Chocolate Covered SunButter Hearts
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Chocolate Covered SunButter Hearts are an easy Valentine’s Day dessert! A sweet sunflower seed butter dough is dipped in creamy chocolate, then topped with sprinkles. The recipe is vegan, dairy-free, nut-free, and made with only 6 ingredients. This no-bake dessert is a delicious way to show someone you love them!
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s time for heart-shaped desserts and lots of chocolate! These Chocolate Covered SunButter Hearts are perfect for the occasion. They’re rich, creamy, sweet and salty all at once. They’re also an adorable way to remind someone you love them.
I’m sure you’ve tried the popular Reese’s peanut butter hearts around this time of year. This copycat recipe is a similar concept, but unlike the original candy bar, it’s allergen-friendly. In order to make it nut-free, we’ll use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. The other ingredients naturally contain no dairy, no gluten, and no wheat.
It all starts with a sweet sunflower seed butter dough. It’s made with creamy sun butter, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. The dough is cut into miniature hearts, then dipped in melted chocolate. Finally, it’s decorated with festive Valentine’s Day sprinkles. How fun is that?!
These chocolate sunbutter hearts are:
- Vegan, dairy-free, grain-free, and gluten-free
- Salty-sweet, rich, and creamy
- Allergen friendly
- Made with only 6 ingredients
- A nut-free dessert // an alternative to peanut butter hearts
- Great for gifting to friends and family!
Ingredients in chocolate covered sunbutter hearts
- Sunflower seed butter: This ingredient is made from ground sunflower seeds, which means it’s nut-free. It has the same consistency as peanut butter, but a milder flavor. If you don’t have any, you can replace it with another type of nut butter.
- Vegan butter: I recommend using vegan butter sticks, not butter from a tub. The tub variety is more oily, so the hearts won’t hold their shape as well if you use it.
- Powdered sugar: Otherwise known as confectioner’s sugar, this ingredient helps shapes the sun butter dough and gives it a sweet flavor. I suggest sifting the powdered sugar before adding it to the bowl. This will remove any clumps.
- Chocolate chips: Use your favorite type of chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life Foods Ricemilk Chocolate which made them extra delicious!
- Vanilla extract: A splash of vanilla sweetens the sun butter dough.
- Salt: Add a pinch of salt to enhance all of the other ingredients. If your sun butter is already heavily salted, you can omit this.
How to make chocolate sunbutter hearts
For the full ingredient measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to view the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Prepare the sunflower seed butter dough
First, line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
Dip the sunflower seed butter in melted chocolate
In a bowl, add chocolate chips. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until chocolate is melted through.
Tips for perfecting this easy Valentine’s Day dessert
How to make use of extra dough: After cutting the dough into hearts, form the excess scraps together into a ball of dough. Roll out the dough and use it to cut more hearts.
How to thin the melted chocolate: If you’d like your melted chocolate to be thinner, you can add 2 tsp coconut oil. This will make it easier to coat the sunbutter hearts.
Work quickly. Since vegan butter softens at room temperature, it’s important to work quickly when cutting and dipping the sun butter dough. If needed, you can place the dough (or sliced hearts) back into the freezer to firm them up again.
Decorate with your favorite topping. I decorated them with a chocolate drizzle and Valentine’s Day sprinkles, but you can add all sorts of toppings. Try it with shredded coconut, cacao nibs, or granola. Alternatively, swap the V-Day sprinkles to make them suitable for other holidays!
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Yes! You can actually use any type of nut butter. Try it with peanut, cashew, or almond butter.
Yes, but make sure it’s a thick and creamy variety. Don’t use a super drippy tahini or the dough will not hold its shape.
I recommend using butter sticks. They are less oily than tub butter, which will help the dough hold its shape better.
Of course! If white chocolate is more your thing, feel free to use it instead.
How to store chocolate dipped sunbutter hearts
Store the hearts inside a sealed container in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 5-7 days. If you’d like to store them longterm, keep in the freezer and enjoy within 3 months.
More valentine’s day dessert ideas
- Healthy Cookie Dough Hearts (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
- No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
- No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Tart
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you try these Chocolate Covered SunButter Hearts, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Instagram and YouTube!
PrintChocolate Covered SunButter Hearts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 25 hearts 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Mix, No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chocolate covered sun butter hearts are an easy Valentine’s Day dessert idea! It’s a healthier copycat recipe for Reese’s peanut butter hearts. They are nut-free, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. This treat is made with sunflower seed butter, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar. Show someone you love them with this heart shaped dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sunflower seed butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- Sprinkles, for topping
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add sunflower seed butter and vegan butter. Microwave for 45 seconds. Add vanilla extract and salt to the bowl. Mix together until evenly combined. Add sifted powdered sugar, then mix together again.
- Using clean hands or a silicone spatula, firmly press the dough into the baking dish. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. After, lift parchment paper out of the dish to remove the dough.
- Line a large cutting board with parchment paper. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, slice the dough into hearts. Set aside on the parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add chocolate chips. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until chocolate is melted through. Using a fork, dip each sunbutter heart into the chocolate. Tap the fork against the bowl to drip off excess chocolate. Place onto the parchment paper.
- Chill chocolate covered hearts in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set the chocolate. If desired, decorate further by adding a drizzle of melted chocolate and sprinkles on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- How to store: Store chocolate covered sunbutter hearts in a sealed container inside the refrigerator. Enjoy within 5-7 days. If storing in the freezer, enjoy within 3 months.
- How to make use of extra dough: After cutting the dough into hearts, form the excess scraps together into a ball of dough. Roll out the dough and use to cut more hearts.
- Sunflower seed butter: You can use any type of nut butter, such as peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc. Sunbutter is a great way to keep it nut-free though.
- Work quickly. Since vegan butter softens at room temperature, it’s important to work quickly when cutting and dipping the sun butter dough. If needed, you can place the dough (or sliced hearts) back into the freezer to firm them up again.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 heart
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 3g
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