If you have a sweet tooth but end up burning essentially every cookie you've ever tried to bake, here's your answer: no-bake oatmeal cookies. As the name suggests, no-bake cookies are delicious, versatile, and super easy to make without even having to go near an oven. Peanut butter or almond butter is a common ingredient in no-bake dessert recipes, but this recipe features sunflower seed butter, which is a genius alternative for anyone with peanut or tree-nut allergies.
Aside from being nut-free, this recipe also provides filling protein and fiber, heart-healthy fat, and a hefty dose of vitamin E and selenium, both antioxidants. Using flavanol-packed dark chocolate rather than milk or semi-sweet chips is another great way to up the nutritional value. (Yes, cookies can be nutritious. Another example: These healthy cookies you can eat for breakfast.) Each cookie also offers up a third of your recommended daily amount of magnesium, which research has said may help curb PMS symptoms, such as headaches and cramps. While these cookies aren’t low-calorie, they’re substantial enough to act as a satisfying snack that’s not high in added sugar. If preferred, you can make them mini-sized for a cookie that falls more on the “just a little something” end of the snack spectrum.
No-Bake Sunflower Seed Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 6 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup oats
1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1-2 tbsp. milk of choice
2-3 squares white chocolate (optional)
Mix-ins of choice (optional), such as unsweetened tart cherries, dried blueberries, hemp hearts, chia seeds, coconut flakes
Directions
1. Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between, to melt.
2. Stir in sunflower seed butter, milk, oats, and other add-ins (if using). Add splash of milk.
3. Spread cookies on piece of wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
4. If desired, melt white chocolate using same method above, and drizzle over cooled cookies. Refrigerate another 30 minutes under chocolate is hardened.
Nutrition stats per cookie (using 1% milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips, no mix-ins):
251 cals; 17g fat; 4g sat fat; 10g mono fat; 3g poly fat; 23g carbs; 10g sugar; 3g fiber; 6g protein
