Salted white chocolate sunflower seed butter cups are a gourmet twist on the classic. The saltiness of the nut butter pairs perfectly with the mild, sweet and creamy white chocolate. With just six ingredients they’re simple to make at home.
Can we talk about Halloween candy for a minute? I’m not much of a traditional candy person (give me all that dark chocolate instead) but I do looove a good nut butter cup. Not so much the classic Reeses anymore, but the hipster ones like those Justin’s white chocolate peanut butter cups and the Trader Joe’s dark chocolate sunflower seed butter cups are where it’s at. What can I say, I have to make everything complicated and/or gourmet.
I decided to make a hybrid of my two favorites because HOW could this not be good. White chocolate candy for the win!
How to Make Homemade Nut Butter Cups
I’ll start by saying I’ve seen dozens of homemade nut butter cup recipes around the internet and have tried a couple of them, but they never really “wow” me.
Either the outer chocolate layer is too rich, or the nut butter is too runny and kind of just oozes out everywhere on first bite. I wanted these to be spot on from both a flavor and “ease of eating” perspective so I tried a couple of different techniques along the way. Here’s what I learned.
Use a double-boiler to melt the chocolate
This is the best method for melting chocolate because it’s delicate and slow and you don’t have to worry about scorching it in the microwave.
A double-boiler is a fancy kitchen tool, but you can hack your own using a glass bowl over a small saucepan (which is what I do). The steam from the water gently melts the chocolate in the bowl and you’re left with a silky smooth texture.
Make discs with the nut butter
The sunflower seed butter is mixed with powdered sugar so it’s stiff enough to work with (not thin and drippy). I found that this was important to get that thick bite you know and love in a traditional nut butter cup. Instead of just spooning it in, it worked well to form small discs so you get that nice cross-section bite.
Go easy on the chocolate
The first batch I tested, I used way too much white chocolate so the ratio was off and sadly they went in the trash. You can see in the photo below that it’s almost evenly split into thirds (bottom layer, middle, top layer), which is exactly what I was going for. It might seem like there isn’t enough chocolate at first, but trust me and err on the side of less.
Which paper liners should I use?
These Wilton baking cups (affiliate) work great. You’ll only fill them about halfway but the paper is sturdy enough to hold the shape, and when it’s time to enjoy one, they peel off easily. As a bonus you can also use them to hold truffles or peanut butter balls around the holidays.
There are silicon molds you can try as well, but I like having them individually wrapped for easy, mess-free storage. Once they’re solid, transfer them to a freezer bag and they’ll keep for awhile.
It’s tough to beat a classic peanut butter cup, but this homemade white chocolate sunflower seed butter version puts a fun twist on the original while holding true to some of the same great qualities. I hope you’ll give them a try!
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PrintSalted White Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups
Salted white chocolate sunflower seed butter cups are a fun and unique twist on the classic! The saltiness of the nut butter pairs perfectly with the mild, sweet and creamy white chocolate. With just six ingredients they’re simple to make at home.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 nut butter cups
- Category: Sweet, Desserts
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (see notes below)
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- flaky salt for topping
Instructions
- Line a muffin pan with mini paper baking cups and set aside.
- Make a double-boiler by adding an inch of water to a small saucepan and placing a small glass bowl over the top. Add white chocolate chips and coconut oil to the bowl and heat on medium-low, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, mix the sunflower seed butter, powdered sugar, vanilla paste and a pinch of salt in a separate small bowl. It should be stiff enough to handle (if not, add more powdered sugar until it is).
- Drop one teaspoon of the melted white chocolate to the bottom of each paper liner and gently press it up the sides (about halfway). Refrigerate 15 minutes or until solid.
- Separate the nut butter mixture into 12 even portions. The easiest way to do this is to form it into a circle, then cut into wedges (like a pizza with 12 slices).
- Roll each wedge into a ball and press down with your thumb to make a disc shape. These are the filling for your cups.
- Pull the muffin pan out of the fridge and place one nut butter “disc” in each cup. Spoon an additional teaspoon of the white chocolate over the top and smooth it out. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Place the pan back into the refrigerator one more time for at least 15 minutes or until completely solid.
Notes
- The equipment section above includes affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and recommend.
- Store these in the freezer or refrigerator for best results. They’ll likely get too soft if you leave them at room temperature.
- For the sunflower seed butter, I used a salted/sweetened variety. If you use an unsalted/unsweetened one, you’ll want to add sugar and/or salt to it to get the same results. You can find it near the other nut butters in most grocery stores.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 nut butter cup
- Calories: 139 calories
- Fat: 8 grams
- Carbohydrates: 15 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 1 gram
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