The 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe That’s So Easy, I Have It Memorized

Whether it’s in a cookbook or in a pastry case, the first dessert I always make a beeline for is a peanut butter cookie. A peanut butter cookie is salty, sweet, and at the bliss point of chewy-yet-tender. You can find many variations on this beloved cookie, but I think the best version is the flourless peanut butter cookie, which scales things back and includes only the most fundamental building blocks: fat, sugar, and binding agent.

Making flourless peanut butter cookies isn’t a difficult task, but a few years ago I found a trick that not only makes the process easier, but also takes the cookie from PB into PB and J territory. The secret to the best-ever flourless peanut butter cookies is to substitute the sugar with an entire jar of fruit jam. 

I came across this swap idea many years ago from a post on Food52, and I’ve never baked peanut butter cookies another way again. The fruit jam in the cookies has a lot going for it. First, it steps in to provide sufficient sweetness and structural integrity. It also provides tons of flavor — a whole jar of jam is used to make one batch, so you’ll really be able to pick up on the strawberry (or peach, or grape) notes. (Don’t have jam on hand? Any adjacent sweet spread, like a jelly or preserve, can work in a bind. Try orange marmalade for Paddington Bear energy.) And finally, use of the entire jam jar means that this recipe does not require you to bust out a single measuring tool. It really doesn’t get easier than this. 

These cookies have a nutty, fruit-forward flavor, so maybe skip them if you’re expecting a dessert with buttery richness. But do make them when you’re in the mood for something fun and fast with fruity sweetness. Just to clear the air: There’s nothing inherently “bad” or “wrong” with the use of granulated sugar. In baking, as it is in life, sweetness can come from many different sources. You just need to know how to seek it out and how to use it to your advantage. 

1. In a large bowl, add 1 (16-ounce) jar of unsweetened peanut butter and 1 (13-ounce) jar of your choice of fruit jam. Stir to combine. 
2. Add two large eggs and stir to combine again. 
3. Scoop cookie dough in heaping tablespoons onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until cracks begin to form at the top and the bottoms begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. The cookies will be soft to the touch. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. 

1. Don’t use sweetened peanut butter. Unless you want a super-sweet cookie, the jam will be plenty sweet enough. 
2. Carefully check jar sizes before you bake. The reason these can be no-measure peanut butter cookies is because the recipe hinges on specific-sized containers of each condiment that goes into the batter, which is why you need to choose carefully. The good news is a typical jar of peanut butter you find at the grocery store is 16 ounces, and, for reference, Bonne Maman jam comes in 13-ounce jars.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe That's So Easy, I Have It Memorized