Sunflower Butter

A few weeks ago, when I posted how to make Tahini, it occurred to me how similar it is to making a nut butter.  Almost everyone's familiar with Peanut Butter, but unfortunately a lot of people are allergic to it.  There are plenty of alternatives, but they can be hard to find and expensive. 

Being from Kansas, I've always had a fondness for Sunflowers.

(If you're from the East Coast, Kansas is a State in the middle of the country.)

The Sunflower is the State flower, and as you can see, there's even a sunflower on the State flag.  

Not only do I like the flower, but I like Sunflower Seeds.  What guy doesn't like swooshing them around in his mouth to take the shell off, and spit it out?  Obviously, it's much easier to eat the kind that are already shelled.  A few years ago, I tried for the first time, Sunflower Butter.  It's basically like Peanut Butter, but tastes better.  The downside is that, as I stated above, there's a cost and availability problem.  

So, after a few attempts at making it with some trial and error, I finally got a good recipe for it.  

Here it is!

Ingredients:

2 c. Shelled, Unsalted Sunflower Seeds

3 T. Sunflower Oil (Preferably Unrefined)

1/2 t. Salt

1 T. Agave Nectar (Or any sweetener, really)

*Agave Nectar is very low glycemic, which is why I chose this as a sweetener.  It's also becoming very common and easy to find.

You won't need nearly this much.

 Directions:

1.   Put the 2 c. of Sunflower Seeds into a blender.

2.  With the lid on, turn the blender on a high setting and grind the seeds until they become a fine powder.  You will probably have to stop the blender and scrape the sides with a rubber spatula once or twice.

3.  Switch the blender to its lowest setting (Stir), and very slowly drizzle in the Sunflower Oil.  Again you will probably have to scrape the sides a couple of times.  

4.  When the mixture reaches the desired consistency, add the Salt and Agave Nectar.  Turn off the blender, and stir a couple of turns with a spoon.  Then, put it in a jar for storage.