Nut-Free Brownies with Sunflower Butter Cups

I made my favorite brownies recipe nut-free and then stirred in some chopped mini-sunflower butter cups into them. This is a nut allergy-safe variation of brownie recipes that are stuffed with peanut butter cups. People with a peanut allergy will not know the brownie contains peanuts until after taking a bite.

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A Food Allergy Awareness Reminder

Trigger warning: the last paragraph in this section references a food allergy death from 2013.

I used to subscribe to various cooking and recipe magazines and follow them on social media. After my son was diagnosed with food allergies, I became painfully aware of recipe containing nuts.

My pet peeve is brownies stuffed with peanut butter cups because of the hidden nature of the peanut butter cups. I would leave a comment that the recipe is dangerous because people have a peanut allergy. Of course that wasn’t well received by all the people who @ me in the comments.

I strongly suggest making desserts in a way that it’s obvious that they might have unexpected nuts inside. Adding unexpected allergens to recipes that typically don’t contain that allergen and serving them without a label or a warning could be dangerous.

I often think about Natalie Giorgi’s tragic story from 2013. She ate some rice crispy treats and suffered a fatal allergic reaction from eating rice crispy treats which were unexpectedly made with peanut butter. That tray of peanut butter rice crispy treats needed to be more obvious about peanuts as an ingredient.

Nut-Free and Allergy Aware Brownies

Stuffed brownies recipes do look delicious and it’s so easy to make a peanut-free version by using mini-sunflower butter cups. I used Free2B’s mini chocolate sunflower butter cups in this recipe. I was so excited to find them at CVS. Alternatively, I would use Trader Joe’s mini chocolate sunflower butter cups. Both are free of top 9 allergens.

Some people are allergic to sunflower seeds and they need a visual warning too. I topped the brownie batter with pieces of chopped chocolate sunflower butter cups, cut side up. People with nut or seed allergies will notice and can check if the ingredients are safe for them. It’s also a good idea to label the dessert with a cute sign on a placecard holder in a social setting.

How I Adapted My Favorite Brownies

I used to buy a Ghiradelli brownie baking mix from Costco but there’s an allergen advisory for tree nuts. I adapted Ghiradelli’s Classic Chocolate Brownie recipe and added chocolate sunflower cups.

The original recipe calls for 1-cup of brown sugar. I like my desserts less sweet and since I am adding chocolate candies, I used 3/4 cup sugar. Feel free to use 1 cup. I also rounded down the amount of salt from 3/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon.

Basic Steps to Make Brownies

Instead of melting pieces of a chocolate baking bar, I melt chocolate chips and butter together. Use a double boiler if you have one.

I don’t so I placed a medium mixing bowl over a small pot of simmering hot water. Be safe, check that your set up is stable and that the bowl will rest nicely over your pot. Also check that the bowl is tall enough so that water or steam will not accidentally get into the bowl. Otherwise the chocolate will sieze and become lumpy. You will need to allow the melted chocolate and butter mixture to cool to room temperature.

While the chocolate mixture cools down, I finish prepping. Sift the dry ingredients together. Chop the mini-chocolate sunflower butter cups, etc.. Stir the chocolate mixture a stir and check every few minutes. You can take it off the heat when it is 75% melted and stir until smooth.

Combine the remaining ingredients as directed in the recipe. Transfer the batter to the parchment lined pan, use a spatula to smooth the batter so that it’s even. Top the batter with some cut chocolate sunflower butter pieces and sprinkle around any bits and pieces so that it’s obvious that there’s an addition to the brownie.

Food Allergy Awareness about Chocolate

Over the years, I have learned that it is important to be cautious about chocolate and food allergies.

We need to take peanut and/or tree nut allergen advisories on chocolate products seriously. One study indicated “All but one sample bearing the “may contain traces of peanut” or “residual peanut” phrase tested negative for peanut.”

