Another round of the Secret Recipe Club is here! I love this group and I always look forward to the great reveal. This month I was given the lovely blog The Boys Made Me Do It. There are some great recipes over there. The first recipe that caught my eye were these awesome Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies.
Of course, I had to play up my healthy twist……
Just like Cara (the creator of The Boys Made Me Do It), I am a HUGE fan of peanut butter. I use it as often as possible.
So why did I swap out my favorite PB for sunflower seed butter?
A few reasons. I always like to put a unique twist on other peoples recipes. Also, with the new school year, we need lots of home cooked food for our lunch boxes. Many schools these days are Nut Free Zones, so I took out the peanut butter and gave you an option you can safely send to school. Make them with all fruit jam and you have an equivalent of a PB & J cookie sandwich.
Nice eh?
Not only are these nut free, but they are also low fat, sugar-free and gluten-free too. A total win if you ask me. Without the cream cheese filling, they are vegan. Your cookie, your choice. Very adaptable.
As always, I munch on these for breakfast, snacks and dessert. Why take the extra effort trying to decide when you can eat cookies?
Do you guys like sunflower seeds & butter? I love all nut and seed butters. Not picky at all.
The flavor is wonderful, with the fat from coconut milk and sunflower butter the texture of these cookies melts in your mouth. Be sure not to use baking soda with this sunflower spread. If you do you might be surprised with a bright green color. That happened to my first batch. It was shocking! Cool for St. Patty’s day though.
You can reduce the green by limiting baking soda or adding lemon juice to your batter. Interesting huh!
These cookies were a welcome home from a busy, active day at camp. A cool glass of milk and some extra jam on the side makes a long day of play well worth every jump, run and leap.
What is your favorite cookie sandwich? Have you ever baked with sunflower seed butter?
*If you are preparing food for people with nut allergies please be sure that the sunflower seed butter you choose is not cross-contaminated with nuts in processing.
Click Here for Recipe Details.
Baked Goods with Sunflower Seed Butter Links
- Crunchy Sunbutter Chocolate Cups Diet, Dessert and Dogs
- Double Sunflower Seed Scones Live Laugh Eat
- Oatmeal and Sunflower Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies The Messy Kitchen
- Sunflower Seed Butter Oatmeal Cookies Virtually Vegan Mama
- Sunflower Seed Butter Rice Crispy Treats Savor the Thyme
These look delicious and I love how healthy they are! I can’t wait to make them. And your pictures, as ever, are absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks Kathryn….healthy & delicious are always the ultimate goal over here. Thanks for your sweet compliments 🙂
Yum! I love all nut butters too. I don’t discriminate. 😉 These look amazing!
Hi Marla!
As always, I love your healthy take on this recipe and stunning photos. Wow, these look delicious! Turns out that we are Secret Recipe Club Sisters today. Not only are we both in Group C, but I had the privilege of choosing a recipe from your blog to try and blog about today. I’ve been following your blog for a while. THANK YOU for the inspiration you always provide in promoting healthy cooking and living.
These look amazing! I, too, am a lover of peanut butter, but sadly am not allowed it any more. 🙁 But I’m sure I’d love these cookies! And stunning photos, as always. Thanks so much for mentioning my sunbutter cups, too. 😀
Hi Ricki, I know how annoying it can be when we are told (or our bodes tell us) that we can no longer enjoy some of our favorite foods. Thank goodness for all of the wonderful ingredients out there these days which allow us to feel like we are not missing anything at all 🙂 Your Sunbutter Cups look awesome ~ glad to share 🙂
What original cookies! A marvelous combination of ingredients.
Cheers,
Rosa
This looks so adorable! I love it! I am going to have to grab some sunflower seed butter at my next trip to the store.
Funny it turned green with baking soda. I wonder why that is? I might have to try it just to see the green!
Alex, you MUST try it to see the green. My kids loved it! A chemical reaction with the chlorophyll and the baking soda/powder takes place. The reaction increases over time and the cookies got greener and greener. It looked really cool, but a bit too weird for the photos. The flavor was the same with both batches. The quality of the cookies was the same & the reaction does not affect the healthfulness of the cookies. Here is a helpful link at the SunButter website to read more. xo
These look fantastic! I ones filled with jam look especially delicious.
