Sunflower Seed Brownie Bites

I love brownies. Maybe a little too much (I'm kidding, you can't love brownies too much!). I will make a tray (a small tray) of them and usually eat the whole thing in a day if the mood strikes me. I normally use almond butter and eggs to make this delicious pan of brownies (similar to this recipe), but I wanted to get some variation in our diet, and as much as I love eggs and almond butter, neither are cheap. Rolling these into balls makes the perfect little morsels for snacking and they got kid-tested and approved over the July 4th holiday. Enjoy!

Quick Side Bar
Gotta share my cuties 4th breakfast!
I used this waffle recipe (it's gluten free and amazing) and topped with blueberries, banana, and strawberry syrup (maple syrup and strawberries pureed together). I think he approved!

................................................ And! Back to brownies!

Sunflower Seed Brownie Bites

Gluten Free, Vegan
Makes 24

1 cup sunflower seeds soaked in water for 8 hours
5 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup cocoa powder or cacao powder
3 tbl toasted coconut butter

1. Soak sunflower seeds for 8 hours or overnight in the fridge. Drain and rinse them well.
2. If you don't have some toasted coconut butter made up go ahead and do that now (recipe here). Look in the 'notes and substitutions' for another option.
3. Add the drained sunflower seeds to a food processor and pulse several times until broken up.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend until a dough forms. I had to stop and scrape the sides down several times. You can blend it longer for a smoother dough, but I like mine with some small chunks of sunflower seeds.
5. Scoop the dough out by the tablespoon and roll into balls. This part is a little messy.
6. Place the balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake on 350oF for about 15 minutes until the balls are no longer shiny. 
7. Let them cool slightly before serving. They should be firm but moist on the inside.
8. Store in the fridge for several days or freeze in a sealed container for later.

Notes and Substitutions

• If you don't have any toasted coconut butter you could use regular coconut butter (sometimes called coconut mana but not oil!) However, you will want to add about 1/2 tsp of vanilla and almond extracts because there is a lot of flavor in the toasted coconut butter.
• Coconut oil, butter, or almond or sunflower seed butter might work instead of the toasted coconut butter but I haven't tested them; if you try it please let me know in the comments section.
• Soaking the sunflower seeds isn't 100% necessary, but it makes the nuts easier to digest, it softens them for blending, and it takes some of the strong flavor of the sunflower seed out, allowing it to blend in better. If you don't soak the nuts then add 1-2 tbl of water to the food processor. 

What is your favorite way to make brownies?