Why create a nut free "peanut butter" cookie? Because I have so many readers with nut allergies who are always asking for more nut-free recipes, cakes, and biscuits. So this is a great lunchbox recipe for you to keep on hand.
But if you want real peanut butter cookies, I have those for you below too.
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For this special cookie, there is no peanut butter in the homemade recipe for those who cannot tolerate peanut butter. There are easy and clever ways to still get that peanut butter flavor, but without actual peanuts.
Is peanut butter keto?
Yes, peanut butter is keto, depending on how much you eat. Peanut butter is higher in carbs than most nut butters but as long as you eat it in small quantities you can still stay within your daily carb limit.
There is no strict list of keto foods. To be on a keto diet your goal is to be in nutritional ketosis which is achieved by lowering your carbs so your body begins to burn fat.
How many carbs are in peanut butter?
Peanut butter is low-carb, high fat, and moderate protein.
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter (salted) contains: 2 g net carbs, 7.9 g fat, 3.9 g protein, and 94 calories.
Nutritional values from cronometer.com
Allergy friendly peanut butter cookies
Why did I develop my nut-free peanut butter cookies? And what are they?
With so many of my readers having peanut allergies, and so many schools have a nut free policy. Trying to find low-carb baking that low carb kids can take to school is pretty tricky. And even though peanuts aren't actually nuts (they're legumes) peanuts are generally included in most schools nut-free policies.
Many wheat-free or low carb recipes call for ground almonds (which also aren't permitted) or use a large amount of coconut flour which has quite a strong flavor and strange texture if you are new to low-carb baking.
These peanut free peanut butter cookies solve both these problems. The easy recipe only requires a small amount of coconut flour and the recipe uses your favorite seed butter instead as an easy and healthy alternative.
Note On Nuts: "The FDA lists coconut as a tree nut but in fact, coconut is a seed of a drupaceous fruit. Most people allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut. Coconut allergy is reasonably rare. If you are allergic to tree nuts, talk to your allergist before adding coconut to or eliminating coconut from your diet."
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Which seed butters to choose?
Nut free (or un-peanut butter cookies) uses different seed butters instead of regular peanut butter. I have created the recipe using tahini (sesame seed paste) but please choose a seed butter that is tolerated by the person who will be eating them.
Once they are drizzled with chocolate, they look perfect for a special occasion and the perfect healthy kid-friendly recipe.
Peanut butter substitutions - ALWAYS check food allergies and food intolerances BEFORE serving someone. Make sure that the seed butter you have chosen can be tolerated by them.
- Tahini (sesame seed paste)
- Sunflower butter
- Pumpkin seed butter
- Poppyseed butter
- Chocolate seed butter
- Hemp seed butter
Variations
If you want to take your delicious homemade cookies to the next level, try these variations. You'll be sure to find something that will please all the family. And even the picky eaters will come back for seconds.
- For a crunchy cookie, use the crunchy version of your seed butter instead of smooth
- Add sugar-free chocolate chips
- Add cacao nibs
- Drizzle or dunk in melted sugar-free chocolate
- Add sugar-free chia jam and make a healthy sugar-free PBJ cookie sandwich
- Add ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum to make the cookies chewy
- 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger (try it, you'll love it)
Method
Now your kiddos can enjoy a sweet treat in their lunch box! With only 7 ingredients and 20 minutes, this is definitely a quick and easy cookie recipe that is school and kid-approved.
Keto cookies
My favorite keto cookies have to be my coconut flour chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, or my chewy chocolate coconut cookies.
TOP TIP: Keep some keto cookies in the freezer so you're not tempted to eat them regularly, only when a sugar craving strikes and you want to stay on track with your keto diet.
📖 Recipe
Please rate this recipe.
Nut Free 'Peanut Butter' Cookies Recipe
Calculate ingredients
Ingredients
- 110 g (1 stick) butter softened
- 70 g (⅓ cup) tahini sesame seed paste
- 1 tablespoon granulated sweetener of choice or more to your taste
- 1 eggs - medium
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 25 g (¼ cup) coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the softened butter, tahini and sweetener. Cream together for a few minutes until light and smooth.
- Add the egg, vanilla and mix again until smooth.
- Add the coconut flour and baking soda. Mix then leave to thicken while you line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Mix again then place large teaspoons of the mixture on the baking paper. Smooth the top of each biscuit.
- Bake at 180C/350F for 10 minutes or until golden.
- Once cooled, drizzle with some melted chocolate.
- Eat and enjoy!!! xxx
5-INGREDIENTS COOKBOOK
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Approximate nutrition information is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. For the most accurate nutritional data, use the actual ingredients and brands you used in your preferred nutrition calculator.
If you are looking to make recipes WITH peanut butter. You might like these recipes:
- Salted peanut butter cups
- Keto peanut butter fudge
- Peanut butter cookies
- Peanut butter cheesecake (no bake version)
Karen
Loved them! Love tahini so nice to find a recipe that uses lots of it and low carbohydrate too what more can you ask for.
Alicia
Thank you so much for the recipe. I'm allergic to nuts. So, this one's perfect for me. Can't wait to try it.
Alicia
Thank you so much for the recipe. I'm allergic to nuts as well, can't wait to try it.
