These 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies start with a box of cake mix, a cup of peanut butter, and a stick of butter, and no eggs at all. The dough rolls out and cuts into any shape, so they’re perfect for Halloween ghosts or any holiday. Need them peanut-free? Just swap in your favorite peanut-free spread.
Oriana’s Thoughts On The Recipe
Aren’t these 3-Ingredient Eggless Peanut Butter Halloween Cookies more adorable than spooky? I think so!!
I’ve been making these cookies for years, and they’re one of the easiest treats in my Halloween baking. My daughter Vicky is allergic to peanuts, so in our house I make them with WOWBUTTER instead of peanut butter, and they turn out just as soft and delicious. Everyone at the table gets to grab a ghost, and nobody has to sit this one out.
This time, I decided to make these fun ghost-shaped cookies!! But you can have fun and make any shape you like. If you prefer from-scratch egg-free Halloween cookies, check out my Easy Eggless Halloween Soft Sugar Cookies and Easy Eggless Halloween Cookies.
Let’s get baking!
Why You’ll Want to Try My Recipe
- Just 3 Ingredients: A box of cake mix, a cup of peanut butter, and a stick of butter. That’s the whole list, and no eggs at all.
- Holds Its Shape: Without eggs, the dough stays dense instead of puffing up, so it rolls out easily and your ghosts and pumpkins come out of the oven still looking like ghosts and pumpkins.
- Soft and Full of Peanut Butter Flavor: Melt-in-your-mouth soft, and a peanut butter lover’s dream.
- Not Just for Halloween: Grab a different cookie cutter and these work for every holiday, from Christmas trees to Valentine’s hearts.
- Peanut-Free Option: Swap the peanut butter for a peanut-free spread like WOWBUTTER (soy-based).
- A Family Favorite: I’ve been making these for years, and they’re tested by a real allergy mom in a real family kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- 1 Cake Mix Box: For this recipe, I like yellow or vanilla cake mix the best! The cake mix I use is 15.25 oz (432 g).
- Peanut butter: I recommend using creamy peanut butter, but chunky peanut butter will also work well if you want a little extra texture! However, I do not recommend using a natural peanut butter. For a nut-free version, use WOWBUTTER.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter because the peanut butter and cake mix already have salt.
Why These Cookies Don’t Need Eggs
Boxed cake mix already has the flour, sugar, and leavening built in, and the peanut butter and butter bring all the fat and moisture that hold the dough together. Without an egg, the dough stays dense and fudgy instead of puffing up in the oven, and that’s exactly why it rolls out so well and keeps its cut-out shape.
Adapt This Recipe For Other Food Allergies
This recipe is egg-free, but you can certainly adapt it to other food allergies.
Gluten-Free: Use Gluten-Free cake mix.
Dairy-Free: Use your favorite plant-based, dairy-free, or vegan butter. My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
Peanut-Free: Use a peanut-free spread. I like WOWBUTTER and Field Trip Chickpea Butter.
Overview: How to Make Eggless Peanut Butter Halloween Cookies
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Step 1 – Make the Dough
These cookies are really fuss-free. The dough comes together in a flash. Just throw everything in your stand mixer. The only downside of this recipe is that the dough needs some time in the refrigerator. This helps you handle the cookies more easily, and it also helps them keep their shape when baking.
But don’t worry…those 30 minutes of waiting will pay off when you take a bite, and it literally melts in your mouth!!!
Step 2 – Roll Out the Dough
Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Pro Tip: The dough is a bit sticky, so I recommend rolling it out between two pieces of parchment paper.
Step 3 – Cut Out & Bake
Remove dough from the refrigerator. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cut cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 more minutes while you preheat your oven.
Then, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
Step 4 – Decorate
When cookies are completely cool, decorate to your taste. I decorated them as ghosts. I used my Eggless Royal Icing and candy eyes.
Helpful Tips!
Chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough in the refrigerator before cutting it into shapes and baking the cookies is crucial to this recipe’s success. The dough is incredibly creamy and a bit sticky, so it is easier to handle when it’s chilled.
Use creamy peanut butter. For a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, use creamy peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter is typically thicker and, well, less creamy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The classic 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie is peanut butter, sugar, and an egg. This version swaps the sugar and egg for a box of cake mix and butter, so there’s no egg at all. If you’d rather bake from scratch, try my from-scratch eggless peanut butter cookies.
The number of cookies depends on your cookie cutter size.
Yes, I like to use WOWBUTTER or Field Trip Chickpea Butter.
Absolutely! If you want a chocolate version, feel free to use a chocolate cake mix.
Recipe Card
3-Ingredient Eggless Peanut Butter Halloween Cookies
Important
• For best results, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cake mix box (15.25 oz – 432 g) (I used yellow cake)
- 1 cup (250 g) traditional peanut butter or peanut-free spread, such as WOWBUTTER
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed all ingredients until everything is well incorporated, about 3 minutes.
- Form a disk and place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cut cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C).
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- When cookies are completely cool, decorate to your taste. I decorated them as ghosts with my Eggless Royal Icing and candy eyes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
More Egg-Free Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!
- Easy Eggless Halloween Soft Sugar Cookies
- Easy Eggless Halloween Cookies
- Eggless Sugar Cookies
- The Best Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Eggless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- more eggless cookies…
Recipe Changelog
- Originally posted in October 2015.
- Update: The post was edited in September 2022 to add more helpful information, with no changes to the recipe.
- Update: The post was updated again in October 2026 to add more helpful information, with no changes to the recipe.
These are so cute! Love how easy they are!
Hello Karly!! Yes, they are super easy to make ? So glad you like the look of this. Thanks for stopping by ?
Can you use margarine instead of butter
Hello Cassie, I haven’t tried to make this recipe with margarine. According to my experience I think it could affect the final result since margarine contain more water. Please let me know how they turn out. Thanks for stopping by.
These are so cute and easy! Nice job! 🙂
Thanks Lise!! My kids loved them.