There is nothing quite like the comforting aroma of freshly baked nuts wafting through the house. If you are looking for a quick treat to accompany your afternoon tea or coffee, these Homemade Peanut Cookies are the ultimate solution.
Made with just four simple ingredients, this recipe relies on real, roasted peanuts instead of processed peanut butter. The result? A cookie that is incredibly fragrant, perfectly sweet, and features a wonderful, crumbly texture that melts in your mouth. Inspired by traditional Brazilian countryside bakeries, these rustic treats are naturally easy to make and impossible to eat just one!
Grandma’s Secrets for the Best Peanut Cookies
To ensure your cookies turn out perfectly golden and crisp, keep these simple tips in mind:
- The Peanut Texture: When grinding the roasted peanuts in the food processor, pulse carefully. You want a coarse, sandy flour with tiny bits of peanut for crunch. Avoid over-processing, or the peanuts will release their natural oils and turn into peanut butter!
- Skin On or Off? You can use peanuts with or without the skin. Leaving the skin on gives the cookies a beautiful, rustic speckled look and a deeper flavor. Removing the skin results in a lighter, more delicate cookie.
- The Fork Trick: Pressing the dough balls gently with a fork not only flattens them so they bake evenly, but it also creates classic ridges that catch the heat and make the edges extra crispy.
Homemade Peanut Cookies
A delightful and rustic 4-ingredient cookie made from scratch with freshly ground roasted peanuts. Crispy on the outside, crumbly on the inside, and perfectly sweet.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the roasted peanuts in a food processor and pulse until they are finely ground into a coarse, sandy flour. Be careful not to over-process into paste.
- Transfer the ground peanuts to a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, sugar, and all-purpose flour.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands until the ingredients bind together and the dough becomes smooth and homogeneous.
- Scoop out small portions of the dough (about 40g each) and roll them firmly into smooth balls between your palms.
- Place the dough balls onto a greased or floured baking tray, leaving a little space between them.
- Using the back of a fork, gently press down on each cookie ball to flatten it slightly and create a decorative criss-cross or lined pattern.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 15 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges are lightly golden.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 15 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges are lightly golden.
Video
Notes
- Storage: These cookies keep exceptionally well! Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight glass jar or container at room temperature for up to 7 days. They will stay nice and crunchy.
- Gluten-Free Option: You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by replacing the 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with rice flour or cornstarch (amido de milho), which gives them an even softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture.