• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Healthyish Appetite

Healthyish Appetite

Approachable plant-forward recipes.

Show Search
Hide Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Work with Me
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • twitter

Salted White Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups

Filed Under: chocolate, recipe, sweet treats Written By Leanne October 19, 2020

Jump to Recipe

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.

white chocolate sunflower seed butter cups on a plate

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.

melted white chocolate in a bowl

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.

sunflower seed butter discs and salt on a cutting board

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.

stack of three white chocolate sunflower seed butter cups

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.

plate of white chocolate nut butter cups

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!

You might also like:

  • Salted Tahini Brownies (small batch)
  • Loaded Oatmeal Cookie Energy Bites
  • Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites
Print

Salted White Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups

Print Recipe

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. 

  • Author: Leanne Ray, MS, RDN
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 nut butter cups 1x
  • Category: Sweet, Desserts
  • Method: No-Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 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

  1. Line a muffin pan with mini paper baking cups and set aside.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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). 
  4. 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.
  5. 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).
  6. Roll each wedge into a ball and press down with your thumb to make a disc shape. These are the filling for your cups.
  7. 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.

Equipment

mixing bowls

Buy Now →

vanilla bean paste

Buy Now →

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

Keywords: halloween, treats, sweets, desserts, white chocolate, nut butter cups, sunflower seed butter

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @healthyish_appetite on Instagram

Want More Plant-Forward Recipes?

Join my VIP list and I'll send you five reader favorites! Healthy, flavor-packed recipes. What's not to love about that?

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

I promise I won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Welcome!

I’m Leanne and I created this space to share beautiful, wholesome, plant-forward recipes that are equal parts approachable and delicious.

Read More

Never miss a recipe.

Get new recipes straight to your inbox, every week.

Most Popular Recipes

  • Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites
  • Basic Banana Overnight Oats (+ 3 Flavor Variations)
  • Purple Cabbage Slaw

Quick & Easy

Salads & Bowls

Sweet Treats

Footer

Never miss a post

Get new recipes straight to your inbox, every week.

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

© healthyish appetite · PRIVACY POLICY · design by lr creative

Copyright © 2023 · Leanne Ray ·

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT