Everyone is so health-minded in the wake of fad diets and an alarming surge of lactose-intolerant vegan types. We know that kids like something sweet, however, most butter cookies tend to have large amounts of peanut butter or almond butter that can be fattening and can cause allergic reactions. Here is a great alternative when making cookies that use sunflower butter.
What is SunButter?
Amazingly, sunflower seed butter was first introduced back in the 1980s as a good alternative to peanut butter products. It should be no surprise that Trader Joe’s was among the first that sold these in jars like peanut butter and has a nutty sunflower seed flavor that is pretty unique unto itself. It took two whole decades before the formulations were perfected to have the texture and creaminess just like peanut butter.
It took another 11 years before sunflower butter (aka SunButter) appeared in major retail grocery stores in 2011. Before this, it was often viewed as alternative-style hippy butter because of its association with being sold at outlets like Trader Joe’s. So if you find a jar of SunButter in your local market or store, you can make these tasty sunflower butter cookies.
Sunflower butter cookies
Equipment
- Kitchen mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Silicone-coated baking paper
- Baking sheet
- Wire racks
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Salted butter (8-ounces/softened)
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Cup Sunflower seed butter (creamy version)
- 1 Cup Brown sugar (packed light brown sugar)
- 2 Larger Eggs (fresh)
- 2 Cups All-purpose flour (8-ounces)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Teaspoon Baking soda
- Teaspoon Table salt
- 1 Cup Sunflower seeds (candy-coated from TJs)
Instructions
- Begin with a standard heavy-duty stand mixer such as a Hobart kitchen mixer or Sunbeam Mixmaster. These will need the mixing paddles attached beforehand. Add the salted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and sunflower seed butter into the mixing bowl, and mix these on medium until the mixture becomes smooth for at least 2-minutes. After this, add the eggs and vanilla until these are now completely mixed in.
- At this point, you add into a small bowl your flour, salt, and baking soda and mix these ingredients. Now, this mixture is added to the butter mixture and is beaten until they are well blended. The last step is to stir in (by hand) the candy-coated sunflower seeds. This mixture is then allowed to chill for half an hour in the mixing bowl that’s covered with plastic wrap.
- Now is the time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a small ice cream scoop that’s scooping about 2 tablespoons at a time, this will be perfect. Take a cookie sheet lined with silicone-coated baking paper and start to scoop the cookie mixture onto the baking sheet. Each scoop should be 3-inches apart until the tray is filled.
- Bake in the oven until they become golden brown for no more than 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies need to be removed using an oven mitt and allowed to cool for 5-minutes. If you have extra wire racks, the sunflower butter cookies can be transferred to these racks to cool further. After this, the cookies are ready to be eaten by your kids.
Health benefits from Sun Flower Butter
Just about everyone knows that certain snacks or sweets are going to be problematic for excess sugar and fat content. The good thing about sunflower seed butter is the added benefit of nutritional value. Even though sunflower seeds are often considered fatty, they are much higher on the list of seeds that feature additional health benefits.
High in protein
Sunflower seed butter comes packed with protein that provides energy to keep you going. Unlike peanut butter, sunflower seed butter helps to keep your metabolism going for longer and makes an excellent addition when used as the ultimate energy-boosting snack for exercising.
Vitamin E
You may have heard that vitamin E is the wonder vitamin that helps to slow aging. It works to help prevent cell damage and is a wonderful antioxidant. The nice thing about vitamin E is that it helps to regulate cholesterol levels and keep your immune system in good standing.
Magnesium
Most people associate magnesium with something that old people are taking in their daily vitamin supplement. In actuality, magnesium serves to help you sleep better at night and much more restfully than previously thought. It also helps to reduce muscle spasms and can regulate your energy levels.
Contains healthy fats
Sunflower seed butter also contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats which are known to give your skin a healthy glow. These are considered the healthy fats that your body needs and readily accepts. Since these are also considered unsaturated fats, they help to keep your cholesterol low and can work in your favor to reduce inflammation.
