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Coconut Sunflower Seed Cookies

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Sweet coconut, chewy oats, and salty toasted sunflower seeds pair in these delightful and delicious Coconut Sunflower Seed Cookies!

sunflower seed cookies recipe coconut rolled oats Kansas

Sunflowers are such happy flowers and it’s hard not to feel cheered up just by looking at them.ย  I’ve always wanted to visit a huge field of sunflowers, but on the rare occasions I’ve been in an area that grows them en masse they weren’t in season.ย  So until then I’ll have to content myself with enjoying sunflowers in my vases, artwork, and by eating these yummy Coconut Sunflower Cookies!

A Brief History of the Sunflower

Sunflowers are native to North America and have a long history where they were one of the first crops to be grown.ย  Some sources say they were domesticated even before corn and that American Indians used sunflowers for food as long as 3,000 years ago.

Though native to North America, it was actually Russia, under Peter the Great, who bred and cultivated the sunflower into the plant we know today. ย In the 18th century, sunflower seeds were transported from the New World to the Old World. ย Peter the Great became fascinated by them and Russia began growing them en masse – two million acres of them a year! ย By 1830 the sunflower made its way back to the Americas. ย But it wasn’t until 1926, when the Missouri Sunflower Growers Association started producing oil from the plants, that the sunflower really took off and it has been an appreciated resource ever since.

Sunflower heads consist of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers joined together by a receptacle base.ย  The Native Sunflower grows to 15 feet tall with flower heads up to 2 feet in diameter, and can produce over 1,000 seeds from one plant!ย  Sunflower seeds are rich in protein and yield a high-quality cooking oil.

sunflowerยฉ Ivan Feoktistov | Dreamstime

Sunflowers are such happy, stunning flowers, don’t you think? ย Kansas did well when it designated the sunflower as it’s official State flower. ย Sunflowers cover the state each summer. ย So much so that historically they were regarded as an infectious weed and lawmakers had actually attempted at one point to get rid of the “noxious weed.” ย But one year in the late 1800’s a Kansas state lawmaker attended an out-of-state rodeo and he noticed something that would forever change Kansas’ perception of the flower. ย His fellow Kansans were wearing sunflowers as a way of identifying to others their state of origin. ย And so this lawmaker went back home to Kansas and filed the legislation that would make the sunflower the state’s official floral emblem in 1903. ย Today the noble sunflower stands as a symbol of pride. ย And what a beautiful symbol is it!

Sunflower seed cookies are a traditional treat in Kansas where they’re often made using a combination of sunflower seeds, rolled oats, and shredded coconut.ย  They’re delicious bites of happiness and this Coconut Sunflower Seed Cookie recipe is my tribute to the Sunflower State of Kansas!

sunflower seed cookies recipe coconut rolled oats Kansas

Coconut Sunflower Seed Cookie Recipe

Let’s get started!

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale in color, about 4-5 minutes.

beating butter and sugar in mixing bowl

Add the coconut oil, eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

beating butter and sugar and eggs in mixing bowl

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat just until combined.

beating flour into wet mixture

Stir in the oats, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds.

adding oats sunflower seeds and coconut in mixing bowl

Drop the cookie batter by the spoonful onto a prepared cookie sheet.

In an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are beginning to turn golden.

baking cookies on cookie sheet

sunflower seed cookies recipe coconut rolled oats Kansas

 

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sunflower seed cookies recipe coconut rolled oats Kansas

Coconut Sunflower Seed Cookies

Sweet coconut, chewy oats, and salty sunflower seeds pair in these delightfully delicious cookies!
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 48 cookies
Calories 168 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil , room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs , room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup roasted and salted sunflower seed kernels

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale in color, about 4-5 minutes. Add the coconut oil, eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
    In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat just until combined. Stir in the oats, shredded coconut, and sunflower seeds.
    Drop the cookie batter by the spoonful onto a prepared cookie sheet.
    Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are beginning to turn golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

Notes

Sunflower seeds can go stale fairly quickly so be sure to use ones that are fresh.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 168kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 56mgPotassium: 81mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 92IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Coconut Sunflower Seed Cookies, Sunflower Seed Cookies
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet August 5, 2013

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




5 from 11 votes (2 ratings without comment)

31 Comments

  1. These were absolutely phenomenal. They are hands down our favorite cooking now. Not sickening sweet, crispy and chewy at the same time. Just delightful! However, when I was beating the sugars with the butter, your picture shows it really pale and smooth. I beat for over 5 minutes with an electric hand mixer. It never got that color. I finally gave up and just baked them. I used one stick (1/2 cup) butter, 3/4 cup regular sugar, and the one cup packed brown sugar, just like the recipe says. It stayed a dark tan color and never got to the point yours did. Having said that, I only had dark brown sugar on hand, so that may have made a difference but it never did get to the consistency that yours looks like. Nonetheless, they turned out great and this will be our go-to cookie recipe from now on! Thanks for sharing

    1. I’m so happy to hear that, Cat, thank you! Yes, the dark brown sugar explains the color difference; I use light brown sugar (it’s what I usually happen to have on hand). As the for the texture, that’s related to the temperature of the butter and coconut oil. Fully at room temperature (meaning the butter will be very soft), you’ll get a creamier, smoother result when beating. But in any case, the cookies turned out terrific and that’s all that matters :) Thanks again, Cat!

  2. I just made these and they are the best. Everyone liked them, even the non coconut lovers. I will make them again.

  3. Do you just drop them onto the sheet and they flatten during bake or do you flatten as in second picture prior to baking ?

  4. Waiting on first batch to go into the oven. I mean what else do you do on your lunch hour while you work from home and itโ€™s the holiday season

  5. So glad this recipe made a lot of cookies because they are delicious. What a nice departure from chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. I baked about 6 dozen cookies so obviously made them smaller than the recipe intends. Everyone loves them, even froze some to enjoy next week.

  6. By using “cups” a large part of the world population (like us Europeans) will struggle with this recipe.

    1. Hi Ton, yes and that’s why I also provide the ingredients in metric: To the right of the ingredients you’ll see a red box that says “US Customary” and to the right of it “Metric.” Click on metric and it will give you the measurements in metric. Happy cooking!

  7. I absolute hate the taste of coconut but I love sun flower seeds – eat them all the time. So, I left out the coconut and added that amount to the flour. These cookies are so good!!! (Now without the coconut in them!!) Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  8. I made these last year and they were so good! Made them again this year but used oat flour in place of regular flour and they are still so good! Unique flavor, texture is chewy, airy, but hearty!

  9. I was given about 5pds of hulled raw sunflower seeds and saw this recipe when I googled what to do with them. I am somewhat lazy so I didnโ€™t roast them, but added them raw. The cookies are still so very good. A definite keeper. If I didnโ€™t want to use coconut oil, what could I substitute, just more butter?

  10. A friend shared this recipe with me–they sound delicious! Do you use unsweetened coconut in them?

    1. Thanks, Miranda! You can use either depending on how sweet you want the cookies. I usually use sweetened coconut. Happy baking!