Perfect cookies for nut allergies! These healthy sunbutter cookies are an earthy blend of sunflower butter and sweet maple syrup and made with gluten-free flour.
Sunflower seeds are a perfect alternative to nuts and make a lovely seed butter for cookies and baked goods in place of nut butters. If you can eat nuts, my gluten-free almond butter cookies and gluten-free peanut butter cookies are the same idea with a different butter.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 8 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 23 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 110kcal per cookie
- 🥣 Ingredients: 8 (sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, vanilla, egg, gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt)
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Roasted and earthy from the sunflower butter, lightly sweet from maple syrup, soft center and crunchier exterior
- ✋ Difficulty: One bowl, a fork for the crisscross, 8 minutes in the oven
Quick Answer
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Heat 1 cup of sunflower seed butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds to soften, then mix in ¾ cup maple syrup, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla until it is well blended and has a creamed consistency. Add 1 cup gluten-free flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt and mix with a spatula until it forms a dough ball. Scoop into 1-inch balls, set them 2 inches apart, press them down with the back of a fork in a crisscross pattern, and bake for about 8 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet pan before transferring to a rack. Makes 24 cookies at 110 calories each.
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The most common sunflower seed butter brand is Sunbutter, which makes all types of the nut-free allergy-free spreads. Sunbutter brand specifically is made in a factory free of the top 8 allergens.
These sunbutter cookies are incredibly nourishing and made without processed sugars and white flours. Sunflower seeds are a rich source of iron, potassium and protein and the addition of using maple syrup adds B vitamins to these tasty dessert treats! These cookies are not super sweet, and are the perfect flavor combination when craving dessert!
Why These Cookies Work
Click to see why these bake the way they do
- Seeds, not nuts. Sunflower seeds are a perfect alternative to nuts and make a lovely seed butter for cookies and baked goods in place of nut butters, so the whole batch is allergy-friendly.
- Maple syrup is the only sweetener. It gives these sunbutter cookies a soft center and crunchier exterior, and adds B vitamins instead of processed sugar.
- The egg is the binder. It holds the cookies together, and ¼ cup of apple sauce takes its place to make them vegan.
- Warming the sunbutter first matters. About 20 seconds in the microwave softens it enough to whip into a creamed consistency with the syrup, egg and vanilla.
- The fork does the shaping. Pressing a crisscross with the back of a fork flattens the dough so it bakes evenly in 8 minutes.
- They keep baking on the pan. Five minutes of cooling on the sheet pan sets the edges before the cookies move to a rack.
Why You'll Love These Sunbutter Cookies
- Allergy-friendly dessert! Perfect cookies for nut allergies, made from seeds rather than nuts.
- Nourishing and made without processed sugars or white flours.
- 110 calories a cookie with 3 grams of protein, and the batch makes 24.
- 23 minutes start to finish, most of which is the scooping.
- Not super sweet, which is the perfect flavor combination when craving dessert.
- Vegan with one swap, using ¼ cup of apple sauce in place of the egg.
- Goes with the rest of the cookie jar like my paleo chocolate chip cookies and low sugar pumpkin cookies.
Key Ingredients
- Sunbutter sunflower seed butter spread - Sunbutter brand specifically is made in a factory free of the top 8 allergens.
- Maple syrup - is the only sweetener used and gives these sunbutter cookies a soft center and crunchier exterior. Out of it? See my maple syrup substitute.
- Egg - the binding agent that holds sunbutter cookies together. To make these cookies vegan, use ¼ cup of apple sauce in place of egg.
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla - leavening agents and flavor.
- Gluten-free flour - although you can use any flour in equal amounts if gluten-free is not a concern. My gluten-free flour and starch alternatives guide covers the swaps.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make them vegan - use ¼ cup of apple sauce in place of the egg.
- Use any flour - gluten-free flour is what I use, although you can use any flour in equal amounts if gluten-free is not a concern.
- Swap the seed butter for a nut butter - if allergies are not a concern, the same method makes my almond butter cookies and peanut butter cookies.
- Sweeten it differently - maple syrup is the only sweetener here, and my maple syrup substitute list lists what works in its place.
How to Make Sunbutter Cookies
1Preheat and soften the sunbutter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat, then heat the sunbutter in a microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds to soften. Mix in the maple syrup, egg, and vanilla until it is well blended and has a creamed consistency.
2Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix with a spatula until it forms a dough ball.
3Scoop the dough. Scoop the sunbutter cookie dough with a cookie scoop into 1-inch balls. Set them on the prepared baking pan 2 inches apart.
