These super easy 3-ingredient cookies (not counting basics like oil, salt or water) help you make the most of what's already in your kitchen.
16 Super Easy Cookies Made With Just 3 Ingredients
Updated on Aug. 20, 2024
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
When my mother (who’s now a great-grandmother) gave me this no-flour , gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe about 15 years ago, I was skeptical, because it calls for only three ingredients (and no flour?!). But since then I’ve never had a failure. For these gluten-free peanut butter cookies—3 ingredients are all you need! —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
1/16
2/16
Scottish Shortbread
Total Time
35 min
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
My mother, who is of Scottish heritage, passed this shortbread recipe, along with other favorite recipes, on to me. When I entered this treat at our local fair, it won a red ribbon. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 123 calories, 8g fat (5g saturated fat), 20mg cholesterol, 62mg sodium, 12g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.
Hungry for more? Don’t forget to check out these gluten-free shortbread cookies.
3/16
Coconut Macaroons
Total Time
30 min
Servings
32 cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These chewy cookies are my husband's favorite, so he requests them often. I like to make the macaroons on cold winter days and keep them in an airtight bowl on the kitchen counter. They never last long! —Peggy Key, Grant, Alabama
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 83 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 2mg cholesterol, 41mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat.
4/16
Cashew Butter Cookies
Total Time
35 min
Servings
20 cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These cashew butter cookies are on a more sophisticated level than peanut butter. They are vegan and gluten-free, so you'll be able to share with all your friends. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 98 calories, 8g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 72mg sodium, 7g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein.
5/16
S'mores No-Bake Cookies
Total Time
15 min
Servings
2-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
There's no easier way to get that s'mores goodness in your kitchen. Mix these cookies together and chill till you're ready to share. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 79 calories, 4g fat (2g saturated fat), 2mg cholesterol, 39mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.
6/16
Gluten-Free Almond Cookies
Total Time
30 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
My friend loved these gluten-free almond cookies so much, she had to ask for the recipe! Quick and easy, they taste as good as the decadent treats I make using puff pastry and almond paste. Everyone loves them! —Sherri Cox, Lucasville, Ohio
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 61 calories, 3g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 18mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.
7/16
Air-Fryer Scottish Shortbread
Total Time
25 min
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Give air-fryer baking a try with this easy cookie recipe. It was my mother's recipe, and she passed it on to me. I make a triple batch of it each year at Christmas, to enjoy and to give as gifts. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 123 calories, 8g fat (5g saturated fat), 20mg cholesterol, 62mg sodium, 12g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.
8/16
Lemon Tea Cookies
Total Time
35 min
Servings
about 4-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
These sandwich cookies taste rich and buttery and have a lovely lemon filling. The recipe has been in our family since the 1950s, when my mother got it from a French friend in her club. —Phyllis Dietz, Westland, Michigan
Nutrition Facts:
1 each: 70 calories, 4g fat (2g saturated fat), 12mg cholesterol, 32mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.
9/16
Shortbread Cookie
Total Time
40 min
Servings
16 cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 183 calories, 12g fat (7g saturated fat), 31mg cholesterol, 2mg sodium, 18g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 0 fiber), 2g protein.
10/16
Peppermint Puff Pastry Sticks
Total Time
30 min
Servings
3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
I wanted to impress my husband's family with something you'd expect to find in a European bakery, and these chocolaty treats are what I came up with. The flaky pastry melts in your mouth. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 89 calories, 4g fat (2g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 24mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.
11/16
Quick Double Chocolate Biscotti
Total Time
30 min
Servings
About 2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Refrigerated cookie dough gives you a head start on making biscotti from scratch. For true chocolate lovers, substitute chocolate chips for the vanilla. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
Nutrition Facts:
2 each: 267 calories, 15g fat (5g saturated fat), 12mg cholesterol, 110mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.
12/16
Acorn Treats
Total Time
35 min
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
You only need three ingredients to make these super simple acorn cookies! —Jane Stasik, Greendale, Wisconsin
13/16
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Total Time
30 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
It is amazing how much flavor is in these simple 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies without brown sugar. I make them very often because I always have the ingredients on hand. —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 99 calories, 6g fat (1g saturated fat), 8mg cholesterol, 48mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate (10g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.
14/16
Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams
Total Time
30 min
Servings
3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Because so many people seem to love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, I came up with this no-bake cookie recipe.—Geraldine Sliwa, Elgin, Illinois
Nutrition Facts:
1 piece: 141 calories, 8g fat (4g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 86mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate (10g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.
15/16
Be-Mine Sandwich Cookies
Total Time
20 min
Servings
50 cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These simple cookies are the first thing to disappear from dessert tables. They're cute, colorful and extremely fast to make.
—Darcie Cross, Novi, Michigan
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 65 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 67mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.
16/16
Coconut Kisses
Total Time
35 min
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside, these meringue cookies are delicious. They add a light touch to the cookie platter, not only during the holidays but all year round. —Dorothy Beaudry, Albertville, Minnesota
Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie: 60 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 25mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch.
Also check out this 3-ingredient sugar cookie recipe that is impossible to forget.
