Sunflower Seed Cacao Spread

I published a teaser yesterday on my Insta account but didn't have time to sit down and write the recipe cause it was workout time, you know it's good to make some priorities and find time for yourself even if it is a quick cardio session

Ever since I bought my awesome food processor I've made a lot of different nut butters (like this spiced cashew butter, yum) but never tried nut-free spreads...until now!

This recipe is perfect for those who suffer from tree-nut allergy and miss enjoying a slice of bread with Nutella; though Nutella is bad for everyone...don't buy it kids, shitty ingredients that nobody needs to put in their bodies so yeah, this recipe is also a great alternative to those store-bought cacao spreads that even when they claim to be palm oil-free are still loaded with refined sugars (or an indecent amount of syrups).

I had a big bag of organic sunflower seeds that had to use up before they turned rancid, and what a better way to avoid throwing away these healthy nutrition-packed seeds than making a yummy chocolaty spread? It's crucial though to have a powerful food processor, yeah, the big ones that are heavy and a little bit expensive. But it's worth the price if you are really into healthy cooking and making your own nut butters, spreads, dips, etc.

So here it is, cacao sunflower seed butter that happens to be raw, vegan and paleo friendly, nut free and gluten free. Oh! and also super delicious! ;-)

¡Receta en español aquí!

Sunflower seed cacao spread
(yield: around 2 generous cups)

Ingredients
2 cups raw sunflower seeds.
2 tablespoons raw coconut oil.
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder.
1/4 cup pure maple syrup.*
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.
A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

Notes:

- To make this recipe completely raw you should use raw agave syrup or any raw-friendlt sweetener such as dates/raw date syrup. Also, if you don't follow a strict vegan diet raw honey is a great alternative too.

Directions

Place the sunflowers seeds in your food processor and process until it resembles wet sand. Add in coconut oil and pulse until the mixture looks quite smooth (be patient, it'll take you up to 15-20 minutes in order to get a good butter). You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.

Add the rest of the ingredients and process again. At this point your butter most probably will look like it's grainy but don't freak out, just keep processing until it looks creamy again, and remember to be patient, making nut and seed butters requires quite a bit of time in the food processor.

Transfer to a glass jar/container with a lid and store in the fridge. Since it contains coconut oil this sunflower seed butter will become thicker after setting in the refrigerator so give it a few minutes at room temperature and it'll be smooth and spreadable again.