There’s no time for complicated baking when my family is eagerly requesting a sweet treat. These sunflower seed butter cookies are one of my favorite quick recipes. Just 5 ingredients and your best mixing skills, so you can enjoy some dreamy, crunchy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside cookies in less than 30 minutes.
Sunflower butter is a lesser-used ingredient for cookies, but a delicious one. It’s also an allergy-friendly option to the classic peanut butter cookies.
🌻 What is Sunbutter?
Sunbutter is made from sunflower seeds and has that specific, nutty flavor. This option is typically great for those who have allergies to peanut butter or other tree nuts. It is also loaded with protein, fiber, Vitamin E, zinc, and iron.
Before you use this, make sure you check the labels to make sure they are certified free of any contaminants from a peanut producing facility. It is much better to be safe than sorry!
Even if you have zero allergies, you will love using this as an alternative for recipes. It has a mild flavor that is easy to substitute in recipes and is very kid-friendly for your picky eaters.
🥛 Ingredients
With only five simple ingredients, this is one that I make fairly often!
✔️Sunbutter – We used the creamy version. Note: If your jar has oil sitting on top, make sure to stir it really well before measuring.
✔️Flour
✔️Baking Soda
✔️Brown Sugar
✔️Milk
🍪 Instructions
Let’s get started on how to make them.
👉Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes the cookies easy to remove once baked.
👉Step 2: Combine the brown sugar, milk, and sunbutter together using a mixer.
👉Step 3: Mix the flour and the baking soda in a separate bowl.
👉Step 4: Once the wet ingredients are nice and creamy, add in your dry ingredients, mixing until smooth. Make sure to scrape down sides of bowl as needed so all ingredients are incorporated.
👉Step 5: Use a teaspoon to take some dough, form a small ball, and place it onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, until you fill the entire baking sheet.
👉Step 6: Press each cookie with the back of a fork, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
👉Step 7: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool before serving or storing.
📌 Expert Tips
Since I have made these a dozen times, here are a few tricks to make sure yours turn out great on the first try!
🔸Make-ahead option – You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and form into little balls. Freeze them on a cookie sheet for about 6-12 hours and remove them from the freezer.
Place them in a freezer-safe bag, like Ziploc’s brand. This will ensure that they remain fresh won’t get freezer burn. Take out a few at a time to bake in smaller batches.
🔸Pre-measure. My favorite time-saving hack is to measure out the dry ingredients the night before and cover them. Then, I can simply dump them into my mixer, add the wet ingredients, and bake. I can usually get these in the oven faster than it takes the oven to preheat!
🔸Natural sunflower butter tends to separate, with the oil sitting on top and the solids at the bottom. You must stir it thoroughly before measuring. If you don’t, the bottom of the jar will be dry and crumbly, and your cookies won’t hold together.
🔸Don’t overbake. It is tempting to leave them in until they look hard, but don’t do it! You want to pull them out when the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to cook on the hot pan for a few minutes after you take them out.
Another favorite tip for all cookies is to prepare all the ingredients the night before into little measuring cups and then cover them. This saves me so much time and I can simply dump them into my KitchenAid, mix for a couple minutes and form the balls. I usually can make this portion faster than it takes to preheat the oven. Seriously, try it out!
❓ FAQ
The chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) in the sunbutter can cause your cookies to become green as they cool. This is totally normal and your cookies are still safe to eat.
Sun Butter contains less saturated fat compared to most classic peanut butters. But, as with all things, it is good in moderation.
Sunflower seeds are the main ingredient of SunButter. It is like nut butters, but features sunflower seeds.
SunButter have a nice nutty roasted sunflower seed flavor. Since it is the main ingredient, it takes on the most flavor. It also has a similar texture to a peanut butter but a bit different in creaminess.
Easily substitute the flour for a gluten free option with a 1:1 measurement. Coconut flour is my go-to gluten free option.
Almond milk would be an ideal substitute for this recipe, but if you are making it because of a nut allergy, then you may look to coconut milk, soy milk, or even hemp milk as options.
🥚 More Cookie Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies | FIVE Ingredients | Sun Butter
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Flour use a gluten free option if desired
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Milk
- 1 cup Sunflower Seed Butter We used Sunbutter brand
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and place the Sunbutter, milk, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour and baking soda, and blend well.
- Add the flour to the mixing bowl, and blend on low until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and blend again on medium until smooth.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Grab dough using a teaspoon and form into balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheet. Press each cookie with the back of a fork.
- Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
- Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
Love this recipe!!