It’s hard to believe that we haven’t had peanut butter in our house for over 14 years. I developed a nut allergy in my early thirties and it has been a major lifestyle change for our family. Turns out most of the peanut butter on store shelves really is not very healthy for anyone to be eating anyway. So, whether you have a nut allergy or are just looking for an alternative to peanut butter, sunflower butter is tasty choice. Sunflower butter is ground sunflower seeds. You may have to try a few different kinds to find your preference or even attempt to make your own if you want to ensure the control of the sugar content. I like both creamy and crunchy of the Sunbutter brand. They are also conscientious about many of the top allergies. You can use it pretty much as you would peanut butter. We primarily use it to make power balls, put it on toast, or eat it with celery or apples.
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**NOTE – once Sunbutter is opened it needs to be refrigerated. I follow that rule for anything I make with it as well.
You can tweak this recipe as you wish. I don’t usually even strictly measure anymore because I’ve made them SO MANY times. I used to make them with ground flax as well. You certainly could add that, but I opt out of it most of the time now. You can adjust the honey and of course you can decide if you wish to use sweetened or unsweetened coconut — it definitely changes the the taste and sweetness, but also makes the healthiness of it vary as well.
I tend to mix all the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients on top and mix it in. Mix it well. Start with a smaller amount of the Sunbutter and then add more if needed. You don’t want them to end up sticky; if the mixture won’t stay in ball form, it’s probably too dry and add a little more Sunbutter. I use a small cookie scoop, press them in firmly, and then pop them into a container. This batch that I actually counted, made about 40 powerballs. These are a quick go-to favorite for a snack. I’ll eat a few for breakfast along a banana sometimes, and my oldest son likes to have a few before running or basketball games. They’re not too heavy, but give you enough of an energy push to tide you over.
1 cup organic quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut (I used to use about half this much, but we have found our preference is to add more.)
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life are free from most common food allergies. They are my favorite!!)
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (You can totally skip it, but vanilla paste is super tasty and you don’t need a lot.)
1/4 cup honey (Tweak this according to your love of honey. I find if I use too much, the kids don’t like them quite as much.)
3/4-1 cup Sunbutter (I use “chunky”. It has whole sunflower seeds in it and gives the powerballs a nice crunch. Also, remember depending on how you adjusted the other ingredients or if your mix is dry and not sticking together, you can add more. Just had a spoonful or two extra at a time and mix it in.)
Want to PRINT this recipe without all my sidenotes. (wink, wink)… Here you go. Printable Sunbutter Powerball Recipe
Remember to keep in the fridge. If you’re family is like ours, these will only last a few days at most before they are eaten up.
**Reference (affiliate) links for easy access.
Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste – this stuff is the the BEST! Yum.
