Spreadable Joy

Sunbutter

Ethan came home from camp this summer talking about sunbutter, which he ate every day for lunch. Sunbutter looks and tastes much like peanut butter, but instead of peanuts, it’s made from sunflower seeds. Sunflower butter is 30% lower in fat than peanut butter, chock full of vitamin E, and bonus: when you make it yourself it is entirely free of preservatives & added sugars, AND it is totally safe to send off to nut-free environments.

Ingredients

·         3 cups raw, unsalted hulled sunflower seeds

·         1-2 tablespoons grape seed oil

·         pinch sea salt

Instructions

1.      Preheat oven to 350F.

2.      Spread sunflower seeds onto a large baking sheet in a thin layer.

3.      Place in the oven for a total of 10-15 minutes. After the first 5 minutes, rotate every 3 minutes until seeds are golden brown.

4.      Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

5.      Add roasted seeds to the bowl of your food processor or high powered blender. Begin to blend/pulse, for a total of 10-12 minutes.

6.      While the machine is running, add oil (1 tablespoon at first) and a pinch of salt.

7.      If you feel that your butter needs a bit more liquifying action, add additional oil. The full process will take 10-12 minutes to fully breakdown the seeds. Allow the machine to do its thing, turn it off once in awhile to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

8.      Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.