Baked

Happy Tuesday! Hope your week is off to a good start. 

I made some straight-up crackers over the weekend, that were quick and easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Perfect for dipping, with cheese and chutney and, of course, soup. By the way, they cost about 50 cents to make as well. Gotta love that. 

Cheese Crackers - makes about 5 dozen

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

6-7 tablespoons water

a little extra melted butter for tops of crackers

a little coarse salt for sprinkling on tops of crackers

Preheat oven to 400f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and parmesan cheese. Add the melted butter and combine. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well until a smooth dough forms. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8" thick, and cut out shapes. I made a few batches, so I make 1.5" round crackers, and some tiny soup crackers. If cutting out square shape crackers, transfer rolled out dough to baking sheet and score with a pastry cutter. If using a round cutter, cut out shapes then transfer to baking sheet. Brush tops with a little melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over top. You could also sprinkle a little extra parmesan on top - so good. 

Nothing like a quick recipe that's super simple to make. If you give these a whirl, let me know!

Have a great day. 

janis

Baked

Hello all. Hope you're having a good week!

My week has been, mostly, filled with editing, with a quick baking session tossed in. I've been playing around with quinoa flour and almond meal, and came up with a cracker that is actually not too bad for you. My diet is often pretty dodgy on editing days (girl scout cookies, chips, etc), so I'm trying to change it up. They're so good!

Quinoa Almond Crackers with Parmesan & Chives - makes about 3 dozen 1.5" crackers

1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
2 tablespoons chives
Coarse salt for sprinkling on tops

In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and parmesan cheese. In another bowl, whisk together the quinoa flour, almond meal, dry mustard and baking powder. Add the chives and chopped almonds, stir to combine. Add the milk, a little at a time, until a dough forms. I always seem to use 2.5 tablespoons. Flatten dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chill for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 400f/200c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Roll out dough to about 4mm and cut out shapes. I used a 1.5" cutter. Sprinkle tops with a little coarse salt and bake for about 7-8 minutes, until lightly golden. They're very moreish!

If you make them, let me know what you think. Have a good day! 

janis

 

Baked

Happy hump day! It is Wednesday, isn't it? I'm a bit thrown off this week. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post about Palm Springs - it was quite the adventure.

If you've been reading my blog for a bit, you may have noticed that I do like a good cracker. Any kind, really. Today I offer up rice crackers with wasabi and nori. The wasabi just gives them an extra kick, and who doesn't like that?

Rice Crackers with Wasabi & Nori - makes about 24-30

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice, cooked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon wasabi - either from a tube or powder (I used the powder-follow instructions.)
1/4 cup chopped/crushed nori (sheets of dried seaweed)
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place rice flour, rice, wasabi, and oil in a food processor and process until finely ground. Slowly add the water while processor is running. Mix until a ball of dough forms. Transfer to your work surface and knead in the nori until well combined.

Roll into small balls, the size of a marble, and place between two pieces of wax paper. I used a small baking pan to flatten ball. You want to make sure you flatten the dough very thinly. 

Place on baking sheet and bake for about 5-6 minutes, then flip over with a thin spatula. Bake for another 6-8 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and turn oven off. Mix tamari and honey together, then brush onto each cracker. Place in turned off oven for another 4 minutes, allowing them to dry. Allow to cool on a wire rack. These are pretty addictive - enjoy!

Have a great day. Back soon!

janis

Baked

Hope your week is off to a good start!

I'm a huge fan of the humble cracker, and I make them a lot this time of year. They have so many uses. Dips, soups, and just snacking. Love them. I baked a batch of gluten free crackers with middle eastern spices. So flipping tasty. You can use any spice/herb combo you like, really. I'm loving experimenting with gluten free recipes too. Not that I have to steer clear, but it is a bit healthier especially if you're constantly baking, and eating what you bake. ;)

Snack Crackers - makes about 4 dozen

(a re-worked version of Bob's Red Mill crackers)

3/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 tablespoon ground cumin

3/4 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons water

coarse salt to sprinkle on tops of crackers

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl (except coarse salt) and whisk until well combined. Add olive oil and water and stir until it forms a ball ( I use my hands for this bit). If the dough is too crumbly (see pic at left, below), add a teaspoon of water to form a ball of dough. 

Divide the dough in half, and roll out to about 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch. Best to sprinkle a little flour on your rolling pin before rolling out. Use whatever kind of cookie/biscuit cutter you like, to cut out shapes. I used a 2" circle for this batch. Poke a few holes, with a fork, on the tops of each cracker. Transfer, using a thin spatula, to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with a little coarse salt. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and place crackers on a wire cooling rack. Place rack back on baking sheet, and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack. 

I created a small card and packaged some up to give as a little thank you gift, along with some cheese and chutney. They are so good. It's hard to stop eating them! If you make some, let me know what you think.

One more thing...I did up a holiday gift guide over at Poppytalk. If you've got shopping on your mind, check it out!

Back soon,

Janis

Baked

Did you have a good weekend? Hope so. Right now, I'm sitting in the wine country region of British Columbia. Such a beautiful (and delicious!) part of the province.

I baked some of these tasty crackers for a bit of a "potluck" picnic, and brought some on our road trip. They are beyond addictive. Please try these ones out, and let me know what you think!

Peppercorn & Parmesan Cornmeal Crackers - makes, well, a lot. I ended up with about 100 mini crackers.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons packed golden brown sugar
4 teaspoons dried peppercorns (I used a mix), coarsely crushed and divided
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chopped into small cubes
2/3 cup well shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1 large egg, beaten

In a bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, and table salt. Blend in butter, using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Gently knead dough, about 6 times, on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in two, flatten slightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Mix coarse sea salt and remaining peppercorns in a small bowl.  Roll out one half of dough, on a floured surface, to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out whatever shapes you like (I used hearts, stars, and circles about 1" in size), and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush each cracker with egg and sprinkle the salt and peppercorn mix on each. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Repeat with remaining dough. Cool completely on a wire rack. Try not to eat them all immediately!

I mentioned that I took some to a picnic, and the following pics are how I "packaged" them....

That's it for now. Have a lovely Monday! 

Back soon!

Janis

Baked

Hi everyone! For those of you enjoying a long weekend, I hope you've had a good one. To everyone else, just a big, old fashioned, happy Monday!

I made some really crispy, and pretty tasty, crackers. They are actually good for you too. Super easy to make but, the rolling out, I must admit, is pretty labourious. It's hard work rolling out to 1/8 inch! Keep in mind, it's good for the arms ;)

Walnut, Fig and Flax Crackers - makes about 48 2"x2" crackers

1/4 cup finely ground flaxseed (either grind your own, or buy flaxseed meal from a grocery shop)
1/4 cup whole flaxseed
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 chopped dried mission figs (any fig would work)
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325F/160c. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, flaxseed, salt and sugar. Add the butter and mix at medium speed with an electric mixer until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs (you could also use a food processor).
Fold in the walnuts, figs, and milk and mix until you have a smooth dough. I use my hands for this part.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spilt dough in two, and roll out to 1/8 inch on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a pastry cutter, or knife, into squares. You can use cookie cutters to create any shape you like, really. Transfer shapes, using a thin spatula, to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake crackers until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

I hope you try these crackers out. Again, they're super easy and, if I can make them anyone can!
Have a good day. Back soon!
janis