I am always looking for fun science experiments to incorporate into our homeschooling, and this one did not disappoint us. What a great experiment for Earth Day, St. Patrick’s Day, or just anytime for a tasty science lesson. Not only is this recipe FUN, the results are extra yummy!
If you are a nut-free family, you may have already tried this or even accidentally stumbled across it in your kitchen. If so, I’d love to hear what you made. If not, you must try this! The kids will love it.
All you have to do is make a batch of cookies (recipe link at end of post). On first glance, they will look like any other batch of cookies. As they cool, you will notice the result of a chemical reaction. The cookies will turn GREEN inside!
The trick is that you have to use sunflower seed butter. It’s like peanut butter, but made with sunflower seeds. I have a Vitamix, so I made my own using organic, shelled, sunflower seeds. If you don’t want to make your own, Sunbutter is found in most grocery stores and is commonly used as a substitute for nut butters.
Why sunflower butter? Because it reacts with the baking soda in the recipe and that is what makes the cookies turn GREEN!
All plants contain chlorogenic acid, mostly in the stems and leaves, but sunflowers also have it in the seeds. This acid reacts with the baking soda in the recipe, and causes the cookies to turn a bright green color inside as they cool. The longer they cool, the more green they get.
Our cookies looked pretty normal when we put them in and took them out of the oven, but with a little patience we were rewarded with a fun result.
The dough (and my favorite sous chef)
Going in the oven
Fresh out of the oven (notice the inside is still brown…..do NOT eat all the cookies yet!)
After cooling for 2 hours
After 6 hours – now we’re talking! Isn’t that cool?
The Cinnamon ‘Oat’meal Raisin Cookies recipe we used came from the Against All Grain website. Notice “oat” is in quotes because there are no oats in the cookie. The “oat” texture comes from shredded coconut so these cookies are completely nut-free, egg-free, gluten-free and grain-free. Most of the sweetness is from applesauce and dates with only 2 TB of honey for a dozen cookies. YUM.
Or you can make green waffles instead using one of our absolute favorite waffle recipes. We make extra and keep them in the freezer. Or we try to. We’ve always made them with almond butter, but I might have to try some green ones next time.
Enjoy!
Homeschooling makes me happy!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons finely ground golden flaxseed
- 4 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup unsweetened sunbutter
- 6 medium pitted dates
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup finely shredded coconut
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup raisins
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together the ground flaxseed and water to make a slurry.
- Combine the sunbutter, dates, and applesauce in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the flax slurry, honey, vanilla, and vinegar and process for 15 seconds to combine.
- Add the coconut, coconut flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Process for 10 seconds, until fully incorporated.
- Remove the blade and stir in raisins by hand.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Gently flatten tops of cookies with damp fingers.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cook on a wire rack. Cookies will turn green once cooled and will continue to get a deeper green after 2 hours.