Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans and switch racks and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crackers are golden brown and crisp. Thicker crackers may require longer baking.
Immediately transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. They will get crispier as they cool.
Garlic Crackers
MAKES 36 TO 42 TWO-INCH ROUND CRACKERS
Garlic has a wonderful flavor and, as a bonus, its aroma stimulates the senses. This cracker capitalizes on those qualities and also includes black pepper for extra zing. Once you’ve tried this recipe, use the sidebar on
Cracker Variations
to create your own variations!
2 cups (8 oz / 227 g) almond flour
1 tablespoon Splenda or Stevia Extract in the Raw, or 1½ teaspoons New Roots Stevia Sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
½ to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg (1.75 oz / 50 g)
¼ cup (2 oz / 57 g) salted butter or margarine, melted
Egg Wash (optional)
1 egg (1.75 oz / 50 g)
2 tablespoons water
Position 2 racks in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, then lightly mist the surfaces with spray oil.
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, pecan flour, sweetener, baking powder, salt, garlic, and pepper and whisk until well mixed. In a large bowl, whisk the egg and butter together until thoroughly blended. Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The dough will be stiff. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and form the dough into a ball; if it’s too dry to form a ball, stir in a bit of water, 1 teaspoon at a time, just until the dough comes together and all of the loose flour is incorporated to make a stiff, playdough-like dough (see
Using Texture as a Guide
).
Mist 2 pieces of parchment paper or 2 silicone mats with spray oil. Place the dough between the oiled surfaces, then use a rolling pin to roll and flatten the dough until slightly thinner than ¼ inch.
Put a bit of vegetable oil in a saucer or small, shallow dish. Dip a 2-inch round biscuit cutter into the oil to coat the cutting edge. Gently peel back the top piece of parchment or silicone mat and cut the crackers.
Peel the cut pieces off the parchment with either your hands or a small metal spatula and transfer them to the prepared pans. They won’t spread, so you can position them quite close to each other, nearly touching. Gather any scraps, roll them out, and cut more crackers until all of the dough has been used.
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and water together until frothy, then brush the mixture over the crackers. (If adding toppings, as suggested in the sidebar on
Cracker Variations
, sprinkle them over the crackers now.)
Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans and switch racks and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crackers are golden brown and crisp. Thicker crackers may require longer baking.
Immediately transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. They will get crispier as they cool.
Rosemary Crackers
MAKES 36 TO 42 TWO-INCH ROUND CRACKERS
This zesty cracker is seasoned with a mixture of rosemary and just a spark of cayenne pepper. If you prefer a different herb, use basil or any savory herb. Feel free to play with the flour blend. As long as the total amount is 3 cups (340 g), you can use any combination you like, including using more than two flours. Pumpkin seed or hemp seed meal would work well in place of the sesame seed flour. For more tips on variations, see the sidebar on
Cracker Variations
.
2 cups (8 oz / 227 g) almond flour
1 cup (4 oz / 113 g) sesame seed flour
1 tablespoon Splenda or Stevia Extract in the Raw, or 1½ teaspoons New Roots Stevia Sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg (1.75 oz / 50 g)
¼ cup (2 oz / 57 g) salted butter or margarine, melted
Egg Wash (optional)
1 egg (1.75 oz / 50 g)
2 tablespoons water
Position 2 racks in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, then lightly mist the surfaces with spray oil.
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, sesame seed flour, sweetener, baking powder, salt, rosemary, and cayenne and whisk until well mixed. In a large bowl, whisk the egg and butter together until thoroughly blended. Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The dough will be stiff. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and form the dough into a ball; if it’s too dry to form a ball, stir in a bit of water, 1 teaspoon at a time, just until the dough comes together and all of the loose flour is incorporated to make a stiff, playdough-like dough (see
Using Texture as a Guide
).
Mist 2 pieces of parchment paper or 2 silicone mats with spray oil. Place the dough between the oiled surfaces, then use a rolling pin to roll and flatten the dough until slightly thinner than ¼ inch.
Put a bit of vegetable oil in a saucer or small, shallow dish. Dip a 2-inch round biscuit cutter into the oil to coat the cutting edge. Gently peel back the top piece of parchment or silicone mat and cut the crackers.
Peel the cut pieces off the parchment with either your hands or a small metal spatula and transfer them to the prepared pans. They won’t spread, so you can position them quite close to each other, nearly touching. Gather any scraps, roll them out, and cut more crackers until all of the dough has been used.
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and water together until frothy, then brush the mixture over the crackers. (If adding toppings, as suggested in the sidebar on
Cracker Variations
, sprinkle them over the crackers now.)
Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans and switch racks and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crackers are golden brown and crisp. Thicker crackers may require longer baking.
Immediately transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. They will get crispier as they cool.
VARIATION
Herb Crackers:
Add 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil), ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, and ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano when mixing the dry ingredients.
Cracker Variations
Here are a few ideas for creating your own
variations of any of the cracker recipes in this chapter:
Use different types of nut and seed flours in different proportions. Any combination is fine, as long as the total amount is equal to what’s called for in the recipe.
For zesty crackers, add ¼ teaspoon of white pepper or cayenne when mixing the dry ingredients.
For sesame crackers,
toast
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, then add them to the dry ingredients.
Most of the cracker recipes call for melted butter, but you can certainly substitute olive oil.
To make cheese crackers, add ½ cup (about 2 oz / 57 g) of finely grated cheese (any variety) when mixing the dry ingredients.
These recipes call for using a 2-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, but you can use any shape of cutter you like, or cut free-form crackers with a pizza cutter. One advantage to using a pizza cutter is that it avoids the trouble of gathering and rerolling the scraps of dough. Plus, you can brush the egg wash over the surface and sprinkle on any toppings before cutting out the crackers—much easier than egg washing each individual cracker.
Once the crackers are rolled out and brushed with egg wash, sprinkle various enhancements over the top. The possibilities are endless: try Maldon or coarse salt, garlic salt or granulated garlic, seasoned salt, black pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, dried basil, dried parsley, minced garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped pumpkin seeds, finely chopped pecans or walnuts, or whatever you like! The egg wash will help the toppings stick to the crackers. If you don’t use the egg wash, try gently pressing the toppings into the dough so they adhere.
Crackers made without toppings are also wonderful. The egg wash gives them a nice sheen, so use it even if you aren’t adding any toppings.
