With the New Year upon us, many of us are making resolutions. Resolutions to do better, be better, eat better, exercise more, you know, all of that good stuff. One simple way you can improve, is to start making your own homemade nut and seed crackers. These crackers are light, crisp, vegan, gluten free, sugar free, and great for a low carb diet. They are really simple to make and pretty hard to mess up. Step away from those super processed crackers filled with not-so-great oils, high sodium, sugar, and sometimes even corn syrup! There are better ways to get your cracker fix. Give these nutty seedy babies a go, you won’t be disappointed. They are also very customizable. You can add different herbs, and spices…some interesting ideas are chili lime, Italian seasoning, zaatar spice, basil, thyme, paprika, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder seaweed/furikake seasoning, or for a more-cheesy cracker, you can add nutritional yeast.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup flax seeds
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons whole psyllium husks
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Seasonings of your choice…I used 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion salt, 2 tablespoons dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon of salt, and more to sprinkle on top of the crackers
Let’s get crackin’!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grind your flax seeds…I use my coffee grinder to do this. I suppose you could use a high-speed blender, or a food processor if you need to. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl, and stir to combine. Next add in the olive oil, and water, and mix well. Set it aside for about 15 minutes. The seeds will absorb all of the liquid, and turn into a thick dough. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a generous amount of the dough onto one baking sheet, and the rest on the other…Most of mine fit on one sheet but, there was just a bit extra for the second baking sheet. You want to spread the dough out as thinly, and evenly as possible. I found that the easiest way to achieve the best results was to use a second piece of parchment paper on top of the dough…roll it out nice and thin about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. When you think you are done, remove the top parchment paper, and sprinkle with salt. Put it in the preheated oven, and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until your dough is completely dried, and golden brown on top. Oven temperatures may vary, so be watchful so that you don’t burn your dough. When they seem done, remove them from the oven and gently transfer the crackers, along with the parchment paper to a flat surface. While the crackers are still warm, cut the crackers into the shapes of your choice, or you can skip this step, and let them cool and break them into pieces. You can serve these up right away, or they will last for 5-6 days in an airtight container.
Feel free to play around by adding different seeds, like sesame, hemp hearts, poppy seeds, cumin seeds…anything you can think up will probably work. The main thing is, don’t omit the ground flaxseeds and chia seeds, they are used as the binder in this recipe. As long as you have those, it should work.
I hope you make some yummy crispy crackers that give you a new cracker option—a healthy cracker option. Try them with hummus, olive tapenade, or pesto…add them to your charcuterie board, and wow your guests. You will love the feeling of stepping away from the box, and taking control of your health, by choosing every ingredient! I wish you good health and good luck on all of your cooking adventures.
