These gluten free peanut butter cookies with quinoa flour are crisp, peanuty and delicious! Gluten free cooks need options and this is a recipe made with a single flour, quinoa flour. No special gluten free ingredients required. Perfect the recipe at home then take the flour and make them when visiting family.
I discovered quinoa flour early in my gluten free journey. Baking with a single flour was a win, especially when I was first learning about flour blends and struggling to remake my favourite cookies gluten free. I now use quinoa flour to make Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies, Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Brownies and Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes.
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🍪 Ingredients
Certified gluten free quinoa flour is available at Superstore in Canada, natural food stores and grocery stores with a good gluten free baking section.
- Quinoa flour - The subtle taste you might think of from quinoa disappears after baking.
- Butter -Real butter is always my choice.
- White sugar & brown sugar - This is the combination to balance flavour & texture.
- Peanut butter - See substitutes for nut-free options.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and exact amounts.
Instructions for Baking Gluten Free Cookies
I struggled to make gluten free cookies and I shared what I learned along the way.
- This post, Tips For Making Gluten Free Cookies is a general overview of what is different with gluten free cookies.
- On A Canadian Celiac Podcast, Sue Jennett and I talk about our tips for making cookies. Episode 43 - Baking Gluten Free Cookies.
- In each recipe description I write tips about that specific recipe. You'll find more tips in these ones; Gingerbread Cookies made with a cookie flour blend, Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Diamonds and sugar cookies made with individual flours.
Substitutions
Peanut Butter - I haven't tried this recipe with a nut-free butter but I've successfully made other recipes using a nut-free butter. If you need peanut free substitute SunButter (sunflower seed butter) or Wowbutter (made with soy beans) for the peanut butter.
Variations
With a handful of basic recipes, variations are unlimited. Whatever you see scrolling on your phone, you can make at home. Dip cookies in chocolate, drizzle them with caramel, sprinkle them with sea salt or make them into a pizza.
Add whole peanuts or chocolate chips, or even shape them into hearts and make a small thumbprint for a little blob of jam! You can't go wrong.
How To Use Quinoa Flour (and Almond flour)
Quinoa and almond flour are both high protein flours worth keeping in your pantry.
Get The Tools
It takes time to collect the kitchen tools you want and like. Bakers buy their pans in pairs for a few reasons. Gluten free cooks learn that we sometimes double up the pan to prevent over browning on the bottom, before the item is fully cooked (the trick for my gluten free scones).
- Metal portion scoops in various sizes for cookies, muffins, meatballs and more.
- Two cookie sheets, the ones without edges.
- Two jellyroll pans, also know as baking sheets, with ¼-inch sides. Used more for cooking but helpful for any cookie baking spree.
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you can't eat all your cookies in two weeks, you need to get new friends. (Don't you think?)
Top Tip: Gluten Free Kids in the Kitchen
Gluten free kids should not be missing out on homemade cookies. Of course you can buy gluten free cookies but that's not the point. To compensate for all the events where kids miss out, I encourage them to create fun food activities at home. Making cookies is one of them.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies (with quinoa flour)
Equipment
- Cookie scoops set of 3
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa flour (170g)
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 10 tablespoon white sugar (½ cup + 2 Tbsp)
- 10 tablespoon packed brown sugar (½ cup + 2 Tbsp)
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cups peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine flour, soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars in electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and peanut butter, mixing until combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Chill dough for 20 minutes.
- Using a portion scoop make 1½" dough balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten each dough ball with a fork in a crisscross design.
- Cookies can be frozen at this point. Transfer from the freezer to a cookie sheet and straight into a preheated oven. Bake as directed.
- Bake for 9–11 minutes, until cookies brown slightly on the edges and puff up.
- Transfer cookies to wire racks, cool for a few minutes then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
- Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks. (Who has cookies that don't get eaten in 2 weeks?)
Notes
Nutrition
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New here? Overwhelmed or frustrated? Get started with these 29 Tips about GF flour and get cooking. I can help you learn to cook gluten free food everyone wants to eat, and have fun doing it.
🎉 Exciting news! Adventures in a Gluten Free Kitchen, a membership for gluten free cooks, is coming soon. Click to learn more and join the waitlist!
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More Gluten Free Cookies
Make cookies every week, every month or every season. It can be a whole afternoon of fun, or a quick night time treat. Find a few favourites and repeat.
Theresa M Molnar
Hi,
133 calories per cookie is a lot for me. That is the reason I don't eat these things. Can this recipe (and your other), somehow be adjusted successfully to have less calories?
Cinde Little
Hi Theresa, I had to do some searching to answer this question. Aside from making the cookies smaller you could mess around substituting apple sauce for some of the butter and/or peanut butter. That kind of recipe testing usually results in someone eating a lot of cookies. I just answered a comment on my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and Camille reported that she made them substituting erythritol 1:1 for the sugar and that recipe worked perfectly for her. When I searched low calorie peanut butter cookie recipes, made with erythritol and often labeled keto, they came in just under 100 calories. I hope that helps. Happy baking!
Marn
Very tasty and light textured. I was surprised there wasn't any vanilla in the recipe, but found that without it the peanut flavour was much stronger than in my former go to recipe, my grandmother's. Learning to bake without gluten has been an adventure. I'm grateful you have put such great recipes on-line. It's been so helpful.
Cinde Little
Thank you Marn. Yes, gluten free baking is quite the adventure! I'm happy you're finding cookie recipes you like. Keep baking and keep learning, it gets easier over time.