After many attempts at perfecting a nut free cookie recipe, I finally got it down! You guys know I love to bake with almond flour and other gluten-free flour blends, but noticed that most of my gluten-free desserts all contain nuts. I’m so excited to introduce these nut-free Sunflower Seed Butter Cup Cookies to the fam!
They’re dairy-free, nut free AND gluten-free, and filled with chunks of sunflower seed butter cups. They’re soft-baked with crispy edges, and are the most delicious nut free cookies!
How to make nut-free cookies
Instead of my usual almond flour blend, I made these cookies with just oat flour. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but may be cross contaminated with gluten products during their processing. If you have sensitivities, its best to check that your package is certified gluten-free.
Instead of regular chocolate chips, I filled these cookies with sunflower seed butter cups. They’re similar to peanut butter cups, but filled with sunflower seed butter instead! You can use any chocolate cups you like (maybe even a homemade version!), or stick to good old fashion chocolate chips.
Some pro tips for the best results:
- Do not skip the chilling part, you will end up with very flat cookies
- If you don’t have oat flour, you can blend rolled oats in a blender until fine like flour! I use the smoothie setting on my blender, and let it run two rounds so that its super fine
- For the coconut oil, first measure it out soft, and then melt it
- Let the cookies cool completely after baking! They continue to cook while still on the pan, and that’s when they get the crispy bottoms.
Enjoy these with a tall glass of (nut-free) milk for the perfect evening dessert! The hubby said they’re the best cookies I’ve made yet, which almost made me cry because I spent an entire day perfecting them.
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Be sure to check out some of my other nut free recipes, like my gluten-free pumpkin bread, or blueberry crumble bars.
Nut-free Sunflower Seed Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar, or substitute light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup softened coconut oil, measured and then melted. For a neutral taste, use refined coconut oil
- 1 egg, at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 -3/4 cup chopped sunflower seed cups, or chocolate chips
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil.
- Fold in the oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until a dough forms.
- Pour in your chocolate and mix until well incorporated.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 40 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Once the dough is chilled, scoop out 2 tbsp worth onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I used two scoops in my small cookie scooper. Place the cookies at least 1″ apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely for at least 15 minutes.
- Keep stored in an air tight container for up to 1-2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Hello! These look so delish. Plan on making this weekend. A couple of questions. Do you think I could take out 1/2 cup of the oat flour and replace with Cocoa Powder to make a chocolate cookie base? As well do you think a dairy free butter substitute would work in place of the coconut oil. If not is it a 1/2 a cup melted coconut oil or 1/2 cup solid? Thanks so much in advance any help is much appreciated.
Hey Kelly, I would suggest following my peanut butter cup brownie cookie recipe since that seems like the base you’re looking for, and you can substitute the coconut oil in that recipe with softened vegan butter instead. Feel free to add any add ins to that base instead of the peanut butter cups, like sunflower seed butter cups or chocolate chunks!
https://somethingnutritiousblog.com/peanut-butter-cup-brownie-cookies/
Hi,
Can I substitute the egg with something else?
Thanks!
Hey Zeeva, I haven’t tested it myself but you may be able to use a flax egg.
These are so good! I made them into cookies and also into squares and both ways are delicious!
Love that! So glad you tried them 🙂