These very easy-to-make, addictive, little no-bake morsels are delicious, satisfying energy boosters that make a good snack or breakfast. And they are nut- and peanut-free, vegan, gluten-free, and without refined sugar. If you have it, use coarse salt because it makes for interesting little sparks of salt on your tongue. Each Sunbutter Bite is actually two or three bites.
Yields about twenty-four 1-inch balls
Time: 15 minutes
1¼ cups rolled oats
½ cup oat “flour”*
½ cup sunflower seed butter**
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt (coarse salt if you have it)
½ cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)***
½ cup chopped dried cranberries
*Whirl ½ cup rolled oats in the blender until the consistency of cornmeal.
**Sunflower seed butter is a spread made of whole sunflower seeds. It’s a good source of vitamin E, selenium, zinc, and magnesium and its protein contains all the essential amino acids. There are 9 grams of fat in a 1-tablespoon serving, but about 90 percent are unsaturated fats. In Ithaca, there are several good locally produced brands of sunflower butter; the national brand we’re familiar with is Sun Butter, which is a perfect consistency for this recipe.
***Toasted pepitas are readily available, but if you toast raw pumpkin seeds, do it first, so they can cool before you add them to the mix. In a 350°F oven, pepitas toast in about 10 minutes, and then take 10 minutes to cool.
In a bowl, thoroughly mix the oats, oat flour, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Then with a spoon, press and stir until a uniform and somewhat crumbly dough is formed. In the same manner, stir in the pepitas and dried cranberries. Form smooth little balls by squeezing heaping teaspoons of dough in the palm of your hand and then pressing all around with your fingers.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Instead of maple syrup, you can use another liquid sweetener such as agave syrup.
• Instead of, or in addition to dried cranberries, try other dried fruits such as cherries, prunes, dates.
• Try with chopped raw or toasted nuts or other seeds such as sunflower, sesame, chia, flaxseeds, or hemp seeds.
Sunbutter Bites have excellent nutritive value as well as being tasty treats. Try a couple for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up with a piece of fresh fruit, or take them on car, bike, or hiking trips. Keep Sunbutter Bites on hand for running-out-the-door breakfasts with a smoothie.