Oh yum! PB cookies were the first things I ever baked as a girl, so nut butter cookies hold a special place in my heart. Plus the jam looks good enough to lick ;p
Xiaolu, the jam is addictive. So are the cookies. Together a very happy cookie sandwich.
Thats a healthy bake,you have a wonderful space!
Thanks Rak! Lots of healthy & tasty nibbles around here 🙂
Delicious, Marla! I can’t wait to share with my Vegan friends. 🙂
Thanks Heather, I am always so happy to share the options 🙂
These look delicious! Very funny that the cookies turned green with sunflower spread and baking soda. Good to know!! 🙂
Carrie, seriously it was so shocking!! Really neat concept though, if you don’t mind green cookies…..
Marla – not only do these look great, but your photography – girlfriend – is stellar! After the kids are back in school, lets meet at our place and if you feel inclined, you can bring me a few of these cookies!
Sounds like a plan Susan! I would love to meet sometime after the kids go back to school. The cookies will be all gone, but I will make some more 😉
Really LOVE your pizza muffins today!!
WOW! SO many great recipes… bookmarking this page for sure! Really liking how your blog reads Marla. The pictures and recipe are laid out perfectly… its so much easier for goof’s like me to understand! 🙂
Thanks Amanda, it’s about time we made those recipe updates. So glad you like the new format. It is so much easier on my end too!
I love these! Just love ’em. I would make these for an afternoon snack. So tasty and healthy. The PB adds good protein for a mid-afternoon slump.
These look fantastic! Great choice!
These sound amazing, no wonder this is the recipe you chose!
OMG – these look amazing. Your photos are gorgeous! I would love one (or three) of these cookies right now.
THIS is exactly how I cook and bake!!! Healthy ingredients, while also avoiding my son’s peanut and tree nut allergies. As soon as I saw your post, I was excited because I knew I would not have to alter anything!!!! I am looking forward to preparing these, as I already have sunflower butter and several natural food spreads in the house, since these are staples. I do have one piece of friendly advice to share…if parents are planning to make these and send them to school, there is only one brand of sunflower butter out there that is processed on dedicated machinery. All the other brands, especially the expensive, organic ones, are processed on the same machinery as peanuts and tree nuts.
Lisa, thanks so much for sharing that info with us. Please let me know which brand you have found that is completely allergen free. I will note it in the post. So glad you like this recipe 🙂 xo
these look and sound fantastic as always Marla!!
I want one or two:)
A.MA.ZING. I might need to unhinge my jaw for those.
Bev! Ha…love you silly girl 🙂
Sandwich cookies are my favorite and these are no exception! Beautiful and delicious!
can’t wait to try these! Lovely!
I’m a lover of all nut and seed butters too! Great healthy twists here Marla! So glad I joined SRC, it’s a blast :). Thanks for sharing some more of your treats!
I love the twist that you put on these pretty cookies, Marla. My kids would be so excited to find these in their lunch boxes!
I love sunflower seed butter … and these sound amazing! Adding them to my “to-make” list ASAP!
Marla, these look amazing!
I am a HUGE HUGE fan of SFSButter. Big time fan!
And it’s interesting, for my Secret Recipe club participation LAST month, the recipe I adapted my Flourless PB cookies from used SFSB and she had adapted that from a PB cookie recipe. And my recipe could be adapted back to use SFSB.
What you said about the peanut free zone thing…very good point.
And the fact that this recipe is vegan, GF, free from peanuts, free from refined sugar, and it’s still a cookie!! major congrats!
the recipe, reread that…you missed a label re the salt
you wrote 3/4
i am assuming tsp?
And also the background of your site, changed to tan-ish and also the recipe print this is new…all these changes…fun!!!
Averie, thanks for that! I will make the change to the salt. You are correct 3/4 teaspoon.
Glad you like my blog changes. The only thing that changed is the recipe area. Nothing should be tan-ish. Not on this end anyways. Hmmm concerning.
Love how easily we can swap PB, SFSB & any nut butter around in recipes to suit all 🙂 all who like seeds and nuts that is….xxoo
All the other brands, especially the expensive, organic ones, are processed on the same machinery as peanuts and tree nuts.
http://newsportsgoods.com
These look like a great treat!
