Thinking about my Mum as well as my childhood on this Mother's Day has made me appreciate the era for which I grew up. Riding our bikes freely until the sun went down and sharing our lunches at school are all part of my fond memories.
Recently, I was talking to a friend and she was mentioning how different schools are today. One such example became apparent when we were discussing her plans for her son's up and coming birthday. I asked if she was going to be bringing in cookies or a cake for the class to help celebrate his day. She quickly informed me that a parent was not allowed to bring in anything that was homemade. She continued to tell me that anything brought into the class had to be store bought so that the list of ingredients was clearly marked!
I was shocked. I don't think I EVER came near a store bought a treat for my birthday. In our house, I think it would have been considered sacrilegious to do so.
As I continued to question my friend with all the other changes in the schools, she also mentioned that there were now foods that were considered to be "School Safe".
Intrigued, I decided to look into a company called Free2B which promotes its products as "School Safe".
Free2B has a variety of products. Their products are considered "School Safe" because they do not contain 12 common allergens.
I went to the store in search of these products and was shocked when I saw what the price was for a single serving of their product called Dark Chocolate Sun Cups. For 2 small chocolate cups, it cost $2.69!!!!
Right then and there, I knew I had to come up with a "copycat" version for a fraction of the price.
My first attempt was to create the exact same "cup" version. Although I was successful (hence the picture in the title) it was VERY time-consuming.
So, my next attempt, I decided to turn the "cups" into "bars". This was a HUGE time safer so the recipe I am posting is for the bars as opposed to the cups. Also, Mr. Grumbles does not love sunflower seed butter so my second attempt, I included coconut in my recipe since that is a flavour he adores.
How to Make Sunflower Seed Bars (A.K.A. Sun Cups)
Step 1:
Line a 8 x 8 square pan with parchment paper and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the sunflower seed butter and microwave for 30 seconds or until it softens. Next, add all the remaining ingredients.
Stir to combine all the ingredients.
Step 2:
Pour the mixture into the square baking dish and press it down firmly.
Step 3:
Place some chocolate into a glass measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the mixture from the microwave. Stir the mixture and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir the mixture again and repeat the process until the chocolate has melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the sunflower seed butter and set it in the fridge to solidify.
I added some shredded coconut in my mixture and on the top of mine as coconut is one of Mr. Grumbles favourite foods!
How much money did I save by making my own?
My recipe makes 16 bars and the weight of 1 of my bars is equal to 2 Sun Cups. My entire pan cost approximately $6 which divided by 16 comes to about $0.38. So, making these at home saves you $2.31. To put it a different way, 16 Sun Cups would cost you $43.04 versus the $6 homemade version!
Substitutions for Customization:
To make the bars dairy free use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
To make bars free of coconut, do not add the shredded coconut on top or in the mixture and replace the coconut flour with cassava flour. Also, use avocado oil instead of the coconut oil with the chocolate chips.
To make bars sugar free, simply replace the sugar with stevia or erythritol and use Lily's Baking Chips
PS - If you like saving money life I do, here some other recipes to check out!
- Super Easy Parmesan Cracker Crisps (Keto, Low Carb, Gluten Free)
- Easy Keto Chocolate Peanut Bars (A.K.A. Copycat Oh Henry! Bars)
- Cookie Dough Protein Bites (Low Carb, Gluten Free)
- Peanut Caramel Chocolate Bars (Keto, Low Carb, Gluten Free)
Sunflower Seed Butter Bars
By simply combining sunflower seed butter and some coconut flour, you can create homemade Sunbutter Bars for a fraction of the price.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups sunflower seed butter, unsweetened (I use Trader Joe's)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (I use Swerve Confectioner for my sugar-freeversion)
- ⅓ cup coconut flour (or cassava flour)
- ½ cup shredded coconut (can omit)
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- pinch of salt (if needed)
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a 8 x 8 square pan with parchment paper.
- Place sunflower seed butter in a large microwable bowl. Place in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until softened. Add all remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips and coconut oil) and stir to combine. Press mixture firmly into pan and place in fridge to cool.
- Prepare chocolate coating by placing chocolate chips and oil in a glass measuring cup. Heat in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each interval, until chips have fully melted. Pour mixture over sunbutter layer and place in fridge until solid.
- Store in the fridge.
Notes
- See post for additional substitutions.
- I like to make mine sugar free so I use Lily's chocolate chips and Swerve Confectioner sugar.
- Nutritional information is for the sugar-free version.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 142
- Fat: 11.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.8 g
- Fiber: 4.4 g
- Protein: 4.7 g
Gerson says
Hi. Do you m8nd sharing the original recipe?