3 easy sunflower butter snacks

Sometimes it’s hard to find quick and easy snacks that are healthy AND taste good.  Enter sunflower butter!  My go to snack has always been fruit but recently my doctor told me I needed to really up my protein intake. So after thinking it through I came up with these 3 quick and tasty sunflower butter snacks.  None of them have more than 4 ingredients!

Celery Logs

You’ll need: freshly washed celery, sunflower butter, dried cranberries (I use fruit juice sweetened ones), and cinnamon.

Instructions:  Take your celery stick and cut into 3 inch pieces.  Next spread a generous amount of sunflower butter in the dip of the celery and top with dried cranberries.  Sprinkle on some cinnamon and you have a refreshing little snack!

Banana Treats

You’ll need: a banana, sunflower butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips or Baker’s chocolate (that’s what I used), and some honey.

Instructions:  Peel the banana and slice it into ¼ inch rounds.  Spread a dollop of sunflower butter on a banana round and top with another banana slice.  Place on a baking sheet and stick in the freezer till they are slightly firm.

In the meantime place a ½ cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips (or several squares of Baker’s chocolate and some honey to taste.  I did about 1 tablespoon) in a double broiler to melt.  If you don’t have a double broiler (I didn’t) just place a saucepan on the stove with about an inch of water in the bottom and bring to a simmer. Then place a metal mixing bowl on top so that it just touches the water.  The chocolate goes in the mixing bowl until melted.

Once your chocolate is melted pull out the banana rounds and dip one side of them in the chocolate.  Then place them back on the baking sheet and put in the freezer till the chocolate hardens.  Make sure you don’t use an overly rip banana as the taste intensifies in the freezer.  You can cover them and store them in the freezer for a few days but once you eat one I doubt they’ll even make it back to the freezer!

Crispy Squares

You’ll need: rice crispy cereal or rice puffs, sunflower butter, and honey.

Instructions:  Line a small bread pan or bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.  Next place one cup of rice crispy cereal in a mixing bowl.  Heat ¼ cup sunflower butter and 1/8-1/4 cup honey in a saucepan stirring until combined and warm.  I used ¼ cup and it was really sweet so next time I’m going to use less.  Then pour the honey and sunflower mixture over the rice crispy cereal until evenly coated.  Finally place everything in the pan and cover and place in the fridge until it sets up.  You shouldn’t need to leave it in longer than 15-30 minutes.  Slice and eat!

It’s a bonus that these treats are gluten free, dairy free, and nut free.  I hope you enjoy these quick and easy treats!