A healthy twist to usual sandwich cookie recipes. Thanks for sharing Marla! These cookie definitely reminds me of my mom’s famous pineapple jam cookies. Got it make it some time soon 🙂
Did not know that vegan and gluten-free could look this delicious!!!!!
These cookies look SO good!!!! I’ve never heard of sunflower seed butter. I wonder if it’s available here in Australia…
these are so cute and I’m with Dara on the lunchbox!
These are my kind of cookies!! thanks for the link love Marla!
Thanks for the shout out! Love how you made these gluten free. I’ll take one with the cream cheese filling, thanks :). Beautiful photography too, I must add!
Thanks Allie. How about the combo cream cheese/jam?? Or as you said-just cream cheese is heavenly 🙂
Oh yes, BOTH! The more the merrier.
P.S. I pinned your recipe on my to make list (on Pinterest) 🙂 http://pinterest.com/livelaugheat/
Allie, thanks so much for pinning my cookies. For some reason I can view other peoples boards but I cannot get an account set up over on Pinterest. Love everything you have pinned over there. Great inspiration! xo
Totally delicious looking!
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my Group ‘A” ~ SRC recipe this month: Cilantro Lime Chicken
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
I am new to your website and can’t stay off of it. Just wondering if I can do a 1:1 sub of PB for the sunflower seed butter, as I don’t have any and would like to make these? Also, I have stevia granules but not drops right now. I’m assuming I can use the granules but how much? Can you give me an idea? Thanks.
Hi Lindsey, go for it with the PB. They will be awesome with that! As far as the stevia powder goes, they differ so much by brand. I usually bake with the NuNaturals no-carb powder & a few teaspoons is usually enough to sweeten a batch of cookies. Other varieties can have lots of fillers so you might need more. What brand are you using?
My best advice would be add & adjust to taste.
Let me know how they turn out 🙂
What gorgeous pictures! The cookies looks so delicious and perfect choice of ingredients. If only i could grab some now.
I think I may have just reverted to 5 years old. A very excited 5 years old. Why did my parents not think of these awesome little cookies?? What a great post for SRC and The Boys Made Me Do It. These look perfect. I may just have to fulfill that child like craving asap.
Do it Kita!! Childhood cravings are the most comforting & the most fabulous kinds. Here’s to making new, delicious memories! xo
I love all nut and seed butters too! My favorite of the moment is almond and/or sunflower seed butter. I have been known to just eat it straight from the jar, sshh don’t tell anyone 😉
Wow, I love the idea of using sunflower seed butter. I had no idea some schools were nut free zones! These are the brilliant things you teach me Marla : )
These cookies look wonderful Marla – especially filled with jam – great twist on a PB and J!
Oh wow! These cookies look scrumptious! And they are healthy too?! Big plus! And great idea for kids… and nut free schools! 🙂
These sound and look amazing, Marla! I just recently tried sunflower seed butter and I’m in love!
This weekend I made a huge batch of sunflower seed butter…and I know what I’ll be making next! They look so good, Marla, especially sandwiched with that lovely layer of jam!
Marla, these sandwich cookies look so bloody good. And sunflower seed butter? Never thought of that idea! I could go for a handful right now with my tea! Delicous, as always!
Sweet Girl~
You are SO speaking my language with these cookies!
EVERY~single~thing about them I LOVE!
Pinning these big time!
Will make when I return from CA!
Hugs from Bainbridge~
xoxoxoxo
I am totally an equal opportunist when it comes to nut butters…especially when theya re in delicious cookie form! These look fabulous. I want them as an after school (and before school and during school, etc.) snack!
I just recently tried my venture into almond butter. I didn’t care for it ‘straight up’ but when I turned it into cookies I was happy. Cookies make everything better!
Rhonda, you are so right, cookies make everything so much better! Have you tried mixing almond butter into thick Greek yogurt with a natural sweetener? Addcitive. Resembles cookie dough ice cream. Really.
My god, Marla, your photos are just amazing! Each one is better than the next. These sandwich cookies look so delicious and moist and right up my alley… Wonderful, healthy recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Georgia! You are so sweet. I had a blast with this photo shoot 🙂 You are so right the texture of these is amazing!
Such a fun twist on a classic peanut butter cookie! I love the idea of putting cream cheese in the middle…yum!
We love sunflower seed butter at our house – these look like some awesome gluten-free cookies, nice treat for the kids after school. Like your new recipe format.
