Wednesday, November 12, 2014

sunbutter

When you have a child allergic to peanuts (or, hey, anyone really) it feels pretty crushing at first.  Peanuts are in so much, and further more, so much that is GOOD.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter cookies, trail mix, granola bars, no bake cookies...oh man, peanut butter is some goodness. But the world isn't over!  There are other nut butters that are good.  (Cashew butter is like heaven on earth!)  And what if your child can't eat those?  What if they're allergic to other nuts?

Sunbutter.  Sunflower seeds.  Not only is it SO delicious, but most schools will allow it in place of a nut butter.  We make sunbutter + jelly sandwiches like they're going out of style, and my non-allergic child loves it just like he used to love peanut butter!  But the drawback, peeps, is that it's terribly expensive.  It's not so bad if you're making sandwiches, but what if you want to use it in cookies or something?  Those would be some crazy expensive cookies!  Trader Joes sells a 16oz jar for $4.99 here, everywhere else I see it around $8.99.  What's a girl to do when she wants a cookie?

Make it yourself!  It's crazy easy, guys.  Here's what you need.


The steps are easy.  I buy raw, unsalted sunflower seeds in bulk, they're around $1.00 per pound.  I also buy raw flax seeds the same way.  Throw as many as you want in a single layer on a sheet pan.  You can leave out the flax if you want, but since I'm making this specifically with cookies in mind, I want all of the nutrition I can possibly get.  Roast them for about 10 - 15 minutes at 350.  Keep a close eye on them.  You want them golden and all nutty smelling, but they get burnt VERY quickly.  Once they're done roasting, transfer them to your blender or food processor, and blend while drizzling small amounts of oil in. You want to use small amounts at a time as you only want enough to make it blend smooth, not get oily.  Then you'll add a pinch or two of salt, depending on your tastes, and sugar the same way.  Blend blend blend until it's smooth and creamy, or as textured as you like.  It's a very forgiving recipe.  Store in an air tight jar in your refrigerator, it should keep about a week or so.  Mine has never lasted that long before being devoured (or used in cookies) so I really don't know, but I would make this in small batches.  Use it on sandwiches, in baking recipes, any time something calls for peanut butter.  Enjoy!

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