4Press the crisscross. With the back of a fork press the raw dough down and form a crisscross pattern on the top.
5Bake and cool. Bake for about 8 minutes then let cool for 5 minutes on the sheet pan before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack to cool.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Soften the sunbutter first. About 20 seconds in the microwave is what lets it cream properly with the syrup and egg.
- Two inches apart. The dough spreads when the fork flattens it, so give the balls room on the pan.
- Do not skip the 5 minute rest. Let them cool on the sheet pan before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Eight minutes is enough. These are meant to have a soft center and a crunchier exterior.
- Store them airtight. Three days at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
- Green is normal. Chlorogenic acid turns the cookies green, and it is an antioxidant, not a problem.
Why Sunbutter Cookies Turn Green
Be aware that when baking with sunflower butter your cookies will turn green. That is because sunflower seeds have chlorogenic acid that is found in all plant leaves and stems. Chlorogenic acid is an antioxidant and is one of the reasons why sunflower butter is so good for you! When the acid is mixed with alkalinity in baking soda and baking powder it turns the cookies green.
How to store these cookies
Store these sunbutter cookies in an airtight container for three days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days. They travel well in a lunch box alongside my bakery-style homemade muffins and no bake protein balls.
Sunbutter Cookie FAQs
Sunflower seeds have chlorogenic acid, which is found in all plant leaves and stems. Chlorogenic acid is an antioxidant and is one of the reasons why sunflower butter is so good for you. When the acid is mixed with the alkalinity in baking soda and baking powder it turns the cookies green.
Not necessarily, but if you have a peanut or nut allergy, Sunbutter is safe as it is made from seeds and not nuts.
Sunflower seed butter has a roasted and earthy flavor slightly more intense than peanut butter or almond butter.
Use ¼ cup of apple sauce in place of the egg. Everything else in the recipe stays the same.
No. Gluten-free flour is what the recipe calls for, although you can use any flour in equal amounts if gluten-free is not a concern.
Store them in an airtight container for three days at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
More Nut-Free and Gluten-Free Cookies
Related recipes: How To Make The Best Bakery-Style Homemade Muffins, Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies, Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies, Easter Chocolate Bark and Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies. I hope you enjoy these sunbutter cookies! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Healthy Sunbutter Cookies (Gluten-Free)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup sunflower seed butter
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Heat the sunbutter in a microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds to soften. Mix in the maple syrup, egg, and vanilla until it is well blended and has a creamed consistency.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix with a spatula until it forms a dough ball.
- Scoop the sunbutter cookie dough with a cookie scoop into 1-inch balls, and set them on the prepared baking pan 2 inches apart.
- Then with the back of a fork press the raw dough down and form a crisscross pattern on the top.
- Bake for about 8 minutes then let cool for 5 minutes on the sheet pan before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
- To make these sunbutter cookies vegan, use ¼ cup of apple sauce in place of egg.
- When baking with sunflower butter your cookies will turn green! That is because sunflower seeds have chlorogenic acid that is found in all plant leaves and stems. Chlorogenic acid is an antioxidant and is one of the reasons why sunflower butter is so good for you! When the acid is mixed with alkalinity in baking soda and baking powder it turns the cookies green.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container for three days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Baker says
Followed directions and this dough was incredibly dry and wouldn’t form anything but crumbly sand like texture. Added another egg and half a stick of melted butter. We’ll see how they turn out.
Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach says
My guess is that it is from the flour. I just redid the recipe and adjusted the flour to 1 cup using Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free Flour. Other flours can make it too soft and some too hard, so I hope these adjustments and specifics have helped.
Tilley says
Was super excited to do this with the kids at school but they didn’t turn green like we were hoping! Any guess why?
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Give them a day or two. As they oxidize they turn green inside!
chloe marshall says
can you sub the gluten free flour for regular AP flour if you are not gluten free?
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Yes, you can:-).
Min Kwon says
HI Danielle! It's nice to "meet" you. Saw this on instagram and just had to stop by! I just purchased a jar of sunflower seed butter, and this looks like a delicious way to enjoy it! It's great on toast but it's always fun to spice it up from time to time ;). I don't mind them turning green, but did it taste different? I probably can't finish it all in one day or can I? haha. Pinned!
admin says
Among myself, my son and husband we managed to eat half the batch in a day! But they are totally safe and still taste delicious and the same the next day - it is just the chemistry of the seed mixed with baking soda. Thanks for visiting and enjoy!