These sound delightful! Yum!
Oh yum! Can’t wait to try these out!!!
Wow, gluten, dairy and nut free. Looks like a winning recipe to make when it is my turn to bring in snacks to school. They look so tasty too! xo, andrea
first of all, that jam looks great. secondly, i thought i had tried all nut/seed butters, but sunflower seed butter has escaped me! it sounds amazing. 🙂
I dont knnow if I could stop eating these wow!
These look incredible! Do you think they would work other nut butters? I love that jam… there’s also a pomegranate flavor that’s amazing.
Jess they would be awesome with any nut butter. Since there are no peanut allergies here, those are up next. I saw that pomegranate flavored jam, gotta try that one too.
You know, I just bought a jar of sunbutter, because my littlest is off to daycare next week for the first time and she is full-on addicted to PB, but the school is nut-free. Hoping she will eat it! And was thinking of doing a cookie with it. So great to see your version!
Your photography is always so stunning! Beautiful cookies…and interesting tidbit about the sunflower spread and soda reaction~ Have a fabulous weekend!
I love this idea of using sunflower seed butter and coconut flour in the batter. The jam just puts it over the top.
Really, I mean I am floored that you would even visit my site! So thankful and so excited you did. In awe of your site- fantastic
“Site-fantastic” I love that! Thanks so much for the flattering words.
Really, you gotta try the cookies…xo
These look wonderful. My coworker just (officially) learned of his gluten intolerance, and he was sad he’d no longer be able to eat what I brought to work. I hate when anyone is left out, so I can make him these! Very exciting. 🙂 Thanks!
Chris, I can imagine your co-worker is bummed. Your baked goods are stunning & I am sure incredibly hard to turn down. It is comforting to know that there are so many more options these days for allergies, gluten intolerance etc. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
These look incredible delicious! Thanks for posting- I can’t wait to try out the recipe.
wow, superb cookies, with jams peeping out telling us pick me up :), Stunning clicks, superb blog, I am so delighted you came to my blog and for your lovely comments, I am so happy to be with you in SRC
I love sunflower seed butter, actually I love nut butters and these cookies sound great. Gluten free and vegan, 10 times better!
Thanks for sharing Marla!
These look so yummy – and so healthy! Love meeting you through SRC!
These look incredible Marla! I see Suzanne featured you on SRC today, congrats and thanks for playing along!
Definitely adding this to my list to make! They sound amazing. I almost never have coconut flour, though, and we think our second son is allergic to coconut, so I think I will try to substitute maybe sorghum flour instead.
I love, love, love these! My grandkids will love, love, love me when I make them!
Suzanne, I LOVE your positive thoughts on these cookies. Can’t wait to hear what your grandkids think of the cookies 🙂
That is so interesting that they turn green! Crazy, you learn something new every day! Look delish, love the cream cheese filling!
Rachel, the green was bizarre. Took some hunting on the internet to figure that one out. A few batches later……
I have never used sunflower seed butter before…sounds delish! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m enjoying the secret recipe club with you!
These are perfect to hit the sweet spot without sugar! Yummy and healthy 😉 Perfect combo!
Hi Marla, thanks for stopping by earlier, these cookies look yummy and i love how versatile they are. Also, great pictures! 🙂
The cookies look absolutely wonderful with lovely crunchy texture and healthy ingredients. Thanks for letting me know about this link with your comment on my blog.
Gorgeous photos and the cookies look divine!
Wow! What a stunning blog you have. I’ve yet to try sunflower butter but I bet it is yummy. Thanks for dropping by my blog!
I’ve never even heard of sunflower seed butter before – sounds great. The cookies look spectacular. The cream cheese filling looks delicious.
I’m actually looking for an inexpensive alternative to peanut butter that isn’t gross. Almond butter is good, but very pricey. The “child friendly Pea Butter” is just…. well… not good.
I guess that’s life with a picky eater kid.
These look incredible, and I am dying to make them, however I am one of those folks who don’t do well with the taste of stevia! I was wondering if you had a suggestion for a sweetener replacement that won’t mess with the dry-wet ratio too much? Since stevia is used in such small quantities, I’m afraid of just adding evaporated cane juice or maple syrup without really knowing what I’m doing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Healthy Bake.. Looks Yummy.. you have a nice space