School Safe Chocolate SunButter Cookies

Here's a school-safe (nut-free) adaptation of a classic chocolate peanut-butter cookie. Only they're not made with peanut butter. Instead they're made with healthy protein-packed sunflower seed butter.

I like to pack my boys homemade desserts in their lunches. But I've felt frustrated lately, as most of the desserts I like to make use a lot of nuts (I almost always swap out 1/3 to 1/2 of the flour in any recipe for ground almonds for nutritional purposes). But this means my boys can't bring what I make to school. 

So I was inspired to find a decently healthy cookie that I could make, that didn't contain any nuts at all (our school is very strict on this issue, for good reason).

I won't lie, I don't love the taste of sunflower seed butter on its own. But I do love that it's packed with protein, and rich in iron and vitamin E. So this is where the cocoa powder comes in - it completely masks the  "seedy" flavour.

I am so pleased with these! 

Read on for the recipe.....

Chocolate SunButter Cookies (nut free/school safe)

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (Sunbutter) *
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour (I use 1/2 cup whole wheat and 3/4 cup all purpose)
1/4  cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3  cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like to use the minis)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream the butter, sunflower seed butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth.
Add in the egg, mix well until creamy and smooth again.

Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda) until combined.
Finally, gently mix in the chocolate chips.


Shape into 3/4-inch balls, or drop from a spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the balls 2 inches apart.

optional:  sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar on top of each cookie after pressing down with a fork slightly.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Allow to cool on their baking tray for 5 minutes (to firm up a bit) then transfer to a cooling rack.

*For the Sunflower seed butter: I use brand name Sunbutter, the original formula, which does contain a bit of salt and sweetener. If using all-natural, unsweetened sunflower butter, you might want to add a bit of salt and increase the brown sugar to 1/2 cup.