Janey
Do you have any recipes that are allergy friendly or can be easily subbed? My toddler son is allergic to dairy, egg and peanuts. It is so hard to find recipes that work and still taste good.
Grandi
Perhaps you didn’t know, or didn’t notice, but you took pains to mention that coconut is not a tree nut, while lumping the peanut in with tree nuts, when it is actually a legume.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Very true. I've added that caveat too 🙂
Caitlyn
What type of tahini would work better? Hulled or unhulled?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Both work well. I like the unhulled but my children find it a little bitter.
Susanne
I found the biscuits very dry in the mouth. Any suggestions on how to moisten them up? Im guessing the dryness is probably from the coconut flour?? Thx:)
Karen Gregg
I've just made these but they are very floppy, my son said they are more like pancakes! Should I use more flour next time? (I used 1/3 of a cup and I have to admit the mixture was quite gooey.) Would it work if I added a bit of cacao?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Yes, it sounds like an extra tablespoon or two coconut of flour might have helped. The amount of flour in any recipe may need adjusting according to the size of eggs and humidity (i.e.: moisture that needs to be absorbed). I hope you liked them anyway 🙂
Nancy
Try weighing the ingredients she lists in grams:
Butter
Tahini
Coconut flour
I did that and they came out really lovely...?❤️??
Nancy
P.S. Be sure the butter is just soft, not melted, and the egg is room temperature...?
Nancy
P.S.S. Now that they have cooled, I see that they are soft cookies, not crispy... but they still taste soooo yummy...❤️??
Sean
Hi!
Can I confirm something. In this recipe you state 1/4 cup coconut flour and in the Natvia eBook 1/3 cup. Is there a better option or a simple mistake?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Great spotting. The quantity is actually 30g in my notes, which varies from 1/3 to 1/4 cup depending on the source I must have used to convert it (can you see why I hate cups, it is so inaccurate). Coconut flour behaviour varies considerably anyway according to the humidity of your kitchen and how long the bag has been opened. Then there is the size of the eggs you use etc. So add 1/3 to begin with, then add a tablespoon at a time until it is a cookie consistency.
Sean
Yep, I used 30g which was 1/3 cup and they turned out really well 🙂
jjflamingo
Does tahini have salt or any other ingredients besides ground sunflower seeds? Also, are the seeds roasted or raw? I have raw sunflower seeds and want to make my own tahini for these.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds not sunflower seeds. You can buy them hulled or unhulled. Some brands add salt but most are 100% sesame seeds. You can see them here.
Rachel Carruthers
I made these today and they were sooooo dry! I have no idea where or even if I did go wrong! They smelled amazing, looked amazing, just the taste didn't follow through! Any suggestions, I'm so sad!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Where they overcooked? I have never had this problem. Maybe add more tahini or butter next time.
Michelle paris
Can u use almond flour instead of coconut
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
You could but you would have to 1: Use much more as coconut flour is so incredibly absorbent 2: They will no longer be nut free.
Cona
These are so easy to make and very tasteful. The texture could be described as, like we call it in the Netherlands, sand cookies. Yum! I was looking for something low carb to munch in the plane and at the airport tomorrow and saw you're quick and easy recipe. I had everything I needed in stock, so it was a quick fix. Thank you, I'm going to make them for a high tea party next weekend as well!
Brandy
This is genius! I cannot wait to try these! Thanks for making my LCHF life easier to maintain!
Anni
my son is highly allergic to sesame ... what else can I use instead of Tahini?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Are there any other nuts or seeds he is not allergic to? Any nut or seed butter that he can tolerate would also work well in this recipe. 🙂
allisonelisehicks
So does each cookie only have .3 net carbs?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
No 1.3g net carbs. Thanks for highlighting that, I am slowly going back all my old posts and updating them using chronometer.com rather than MyFitnessPal which I have discovered has far too many 'user added' values which are simply incorrect. This recipe has now been updated 🙂
Alyson
I made these cookies today as a first ever attempt at low carb baking. They came out great and there aren't many cookies left!!! I have 3 young boys aged 8, 6 and almost 4. My 6 year old is type 1 diabetic since age 3 and I'm gradually trying to cut carbs as much as possible to help stabilise the horrible swinging highs and lows. Your recipes are by far the most child friendly and achievable I have come across. Thanks!!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Thanks Alyson, that is really kind. That was part of the reason for starting my website because all of the experts seem to be child free! If you eat LCHF, the entire family has to come along otherwise it won't work, and why would you give them food you wouldn't eat? There are so many diabetics choosing to go LCHF and their blood glucose control is outstanding. Take a look at Dr Bernstein's Diabetic University. He is the lovely gentleman who helped invent the blood glucose meter because he was T1 and decades ago you could only get tested at your doctors office! He started experimenting with food and BG and achieved amazing control against medical advice. No one took him seriously because he was an engineer so went to med school. A phenomenal man.
Wendy
Hello Libby, I made the Peanut Butter cookies last night but they are very soft. Is there a way to make them crispy?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Cook them at a slightly lower temperature for longer so they will dry out. They don't crisp as much as traditional cookies. Try using fan bake also, that dries them out too.
Carolyn
Hi, just discovered your blog because of the comment you left on mine. Nice to find another low carber! Looks like you have some great stuff here!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Thanks Carolyn, such an honour coming from you. How kind. x