Roasted Sunflower Seed Butter Food

SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

Steps:

• Place sunflower seeds into the jar or bowl of a high-powered blender or food processor, respectively. Pulse the sunflower seeds until they are finely chopped.
• Process or blend on a low speed for 1 minute continuously, then stop the machine and scrape down the sides. The sunflower seed will be dry and gritty.
• Process or blend on a low speed a second time for 1 minute continuously, then stop the machine and scrape down sides. The sunflower seed butter will start to form a clumpy paste. If using raw sunflower seeds, you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons unflavored oil to facilitate the blending.
• Process or blend on a low speed a third time for 1 minute continuously, then stop the machine and scrape down sides. The sunflower seed butter will be thick and grainy at this point. Add more oil, if needed.
• Process or blend on a medium speed fourth time for 1 to 2 minutes longer. The sunflower seed butter should be creamy and smooth at this point. It may be hot to the touch, so allow it to cool before transferring to a jar. If using sugar or salt, add it now and process or blend again to combine (I like 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt).
• The sunflower seed butter will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for several months, but can also be kept at room temperature for a couple of weeks.

SUPER SEEDY SUNFLOWER BUTTER

Steps:

• If your sunflower seeds are roasted (select unsalted if possible), skip this step. Otherwise, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and spread sunflower seeds on a baking sheet.
• Roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring/turning the pan occasionally, until fragrant and light golden brown.
• Add roasted sunflower seeds to a food processor (or high speed blender) and blend until a butter forms, scraping down sides as needed. It should take about 5-7 minutes. Resist the urge to add any additional oil (and especially not water, as it will cause the butter to seize up).
• Add salt, chia seeds, flax seed, hemp seed, and pumpkin seeds and mix/pulse to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt, or a bit of sweetener of choice if desired (avoid using liquid sweeteners, as they can cause the butter to seize up and lose its form).
• This spread is perfect for toast, baked goods, waffles, pancakes and more! Store at room temperature for 1-2 weeks, or in the refrigerator up to 1 month!

ROASTED SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 150°C / 300°F. Place the sunflower seeds onto a large baking sheet and spread into an even layer, then roast for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool for another 15 minutes.
• Place the roasted seeds into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend for about 10 minutes, stopping if the processor heats up, and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed.
• Once it's almost finished, add the salt and dates, then blend another minute or so. The butter might come up the sides as it blends but I find that using a larger amount helps to prevent this from becoming too much of a problem. Blend until very smooth and shiny looking, then go a little longer just in case.
• Store the finished sunflower seed butter in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for two weeks or longer.

SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, beat together butter, Sunflower Seed Butter and both sugars until fluffy.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in flour mixture.
• Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2-4 hours.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls with your hands. Place about 3 inches apart on ugreased baking sheets. Dip a fork in flour and press onto tops of cookies, making a criss-cross pattern on each cookie.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Careful not to burn the bottoms. Cool on baking sheets for a minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before eating.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

Steps:

• Roast sunflower seeds until golden brown then set aside to cool. I found the best method to toast them is in a dry cast iron skillet over low-medium heat for approximately 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool a little.
• Place your sunflower seeds into a food processor and blend for about 1-2 minutes or until the seeds look fine like brown sugar, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• With food processor running, drizzle in oil�a tablespoon at a time�until mixture is to desired consistency and texture is the same as that of peanut butter.
• If using unsalted seeds, stir in a little sea salt, to taste.
• Stir in sweetener of choice, to taste.