon measure to scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Leave about 2 inches between the dough balls to account for spreading. Then roll each dough ball gently with your hands until smooth before rolling it in the extra granulated sugar.
- Mark and bake: Gently press the tines of a fork in a criss-cross pattern across the top of each cookie, compressing by about ⅓ of the original height of the dough ball. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the outer edges are just slightly golden and the center appears set. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack.
- Cool the cookies and prepare the chocolate: Place the baked and cooled gluten-free peanut butter cookies in the freezer for 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the chocolate and vegetable oil to a large microwavable liquid measuring cup or jar with wide opening (I use a 2 cup liquid measuring cup). Microwave the chocolate in 20 second increments until completely melted and smooth. Stir together and let rest for 5 minutes before dipping. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone liner.
- Dip the cookies: Remove the gluten-free peanut butter cookies from the freezer. One at a time, dip each cookie about half way into the chocolate. Allow some of the extra chocolate to drip back into the mixture and lay the cookie flat on the lined baking sheet so that there is a little space between cookies. When all cookies have been dipped, place in the refrigerator until set. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes.
Dani says
Better than peanut butter blossoms! This is a solid gluten free cookie recipe.
Ashlee says
I love the chocolate coating. The best gluten free peanut butter cookies I’ve had!
Ariana says
My kids and I love these gluten free peanut butter cookies with chocolate. A new family favorite!
Krystal says
Wow these are incredible! The chocolate dip is well worth the extra effort. I usually shy away from cookies with multiple steps like rolling in sugar, but these really are worth it! I can't wait to make more!