Use smooth sunflower butter with its oil fully mixed in; avoid adding baking soda, which also alters sunflower pigments.
Sunflower butter and oat flour form a compact, unleavened shortbread with a rustic crumb.
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Sunflower Butter Oat Shortbread Recipe
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Total time includes hands-on preparation, required chilling or resting, whole-batch cooking, cooling and finishing.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- mixing bowl
- mixer
- kitchen scale
- two 13 x 18-inch half sheets
- parchment
- fork
- wide spatula
- cooling rack
Ingredients
US measures are approximate. Gram weights help keep portions consistent; spice weights vary with density.
Instructions
Mix the dough
- Mix the dough: Stir sunflower butter smooth before weighing. Beat butter, seed butter and sugar just until combined; stir in both flours and salt until cohesive. No baking soda or baking powder is used.
Shape and chill
- Shape and chill: Divide all dough into 24 equal portions (about 15 g each). Press between parchment into 1 3/4-inch rounds, about 1/3 inch thick. Mark lightly with a fork. Refrigerate 30 minutes until firm.
Bake the whole batch
- Bake the whole batch: Heat oven to 325°F (165°C) conventional or 300°F (150°C) fan. Use two parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch half sheets, 12 cookies per sheet, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 18–22 minutes, turning front to back halfway; keep the waiting tray refrigerated. Edges and bases should be pale gold and the centers dry. Whole-batch oven time is 44 minutes for both trays.
Cool the cookies
- Cool the cookies: Rest 10 minutes on each tray, then cool 20 minutes on a rack before packing; the 30-minute cooling allowance includes the tray rest.
Timing and scaling
- Timing and scaling: 25 min hands-on + 30 min required chill/rest + 44 min whole-batch oven baking + 30 min cooling/setting = 129 min. Cooling includes tray/pan rests and runs from the final tray; earlier-tray cooling may overlap later baking. Ingredient warm-up and frozen-dough thawing are extra; preheat during shaping/chilling. Scale ingredients and US equivalents, not oven temperature, piece sizes or per-tray bake time; extra trays extend the whole-batch time.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Sunflower butter contributes ground seed solids and fat in place of some dairy butter; oat flour changes the flour blend and tenderness.
Technique & texture
Use smooth sunflower butter with its oil fully mixed in; avoid adding baking soda, which also alters sunflower pigments.
Finishing & serving
The cookies contain sunflower seeds and wheat; do not describe them as universally allergy-safe even though no nuts are added.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 5 days | Up to 5 days. Seal fully cooled cookies airtight in a cool dry room. Separate layers with parchment; keep away from moist treats. |
| Refrigeration | up to 7 days | Unnecessary; up to 7 days if needed. Baked refrigeration is unnecessary for this formula; use only if the room is warm. Seal airtight to prevent condensation and odors. |
| Raw freezing | 1 month | Up to 1 month. Freeze the unfilled dough tightly wrapped. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then shape and complete the stated chill. Thawing time is additional. |
| Baked freezing | 2 months | Up to 2 months. Freeze completely cooled cookies airtight with parchment between layers. Thaw sealed at room temperature for 1–2 hours. |
| Restoring | As described | Optional 3–5 minutes. Refresh plain cookies at 300°F (150°C) conventional or 275°F (135°C) fan for 3–5 minutes, then cool 20 minutes before sealing. This extra time is outside fresh-batch timings. |
Notes
- Scale ingredients, including US measures, without changing cookie size or oven temperature. Extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Nutrition
Approximate values per portion from the listed ingredient weights divided into 24 equal portions. Includes required fillings and finishes. Brands, unused coatings and actual portion size affect the estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use both sunflower butter and oat flour?
Sunflower butter contributes ground seed solids and fat in place of some dairy butter; oat flour changes the flour blend and tenderness.
Why is there no baking soda?
Use smooth sunflower butter with its oil fully mixed in; avoid adding baking soda, which also alters sunflower pigments.
Are these safe for every allergy?
The cookies contain sunflower seeds and wheat; do not describe them as universally allergy-safe even though no nuts are added.
