Sunbutter Snickerdoodles ("Sundoodles")

Just keep following the sun . . .

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I first met sunflower seed butter the summer I taught at a Jewish children’s day camp, and while I have deep loyalty for peanut butter, I have to admit I was fascinated by its nut-free cousin. Rich and savory as any nut butter, yet with a tinge of bitterness reminiscent of tahini, it begged to be spread on toast, whisked into dressing, and, I thought, creamed into cookie dough. Seven years later, I’ve finally followed through with this recipe for sunbutter snickerdoodles, or sundoodles.

Coated with a cinnamon salty sugar crust that hides a soft, chewy center, these "sundoodles" are bringing the best of a snickerdoodle and a peanut butter cookie together to create a brand new classic . . . all tied together with that creamy sunbutter.

Nut butter cookies are often notoriously dry, and snickerdoodles can easily become crispy all the way through, but these cookies were developed to be soft and chewy in the center, and plenty moist. Here are my top tips to help you achieve this perfect texture:

Weigh your ingredients. Even an extra 20 grams of flour can make a huge difference in the texture of these cookies, threatening to dry them out. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, it’s an easy, relatively cheap purchase on Amazon and, in addition to saving you from washing multiple measuring, it will give your baking the best chance of success by ensuring your measurements are accurate.

Underbake your cookies. Be brave and pull your cookies out of the oven when they’re still very soft in the center. For me, the bake time was exactly 11 minutes every time, but ovens vary, so I recommend checking at 10. The cookie edges should be set, but the centers should still be extremely soft. Don’t worry: they will set up on the baking sheet as they cool and you’ll end up with the perfect soft and chewy center.

One last thing . . .

You may find that, after sitting overnight, your cookies turn green in the center. Don’t panic: they’re not molding. The green is a result of the clorogenic acid in the sunflower seed butter reacting with the baking soda to produce a plant pigment called chlorophyllin. The cookies will still taste the same and are totally safe to eat, but it is a little surprising the first time you see it. On the up side, this makes them the perfect cookies to serve for St. Patrick’s Day parties. And on that note:

Enjoy!

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Sunbutter Snickerdoodles AKA "Sundoodles"

(Makes 12)

⅓ cup (90 g.) sunflower butter, such as Sunbutter, well stirred

¼ cup (4 tbsp, ½ stick) unsalted butter

¼ cup (50 g.) light brown sugar

¾ cup (150 g.) granulated sugar, divided

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, divided

1 large egg

1 ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ tsp baking soda

1 ¼ cups (150 g.) all-purpose flour

Equipment: large bowl, hand-held mixer, two baking sheets with parchment, small bowl, cooling rack

Instructions

In a bowl, combine sunbutter, butter, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ cup granulated sugar. Using a handheld mixer, beat on medium until creamy and smooth. Add egg, cream of tartar, and baking soda, and mix until combined, then continue to mix at least 30 seconds longer to ensure leavened are distributed.

Add flour and, with a rubber spatula, fold in just until no steaks of flour are visible. Refrigerate dough while preparing to bake.

Arrange oven rack in the center and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Roll dough into balls about 3 tablespoons or 1.5 ounces each (you should have 12). Drop one or two at a time into cinnamon sugar and roll until evenly coated. Place sugar-dusted balls on baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake one sheet at a time until crisp on the edges but soft in the center, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Originally posted September 6, 2025.