{"id":435332,"date":"2010-03-14T17:16:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-14T21:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"tag:blog.cookingwithtraderjoes.com,2010-03-14:24e5a4ce-8b20-4a2e-9f81-17fb0131566a"},"modified":"2010-03-14T17:16:00","modified_gmt":"2010-03-14T21:16:00","slug":"sunflower-butter-cookies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/435332","title":{"rendered":"Sunflower Butter Cookies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 400px; height: 267px;\" src=\"http:\/\/images.quickblogcast.com\/2\/4\/6\/4\/2\/133294-124642\/SunflowerButterCookies400.jpg?a=71\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\"><\/p>\n<div> <\/div>\n<p>These very easy sunflower butter cookies are a tasty variation on traditional peanut butter cookies.&nbsp; They&#8217;re sweet, dense, heavy, nutty, and slightly chewy the way I think a peanut\/sunflower butter cookie should be. &nbsp; It&#8217;s kind of an accident that they are also flourless and gluten-free &#8211; I tried both ways and just liked the texture best without flour.&nbsp; It also makes for an even easier recipe! &nbsp; You can use the recipe with either peanut butter or sunflower butter.&nbsp; <br \/><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 156px;\" src=\"http:\/\/images.quickblogcast.com\/2\/4\/6\/4\/2\/133294-124642\/SunflowerButter400.jpg?a=21\" align=\"right\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\"><br \/>If you haven&#8217;t tried Trader Joe&#8217;s Sunflower Butter and you like sunflower seeds, give it a try! The taste is very similar to peanut butter.&nbsp; For anyone who avoids peanuts<\/p>\n<div> <\/div>\n<p> or has an allergy, consider sunflower butter as a great- and similar-tasting alternative to peanut butter. <\/p>\n<p>I first wanted to make these cookies for <a  href=\"http:\/\/www.aweber.com\/archive\/tjcookingnews\/1esfP\/h\/Easy_St_Paddy_s_Day_recipes.htm\">St. Patrick&#8217;s Day<\/a> because sunflower butter has the unique property of turning <strong><span style=\"color: rgb(33, 130, 38);\">green<\/span><\/strong> under certain baking conditions! The naturally occurring <a  href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chlorogenic_acid\">chlorogenic acid<\/a> that is found in all plant leaves and stems is also present in the seeds of the sunflower.&nbsp; Chlorogenic acid is an antioxidant and is one of the reasons that sunflower butter is good for you (as well as being a great source of vegetable protein, potassium, vitamin E, and other vitamins and minerals).&nbsp; When chlorogenic acid meets alkaline baking conditions (i.e., if you add baking soda), it turns a dark green (see photo, below right). &nbsp; This completely harmless effect happens after the cookies <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">completely cool down<\/span> (and increases with additional hours.)&nbsp; <strong><span style=\"color: rgb(33, 130, 38);\"><strong>Green cookies!<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>&nbsp; That sounde<img decoding=\"async\" longdesc=\"http:\/\/blog.cookingwithtraderjoes.com\/2010\/03\/14\/hkhkjhk\" style=\"width: 200px; height: 144px;\" src=\"http:\/\/images.quickblogcast.com\/2\/4\/6\/4\/2\/133294-124642\/SunflowerButterCookiesGreen400.jpg?a=86\" align=\"right\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\">d perfect for St. Patrick&#8217;s day.&nbsp; Well, except after I made the version using baking soda, I realized it really wasn&#8217;t a happy bright green, but more of an ominous &#8220;something evil is growing in this cookie&#8221; dark mossy green.&nbsp;&nbsp; The kids didn&#8217;t seem to mind, but I wasn&#8217;t sure that it was the most appetizing-looking cookie&#8230;.maybe more appropriate for Halloween than St. Patrick&#8217;s?&nbsp; What do you think? In any case, if you&#8217;d like a more fluffy, softer cookie (or you just want to make green cookies!), add 1 tsp baking soda to the batter.&nbsp; To reduce or eliminate the green effect in recipes that use baking soda, add a squeeze of lemon juice to counteract the alkalinity of the batter.&nbsp; The green effect also happens with whole sunflower seeds.&nbsp; Make our <a  href=\"http:\/\/blog.cookingwithtraderjoes.com\/2010\/03\/10\/irish-soda-bread.aspx\">Irish Soda Bread<\/a> and substitute sunflower seeds for raisins.&nbsp; Let it cool or make it the night before &#8211; when you cut into it, you&#8217;ll see green sunflower seeds!<\/p>\n<div> <\/div>\n<p><strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <\/strong><br \/> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <br \/> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Regular vs. Baking soda recipe:<br \/> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; What happens when sunflower butter<br \/> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; meets baking soda?&nbsp; <strong><span style=\"color: rgb(33, 130, 38);\">Green<\/span><\/strong> cookies!<strong> <br \/>Sunflower Butter Cookies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 16-oz jar Sunflower Butter (about 1 3\/4 cups) at room temperature<br \/>1 cup sugar<br \/>2 eggs<br \/>1 tsp vanilla<br \/>1 pinch salt<\/p>\n<p>1.) In a medium bowl, mix together the sunflower butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth.&nbsp; The batter will slightly thicken after being mixed together.<br \/>2.) Refrigerate for about 1 hour.<br \/>3.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. <br \/>4.) Take walnut-size portions of the batter, lightly roll in hands and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet (I <em>really<\/em> love using a <a  href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00008T960?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=coowittrajoes-20&amp;link_code=as3&amp;camp=211189&amp;creative=373489&amp;creativeASIN=B00008T960\">Silpat baking mat<\/a>).&nbsp; The batter will be very soft but holds together without being sticky.&nbsp; Place cookies about 1-2 inches apart, as they will not spread much.&nbsp; <br \/>5.) After filling the baking sheet, take a fork and make imprints on top of the cookies. If the fork sticks, dip the fork in sugar or just sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar on each cookie before pressing the fork into it.<br \/>6.) Bake for 12 minutes.&nbsp; Don&#8217;t overbake these cookies! (err on the side of underbaking if in doubt) Allow cookies to cool.<br \/><em><br \/>Makes 30 cookies<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For more info about us or our cookbooks, please visit our website at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cookingwithtraderjoes.com\">www.cookingwithtraderjoes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>PS. &#8211;&nbsp; If you like sunflower seeds, you should also check out Trader Joe&#8217;s <a  href=\"http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yzuxs5y\">Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops<\/a>,chocolate covered sunflower seeds with a naturally colored candy coating.&nbsp; They&#8217;re tasty and perfect for decorating cupcakes and cookies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These very easy sunflower butter cookies are a tasty variation on traditional peanut butter cookies.&nbsp; They&#8217;re sweet, dense, heavy, nutty, and slightly chewy the way I think a peanut\/sunflower butter cookie should be. &nbsp; It&#8217;s kind of an accident that they are also flourless and gluten-free &#8211; I tried both ways and just liked the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-435332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435332\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}