How to make gluten-free flourless peanut butter cookies

A scarcity of flour is every baker’s worst nightmare. But as households panic buy the white stuff in bucket loads to bake the bread they seem to have forgotten is still widely available during lockdown, a dearth of it is exactly what we are having to contend with.

Homemade biscuits are not off the agenda just yet though. This recipe calls for only three ingredients, and not one of them is flour.

They are entirely gluten-free, so ideal for people with coeliac disease and the wheat-intolerant among us, and can be made suitable for vegans with a tweak of the binding ingredient used.

These indulgent cookies are also super-easy to rustle up with little ones who might otherwise be growing increasingly irked by boredom as schools and nurseries remain closed.

Just be sure to prudently store (ergo, squirrel) these delicious treats out of easy reach of adults and children alike or expect to find mere crumbs at the bottom of the barrel within minutes – they are spectacularly moreish. You have been warned.

Three-ingredient peanut butter cookies

240g smooth peanut butter
200g sugar
1 egg (or 1 flax “egg”, 1tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 3tbsp water, to make it vegan)

Preheat oven to 170C.

If making vegan cookies, mix the flax with water and let sit for 15 minutes to become thick and gloopy.

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until a smooth dough is formed.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take a spoonful of the dough and roll into a ball. Place on parchment paper and make a crisscross pattern on the top with the back of a fork.

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 12 minutes until crisp and lightly browned.

Note: Extras, such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts or raisins, can be added if desired.

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