Raw Sunflower Seed Cookies

I've been experimenting with raw cookies for the last couple days. I don't have a dehydrator, so I needed to come up with a recipe that only required a food processor. I posted a variation of this recipe containing almonds and peanut butter on my Facebook page a couple days ago. This variation uses coconut and sunflower seed butter instead, so it's suitable for people with peanut or tree-nut allergies. They are also sugar-free and grain-free.

It is easy to make your own nut and seed butters by running roasted or raw nuts or seeds in a food processor, scraping down the sides frequently until a butter forms. Different ingredients take different amounts of time to process into butters. Sunflower seeds process in about 5 minutes, while almonds can take 10-20. Sesame seeds are low in oil so require a little added oil to turn into tahini. For this recipe, I used some homemade unsalted sunflower seed butter that needed to be used up.

Raw Sunflower Seed Cookies

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (or coconut flour)
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seed butter
1 cup pitted dates
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pulse the coconut in a food processor until it turns into a coarse flour. Add the sunflower butter, dates, and vanilla and process until the dates are incorporated and a dough-like mixture is formed. If the mixture isn't sticky enough to form a soft dough, add another tablespoon of sunflower butter and process again. Using your hands, form dough into balls. Flatten slightly into a cookie shape. Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight and enjoy.