There are times when living with food allergies can be a real pain in the ass and then there’s the threat of tasteless food. But not today! Today, you can make these delicious quick bites for a little sweet tooth pick-me-up and not worry whether your gut can take it.
One of my favorite things to eat is peanut butter. I can literally just be happy with a spoonful of it as a treat. It’s one of the easy things to keep in the pantry with teen boys in the house and tell them to make a sandwich when the giant meal they ate two hours ago hasn’t held their stomachs at bay. This is actually my pantry at the moment, not counting the two jars of SunButter, PB powder and small jar of crunchy PB in the other cabinet.
But I know not all of my followers can have it. Such is the nature of food allergies. One person can handle an ingredient but another can’t and geez, who’s gonna eat all of these now? Luckily for most of you, these dollops of goodness are free from the 8 top allergens and GMO free! Peanut, tree nut, gluten, soy, dairy, egg, fish, and shellfish (Okay, those last two would be disgusting in these IMHO.)
I modified this recipe from beamingbaker.com’s recipe for a peanut butter treat and also used less coconut oil. Instead of peanut butter, I used SunButter, a sunflower alternative that is just as tasty. As it’s summertime and baseball season, what’s the difference between chomping on a bag of sunflower seeds and using sunflower butter drizzled with chocolate? Well, the sweet dark elixir of cocoa, obviously. Instead of the maple syrup the original recipe suggests, I used agave nectar, as maple syrup overpowered the mild sunflower taste. I also found the coconut flour texture a bit too dry and it made the bites crumbly instead of creamy so I used sweet white sorghum flour.
Even the chocolate I used for the drizzle is dairy, nut, and soy free as I use Enjoy Life brand. I tend to not have many issues with dark chocolate unless there’s much dairy in it. Then I’m a sad bunny. But Enjoy Life is one of those that makes allergy free baking easy. The brand is also free of casein, potato, sesame, and sulfites. If you haven’t had them, you’re probably saying, “Yeah, but is it good chocolate?” Look, I’m not saying it compares to Belgian truffles (god, nothing does. *slobber*) but I personally think it’s better than Hershey’s, and melts well with a touch of coconut oil. A sprinkle of sea salt on the top of each bite provides a bit more complexity.
One thing I added to a small batch of these was Glutinos mini pretzel twists for a little crunch and salt complement. I pressed the batter into a silicone mold to harden and pressed a pretzel into the bottom of each circle. After they hardened about 20 minutes, I coated the pretzel bottoms with chocolate and kept in the fridge a bit longer before taking them out and drizzling chocolate on the other side. ***Keep in mind, if you have a soy or corn allergy, don’t do this as Glutinos may be gluten free but they do contain soy and soluble corn fiber.
Chocolate Sunflower Butter Bites (Allergen free)
Print Recipe
These tiny sweet bites pack a punch of flavor without the worry of the 8 major food allergens!
Use a silicone half moon mold or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Clear room in the freezer for this pan.
For the bites, combine the sunflower butter, agave nectar and sorghum flour in a medium bowl using a rubber spatula until well incorporated. If using a mold, fill each hole with batter and press in to remove any bubbles. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
If using a flat baking sheet, freeze the batter for about 15-20 minutes in the bowl first. After freezing, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to drop bites onto the sheet, spaced evenly. Freeze again for 20-30 minutes.
To make the chocolate dip, stir chips and coconut oil together in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir again and heat 20-30 seconds more. Remove from the microwave and stir until all chips are melted and mixed well with the oil.
Remove bites from freezer and dip into chocolate or drizzle in a zigzag pattern using a spoon dipped in the chocolate, then freeze again for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Keep bites stored in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up to a month.
*Optional - press a mini pretzel into the bottom of each ball before freezing. Dip this end into the chocolate.
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