I remember when the FDA shared their sampling results of testing dairy-free chocolate for dairy and found potentially hazardous amounts in some products. They shared a new article about potential regulatory approaches about chocolate and potential cross-contact with milk.

Allergy Safe Brand Highlight: Enjoy Life Foods

I used a Ghiradelli recipe and while Ghiradelli does not use peanuts in their facility, some products do contain treenuts. I was really inspired to make brownies because I recently won a 12-pack case of Enjoy Life Foods mini chocolate chips, which is free of top 14 allergens. Get ready for more chocolate recipes as I bake my way through the case!

Allergy Safe Brand Highlight: Free2B

I use mini-chocolate sunflower butter cups by Free2B or Trader Joe’s. Both are free of top 9 allergens. Double check their ingredients to be sure that they work for your allergies.

Allergy Safe Brand Highlight: Rodelle

I also recommend using Rodelle Kitchen’s vanilla extract. I love that every product has an allergen statement on their website. “Rodelle does not utilize peanuts or tree-nuts on its production floor or in its products. Contact us for any other allergen questions!” Rodelle’s price per ounce is much less than most supermarket brands, which is great if you bake a lot.

Allergy Aware Chocolate Brownies

This recipe is free of peanuts, tree nuts, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame. It does contain butter (milk), eggs, and all-purpose flour (wheat), all of which can be substituted, but I haven’t tested.

5 from 1 vote

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Nut-Free Chocolate Brownies with Sunflower Butter Cups

I made my favorite brownies recipe nut-free and then stirred in some chopped mini-sunflower butter cups into them. This is a nut allergy-safe variation of brownie recipes that are stuffed with peanut butter cups.This recipe is adapted from Ghiradelli's recipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brownies with chocolate sunflower butter cups, nut-free brownies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings 16 pieces

Author Sharon Wong (Nut Free Wok)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces chocolate chips semi-sweet
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) cut into 4-6 pieces
• 3/4 cup* brown sugar dark or light, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 4-oz bag mini chocolate sunbutter cups

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper

3. In a medium heatproof bowl over a small pot of barely simmering water, melt the 4 chocolate chips and butter. Stir every few minutes until the chocolate mixture is smooth (5 minutes). Remove the bowl from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. While waiting for the chocolate to cool down, chop each mini-chocolate sunflower butter cups into 4 pieces. Set aside pieces from 3 mini cups as toppings. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. Stir the brown sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs and mix well. Use a spatula to fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, mix gently until nearly combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate sunflower butter cups.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, use a spatula to smooth the top so that the batter will be even, and top the batter with the remaining chopped chocolate sunflower seed butter cups.

7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (maximum). When the brownies start to smell good (around 22-25 minutes), check with a tester. The brownies are ready when the tester comes out clean or with a crumb. If the tester comes out covered in batter, then bake for 3-5 more minutes.

8. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the brownies for at least 1 hour before cutting into 2-inch squares (16 pieces).

Recipe Notes

*I use 3/4 cup of brown sugar and we find that sweet enough. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, feel free to use that amount if you prefer. 

Related Recipes:

When you are adapting a nutty recipe to become a nut-free recipe, it’s important to let the person with a nut allergy that you’ve made nut-free adaptations so they know it’s safe if they want to eat it. And it’s also important to let them know so that they need to be wary when eating with people who don’t understand food allergies.

Some really good examples of nut-free adaptions of foods which typically contains nuts are my recipes for the following:

• Peanut Free Pad Thai That You Can Eat Everyday – usually pad thai is served with some crushed peanuts that you mix into the stir fry before serving
• Incredible Nut-Free Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe – usually contains walnuts in the cake and also around the edges of the cake
• Chicken Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe – Nut Free – typically contains cashews

Learn More About Natalie

I am so grateful for the Giorgi family who have shared Natalie’s story and their tragic loss to help raise food allergy awareness, improve emergency care protocols, and support countless food allergy related bills that have been signed into law over the last 11+ years. You can learn more about their non-profit foundation, Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation.

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