MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN 1½-INCH COOKIES
These little cookies aren’t lookers, but they’re perfect for when you want to whip up a little something for the sweet tooth that’s on the virtuous side. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, with lots of toasty, sweet flavor, they also make a fine purse snack for when you need a little energy boost without the sugar crash, and they are gluten- and nut-free, too. They also couldn’t be faster or simpler to make. Hooray!
1½ cups (7⅜ ounces/210 grams) roasted and unsalted sunflower seeds*
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (4⅝ ounces/132 grams) coconut sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*Sometimes it can be tough to find roasted sunflower seeds that are unsalted, so if you have only roasted and salted seeds, just omit the additional salt in the recipe. If you have raw seeds, give them a quick toasting for a few minutes on a dry baking sheet as the oven preheats.
1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine 1⅓ cups of the sunflower seeds, the sugar, and salt. Process until the seeds are ground into a flour, about 1 minute. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and process until the batter is well blended, about 1 minute more. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop or 2 spoons, drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, 1 dozen per sheet. Sprinkle the remaining few tablespoons of sunflower seeds over the tops of the cookies. Bake until the cookies are a bit puffed, slightly cracked, and shiny on their surfaces, but still a bit soft if you press on their centers, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before using a thin spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.