Simple Sun Butter Cookies
The other day, I found myself craving peanut butter cookies. The only problem with this is that I don't eat peanuts. In fact, I haven't eaten peanuts or peanut-containing products in over 15 years. So what's a girl to do? I put on my culinary thinking cap and decided to get creative!
Over the years, I have discovered that roasted sunflower butter has a flavour profile reminiscent of peanut butter. So, naturally, that's the food that first came to mind for my cookie-making experiment. And I wasn't to be disappointed! The result was a cookie that satisfied both my taste buds and my nutritional quality standards. Since these cookies are nut-free, they also have the bonus of being school safe.
Ingredients
Adapted from Kraft Canada's Super-Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup sunflower butter, smooth, unsweetened
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar*
1 egg, lightly beaten (organic, free range preferred)
A pinch of Himalayan sea salt (optional)
*Unrefined cane sugar is sometimes labelled as sucanat, muscavado, rapadura, or evaporated cane juice.
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
In a medium to large bowl, mix all ingredients with a large spoon until well blended.
Line baking sheet(s)** with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Roll cookie dough into 24 balls. Place on baking sheet(s), evenly spaced apart. Flatten with fork.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned, being careful not to over bake. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes on baking sheets. Transfer to wire rack(s) and allow to cool completely.
**I used one large baking sheet, but two might be useful if your cookie sheets are on the smaller side.
Makes 24 cookies.
Health Benefits
Sunflower Butter--Sunflower seeds are extremely nutritious, boasting significant quantities of many key nutrients, including Vitamin E, copper, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Selenium, Magnesium, and Folate.
Unrefined Cane Sugar--Unrefined cane sugar contains approximately 17% molasses by volume. While it is always important to be mindful of our total sugar intake, unrefined sugar provides notable quantities of several important nutrients, including magnesium and Vitamin B6.
Eggs--Eggs are an excellent source of choline, a nutrient required for cellular membrane structure and nervous system activity.
Bon appetit!
