These sunbutter cookies are chewy and wonderful, and extra decadent with the addition of chocolate chips and gooey sun cups. This is truly a special cookie recipe!

Have you heard any of these common misconceptions about gluten free/allergy friendly desserts?
“You can’t make a cake without eggs – it won’t rise.”
“Gluten free baked goods are tasteless, like cardboard.”
These statements don’t have to be true. You can enjoy wonderful, decadent desserts even if you have to avoid many allergens. I have a guide to substitutions to use when baking, as well as a whole selection of egg free cookie recipes.
Like these chewy sunbutter cookies.
If you’re missing peanut butter cookies, you’ll want to give these a try. Sunbutter doesn’t taste exactly like peanut butter (it tastes like sweetened sunflower seeds), but the texture of these sunbutter cookies is just like the chewy peanut butter cookies you used to love.
These cookies contain lots of sunbutter, sugar, applesauce, and just a bit of gluten free flour, making for a very chewy, tender cookie that isn’t dry at all. These are sure to satisfy your craving for a chewy, flavorful, chocolatey cookie.

Top Tip
These cookies are delicate when hot – let them cool on the cookie sheet before moving them.
Ingredient Notes
- Sun Cups – I used dark chocolate Sun Cups in addition to dairy free chocolate chips to make these extra special. The sun cups get nice and melty and add more flavor and texture to these sunbutter cookies. Sun Cups are top 12 allergen free, and are pretty easy to find at Target and Whole Foods.
- Chocolate Chips – I like Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips. You could also use Enjoy Life chocolate chunks. If you have a different brand you prefer, feel free to use that.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – Namaste Perfect Flour Blend works very well in this recipe.
- Sunbutter – I love sunbutter in this recipe, but you can easily use wowbutter or a different seed butter if you like.

Substitutions
- If you are able to eat peanuts, you can definitely make these with peanut butter and peanut butter cups.
- You could also use wowbutter if you prefer.
- If you want to skip the Sun Cups, you can just add more dairy free mini chocolate chips, or any other chocolate that you wish. Chocolate chunks or even pieces of dairy free chocolate bars would be delicious.
- You can use regular all-purpose flour if you are not gluten free.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe

Extra Decadent Sunbutter Cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy sunbutter
- ¾ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup gluten free flour blend I used King Arthur Multi Purpose GF Flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- extra sugar for rolling
- 1 cup dairy free mini chocolate chips
- 6-8 Dark Chocolate Sun Cups
Instructions
- Place the sunbutter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Add the applesauce and continue to mix.
- Stop the mixer and add the gluten free flour blend, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed, scraping down the sides once.
- Stop the mixer and add the dairy free chocolate chips. Stir by hand.
- Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop the dark chocolate sun butter cups into pieces.
- Place rounded tablespoons of batter on the cookie sheet. Press the sun cup pieces into the top of each cookie.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow to cool fully on the cookie sheet before removing. Repeat with remaining dough.







Risa Smiles
Can you substitute the sunbutter with peanut butter, and the sugar with honey? Will the recipe work just as well?
Kelly Roenicke
Peanut butter will work fine, but not honey. It will make the batter too wet. Coconut sugar would work, or maple sugar if you’re looking for something unrefined.
Bethany @ athletic avocado
All the common GF baking misconceptions are shut down just glancing over at these cookies! LOVE the simple ingredient list :)
Kelly Roenicke
Thank you!
Trisha
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing! I’m definitely going to try these.
Kelly Roenicke
I hope you love them!