Gluten-free Vegan Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter

Wow, it's hard to believe, but Vegan Mofo is over! It was fun, but I'm pretty excited to not feel the pressure of writing as often as possible. Right now, about once a week is all I have time for. And this week,   I have a delicious recipe for a homemade seed butter that's a staple in my house (and my bakery). Enjoy!!

Making things (foods, crafts, etc.) at home is practical for a number of reasons: you control exactly what goes in (or, more importantly, stays out of) your product; you control the price of ingredients (organic vs. non, on sale vs. regular price), and you also control the amount you make. I used to buy sunflower seed butter (also known as "sunbutter") in jars at the store, but at $8 a pop, I started cringing every time it showed up on my list. I realized I could find raw sunflower seeds in bulk, and that one thought led me to realize I could shave a lot of spent money (and unnecessary empty jars) just by making my own at home.

Homemade Sunbutter

Vegan, Gluten-free, Optionally Salt- and Sugar-Free

Ingredients:
2 c. sunflowers (I roast mine in the oven after getting them raw in the bulk section at my local natural foods store, but you can use already-roasted and -seasoned ones if you'd prefer)
1 t. agave (or to taste)
1/2 t. salt (or to taste)
up to 2 T. olive oil (or other oil)

Method:

1. Process the seeds for 2-3 minutes and scrape the sides of the processor bowl. 
2. Process two more minutes, then add the agave, salt, and olive oil one at a time, scraping as needed in between each addition.
3. Process until the desired consistency is reached (for me, it's about 2-3 more minutes) and serve (or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator).