Buttery Crackers

What are they like? 

- Buttery & Crispy

- Excellent solo, dipped in nut butter, or served with hors d'oeuvre
 

These crackers can be made thin or smaller and thick. If they are thick, you’ll want to cut them out before baking. If you like, you can press seeds or spices into the top of the dough prior to baking.

Recipe

These crackers are delicate, rich, and crispy. I think of them as a fancier cracker but that doesn’t mean they are harder to make than other crackers—quite the opposite. This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen; and their recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook. The glaze is delicious and recommended but they are also good without it. These crackers are delicious solo or served with dips or nut butters.

Serves 4, Prep 10 min, baking 20 min 

3/4 cup flour mix (96g) OR 3/4 cup brown rice flour, plus 1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp oat flour, 36g
1 1/2 tbsp sugar, 20g
1/2 sea salt, 3g
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tbsp unsalted butter or buttery spread such as Earth Balance, 55g

2 tbsp cold water, 30 ml

Glaze (optional)
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, 23g (or other honey/syrup)
1/4 tsp molasses
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F/ 175C. Place a piece of oiled parchment paper on the back of a cookie sheet. Spray a second piece of parchment paper.

2. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour mix, oat flour, paprika, sugar, and salt.

3. Work the cold butter or vegan spread into the mix using your hands, fork, or a food processor until the mixture resembles cornmeal with some larger pieces of butter.

4. Start by adding 1 1/2 tbsp (or 20ml) cold water. You may need to add more. Add just enough water until the dough forms a ball when pressed together. You want the dough to form a ball but you don’t want it to be too sticky or too dry and crumbly.

5. Place the dough on the parchment paper on the back of a cookie sheet. Place the second piece of oiled parchment face down on the dough and using a rolling pin roll the crackers out as thin as possible 1/8-1/4 inch.

6. Slice the crackers using a knife or pizza cutter. Dock the crackers using a fork. If making the glaze, mix tougher the ingredients in a small bowl and using a pastry brush, brush the liquid onto the dough.

7. Bake them for about 20 minutes until the edges brown or until they are lightly golden on top. Allow the crackers to cool completely before eating as this will ensure that they are crunchy. If the cooled crackers are not crispy, they can be put back into the oven and baked for additional time.

Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes: 
Crackers can easily be undercooked or overcooked so watch them carefully once they start to brown. You want them to be cooked enough to be crisp but not burned. You may need to remove the outer crackers midway through baking if they become too browned.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Norwegian Crisp Bread

What are they like? 

- Hearty

- Packed with seeds

- Full of nutrients
 

The cracker on the right is a variation of crisp bread with the seeds on top. The cracker above is lighter in color than the cracker recipe below because the recipe calls for buckwheat.

Recipe

These crackers are super hearty, packed with nutritious ingredients, and covered in flavorful seeds.

Serves 8, Prep 10 min, baking 30-40 min 

2/3 cup buckwheat flour, 100g
1/3 flour mix, 42g (try leaving out for paleo or substitute coconut flour)
1/4 cup flax seeds, 35g
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, about 145g / 355 ml (see note)
1/4 tsp cumin powder and 1/2 tsp fennel powder (optional)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil, 25g
1/2 cup warm water (or more if needed), about 115g
1 tbsp honey or sugar for vegan (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Place a piece of oiled parchment paper on the back of a 17 x 11 1/2 inch cookie sheet. Spray a second piece of parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl mix together all of the flours, seeds, spices, and salt. Add the oil and mix. Then add the water. Start with scant 1/2 cup and mix, adding more if necessary, until the dough will form a ball when pressed together. The dough will be on the tacky side for cracker dough (it will feel a little sticky).

3. Place the dough on the oiled parchment paper and place the second piece of oiled parchment paper face down on the dough and roll the crackers out as thin as possible 1/8-1/4 inch.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges brown. Then flip the crisp bread over and break it up into five large pieces. Bake for about 15 more minutes, or longer if needed.

5. Allow the crisp bread to cool completely before eating as this will ensure that they are crunchy. If the cooled crackers are not crunchy, they can be put back into the oven for bake and baked for additional time. Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature.
   

Notes: 
- For a more elegant cracker reserve about one third of the seeds and press them into the rolled out dough just before baking. I prefer to use roasted seeds, but this is up to you. The seeds on top will get roasted when the crackers bake.
- Crackers can easily be undercooked or overcooked so watch them carefully once they start to brown. You want them to be cooked enough to be crisp but not burned. You may need to remove the outer crackers midway through baking if they become too browned.

Rich Walnut Almond Cake

What is it like?

-roasted almonds and walnuts

-a rich crumb

-delicately spicy

Recipe

This recipe was adapted to be gluten free and dairy free from David Leite’s recipe ‘“Russians” Nut Cake’ from The New Portuguese Table. It’s deliciously moist and has that unmistakable aroma of roasted almonds and walnuts. It’s simple to make and stays fresh for several days. It’s a go-to in my home. See note for Paleo.

dry
1/3 cup blanched almond flour, 43g
2/3 cup ground walnuts*, 85g OR grind 1 cup (100g) walnuts with 1 tbsp (23g) flour mix)
1/4 cup flour mix, 31g (OR cassava flour for Paleo)
1 tsp baking powder, 5g
1 tsp (3g) psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum (omit if Paleo)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground coffee, optional

wet
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, 63g (OR date sugar for Paleo)
1/4 cup (47g) olive oil (or preferred oil) OR 5 tbsp butter
3 large eggs
1 tbsp water, 12g

Buttercream
1 cup (225g) butter, at room temperature (or use 3/4 cup Earth Balance for dairy free)
2 3/4 (343g) cups powdered sugar, or to taste
dash of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease an 8x8 baking dish.

2. Grind 1 cup walnuts with 1 tbsp flour mix in the food processor. It’s fine if there are some stray walnut pieces left over as long as most of it is a flour. The walnut pieces are an excellent addition to the cake.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

4. In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.

5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and whisk just until most of the lumps are gone. Pour the batter into your baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes or just until the middle springs back when pressed. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

6. While the cake bakes, prepare the buttercream. Stir together the powdered sugar and butter. If your powdered sugar has lumps you may want to sift it first. If you like your frosting light, you can use a mixture to whip it on high for a few minutes.

7. Frost a cake to a thickness you desire. Left over frosting can be frozen for several months.

8. If you like you can get creative with the frosting. I chose to cut this cake into small squares and then piped a rosette onto each square.

9. This cake will stay moist and fresh for three days if kept in the fridge.

   Note: If your food processor is large, I recommend grinding twice the amount of walnuts so that they grind finely. The ground walnuts that you don’t need can be frozen and used for another purpose. Or in may case, for another one of these cakes!

The Best Molasses Cookies

What are they like?

-crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside

-warm molasses-spice flavor

Recipe

These cookies are an adapted version of the molasses cookies from The New Portuguese Table by David Leite. I could say more, but I think I will sum it up this way: they are awesome. They are crips on the outside and chewy on the inside.

dry
2 cups flour mix, 260g
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

wet
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp oil, such as olive or canola, 165g
1 cup sugar, 200g
1/4 cup molasses, 70g
1 large egg, 52g

2/3 cup walnut pieces  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. 

2. In another large bowl whisk together the oil, molasses and sugar. Then whisk in the egg. 

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together just until most of the flour is incorporated. Then stir in the walnut piece. Do not over-stir. 

4. Form balls that are about two tablespoons of dough and place on a cookie sheet three inches apart so they have room to spread. Bake for about 12 minutes, or just until the cookies begin to brown on the edges. This dough is dark so look carefully! 
   

   Enjoy! 

David Leite’s Orange Olive Oil Cake

What is it like?

-deliciously citrusy

-a rich crumb

Recipe

I adapted David Leite’s Orange Cake to be gluten free. It is from his wonderful cookbook, The New Portuguese Table. This recipe is quite similar to his original recipe. The flour is different and I added psyllium husk powder and more orange zest. The cake is also naturally dairy free and it’s a wonderful make-ahead dessert.

dry
3 1/2 cups flour mix, 448g
1 tbsp psyllium husk powder or 2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (generous)
3/4 tsp fine sea salt

wet
5 large eggs
3 cups sugar, 675g
1 1/2 cups olive oil, 330g
5 oranges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Zest four oranges and then juice enough oranges to make 1 1/2 cups of juice. Set aside. Oil a 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. In a large mixing bowl mix the eggs on medium speed, and slowly add the sugar. Then beat on high until the mixture is a pale yellow and luscious looking.

4. Add the olive oil and dry ingredients, alternating between the two just until the flour is blended in. Lastly, stir in the orange juice and zest.

5. Pour into the prepared Bundt cake pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a crumb or two attached. Allow to cool completely before serving.
   Optional: dust with powdered sugar.

   Note: This cake is best the next day and it will stay moist for several days. Once it is cooled, store it in an airtight container or cake stand with a lid.