Sunflower Sweeties (Paleo version of “Peanut Butter” Cookies)

Prep time: 20 min • Cook time: 10 min • Yield: 30-32 cookies

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup unsalted  butter made from pasture-raised cows
• ¼ cup raw honey
• ¼ cup coconut nectar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup sunflower seed butter (see notes)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon salt (omit if you are using salted sunflower seeds)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw or toasted 

Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Sheet pans
• Parchment paper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees  and line sheet pan(s) with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat(s).
2. Combine butter, honey, coconut nectar, vanilla, and sunflower seed butter and mix well in a stand mixer.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
4. Add coconut flour by the ¼ cup, mixing after each addition.
5. Add salt unless you are adding sunflower seeds that are already salted.
6. Add sunflower seeds and gently mix.
7. Scoop by rounded tablespoon (see notes) and bake for 5 minutes. Using a fork, press cookie to flatten it and bake for 4-5 minutes more until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.
8. Remove from oven, cool, and store in a covered container.

Notes: Keep in mind that cookies made with coconut flour are soft not crispy. They tend to have more of a cake-like texture. There are many factors that are different between baking with coconut flour than grain flours.

Coconut flour is essentially the fiber from the coconut meat after almost all the oil has been extracted to make coconut oil; thus it is very dry and needs about twice the hydration of wheat flour. Baking with coconut flour also requires more eggs and sticky binders such as honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, etc.