SunButter Cookies

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These SunButter cookies are easy to make, naturally sweetened and absolutely delicious. They’re also gluten-free, nut-free and school-friendly. This post is sponsored by SunButter.

If you have never made cookies with SunButter before let me just start by saying that I couldn’t stop eating these cookies. Trust me when I say, these SunButter cookies are guaranteed to be a new family favorite!

An overhead photo of a plate with 8 SunButter cookies.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • They’re super easy to make – your kids could even help you out in the kitchen.
  • They’re made with SunButter which means they’re nut-free and school-safe!
  • You only need one mixing bowl – yay for less dishes!
A plate cookies piled on top of each other. A SunButter nut butter container is in the background.

SunButter 101

First let’s cover the basics of SunButter.

SunButter is made from roasted and ground sunflower seeds, which are packed with vitamins and minerals including Vitamin E, copper, manganese and selenium. Sunflower seed butter actually has more vitamins and nutrients than most nut butters!

SunButter is a great substitute for peanut butter or any nut butter in recipes. It’s free from the top 8 food allergies in the US: peanuts, tree-nuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, fish, and crustacean shellfish. SunButter has none of these!

fun fact!
Sunflowers are heliotropic, meaning they swivel to face the sun, which allows them to soak up as much sun-power as possible and makes SunButter a great source of healthy energy. How cool!
Ingredients measured out to make sunbutter cookies: coconut sugar, oat flour, salt, sunbutter, baking soda, chocolate chips, vanilla and egg.

Ingredients Needed

  • SunButter – I used natural SunButter for these cookies, which contains 7 grams of plant-based protein per serving and more vitamins and minerals than most nut butters!
  • coconut sugar – to keep things refined sugar-free we’re using coconut sugar instead of white sugar. White sugar also works in a pinch!
  • egg – to help bind everything together. I haven’t tested a vegan version of these cookies, but I bet a flax egg would work well in this recipe. Let me know if you try it in the comments below!
  • vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer!
  • oat flour – you can use store-bought oat flour or make your own by grinding rolled oats in your blender or food processor. Check out my guide on how to make oat flour.
  • baking soda – to help the cookies rise.
  • sea salt – just a pinch!
  • chocolate chips â€“ I like using Lily’s chocolate chips because they are sugar-free, but Enjoy Life chocolate chips are great if you need these cookies to be allergen-friendly.
Side by side photos of sunbutter cookie dough on a lined cookie sheet, before and after being baked.

How to Make SunButter Cookies

In a large mixing bowl stir together SunButter, coconut sugar, egg and the vanilla extract. Add the oat flour, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine and then add in chocolate chips. Dough will be thick!

Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, make heaping 1-inch dough balls and place on parchment paper. Press each cookie down lightly before baking.

Bake for 10 minutes in your preheated oven at 375°F or until edges are lightly browned.

Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

A close up of a cookie on a plate.

Why Did my SunButter Cookies Turn Green?

This hasn’t happened to me with this cookie recipe, but SunButter can occasionally give baked goods a green tint. The chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) in sunflower seeds reacts with the baking soda/powder when baked. Just know that if this happens it’s completely harmless and your cookies will taste just fine!

Can You Substitute SunButter for Peanut Butter in Cookies?

Yes, SunButter makes a great substitute for peanut butter in cookies and other baked goods like muffins, protein balls and granola bars. SunButter has more of an earthy, roasted flavor that’s absolutely delicious and it’s an awesome option when you need cookies (or other baked goods) to be nut-free.

A plate of SunButter cookies. A container of SunButter sunflower seed butter is laying next to the plate.

Storing and Freezing

After you let the cookie cool on the baking sheet for a bit, move to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool you can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

For longer storage, you can refrigerate for up to one week and freeze for up to 3 months. If you freeze the cookies, just make sure you use a freezer-safe container! I like using glass storage containers or Stasher bags for storing.

More SunButter Recipes

Be sure to check out all of the cookie recipes here on EBF.

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5 from 10 votes

SunButter Cookies

Made with sunflower butter, oat flour, coconut sugar and studded with chocolate chips these SunButter cookies are super easy to make, absolutely delicious and allergen friendly. This post is sponsored by SunButter.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 19

Ingredients  

  • ¾ cup natural SunButter
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup oat flour, gluten-free, if necessary
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • In a large bowl stir together SunButter, coconut sugar and egg. Add vanilla, oat flour, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine and then add in chocolate chips. Dough will be thick.
    Ingredients for SunButter Cookies in a glass mixing bowl.
  • Using a tablespoon, make heaping 1-inch dough balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Press each cookie down lightly before baking.
    Portioned cookies on a baking sheet lined in parchment paper.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
    Baked cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Notes

  • Chocolate chips: I recommend Enjoy Life chocolate chips for an allergen-friendly option or Lily’s (which are sweetened with stevia and lower in sugar).
  • Coconut sugar: If you can’t do coconut sugar, I recommend using light brown sugar or cane sugar. Maple syrup could also work, but I haven’t tried it. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: SunButter cookies
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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Recipe Rating




16 Comments

    1. Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that, Mary! Thanks for leaving a review and star rating, I really appreciate it.

  1. 5 stars
    I love how quick and easy these cookies are to throw together! Not to mention they’re delicious!! I’ll be making these again and again. Thanks EBF!

  2. 5 stars
    These are delicious, so chewy and decadent. And I made quite a few substitutions since I didn’t have things on hand (coconut flour instead of oat flour, applesauce instead of an egg, and almond butter instead of sunbutter) and with all the changes they still came out delicious! I’ll have to grab the ingredients to make the exact recipe next time.

    1. Woo! So glad to hear your substitutions worked out well, Christina! Thanks for sharing and leaving a review, I really appreciate it.

    1. Hey Natalie – I wouldn’t recommend swapping the dry sugar with a wet sugar like maple syrup. The consistency of the cookies will likely change.

    1. Yay! So glad these cookies turned out for you! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!

  3. I noticed the sun butter you link to is the one that has cane sugar in it. Just making sure — is this recipe supposed to be made with the sun butter w/ cane sugar or the no sugar added cane sugar?

    1. Hi! You can make this recipe with the SunButter I linked to! This is the SunButter that is included in the nutrition info. Enjoy!

  4. 5 stars
    After discovering sun butter cookies for the first time at a local bakery I was determined to make some at home, and this was one of just a few recipes that existed online, since sun butter is not nearly as popular as other type of nut butters. The taste of them is great, I used the organic sun butter which has no sugar added so they were a little less sweet than probably intended, but next time I will just add a little extra sugar. They were also quite brittle/cracked and fell apart easily which is fairly typical for peanut butter/almond butter cookies, usually meaning they have a little bit too much of the (sun)butter in them. I will likely add a little extra flour next time and see if it improves or not. Overall delicious cookies, great for people like me who are lactose intolerant and my kids both loved them they were gone within a day!

    1. WOO! This is amazing, Carrie. I am so glad you found this recipe and they turned out great for you and the family loved them. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it. 🙂

    1. Hi Nancy – I haven’t tested a vegan version of these cookies, but I bet a flax egg would work well in this recipe. Let me know if you try it. Enjoy these!