Summer may still have a few more days on the calendar but once you hit September it might as well be over. Both depressing and exciting at the same time. Despite the fact that it was only 5 months ago I was still snowshoeing, I’m ready to be done with slugging up a steep slope in the 90 degree heat and fighting off bugs. For now. On to cooler temps, gorgeous fall colors (especially those lovely golden larches), and less dust on the trail. Are you ready for it, too??
#tahini #eggs #sweetpotatostarch #tapiocastarch #coconutflour #garlic #horseradish #nutritionalyeast #sesameoil #salt
Now, on to the Cheesy Emoticon Crackers. Easy to make and great for hikes, these little guys pack big flavor!
I have made several different kinds this summer but I wanted to make one that didn’t have nuts and mimicked a cheese cracker (like Cheez-its or Goldfish). Not that I have anything against nuts, but I eat enough of them hiking that I wanted a cracker that didn’t and most gluten free crackers call for almond flour. I had picked up some nutritional yeast from Bragg’s (they bring you that great apple cider vinegar) at my co-op but you can often find it in your bulk section of your grocery store.
Like regular yeast, it provides essential B vitamins but also can be substituted in recipes calling for cheese. I have also been experimenting with different flours and starches this summer, namely sweet potato starch I found at my local Asian market.
It has the calories I am looking for while hiking and a fair amount of iron and calcium. If you saw my recipe for Garlic Cilantro Crackers, you know all you do is throw all the ingredients in the food processer and push the button.
I wanted these to also be “grown up” so I decided to throw in some dried horseradish. I imagine you could use some prepared horseradish (and less oil), just check the ingredients for things like soy. Trader Joe’s makes a great version.
I added enough to give them a little edge.
And then something happened while I was rolling out the dough (roll to 1/8″-1/4″, the thinner, the crispier).
I thought, “Why cut out squares when you could use cookie cutters to make fun shapes?” Like they do with goldfish crackers. So I switched to rolling on waxed paper…
So much for grown up.
Put the shapes on your baking tray (and silpat if you have it), ball up the leftover dough and roll out again for more shapes.
Repeat this process until you use up all the dough.
How to make faces, I thought?
It didn’t hurt too much…
Didn’t these turn out ADORABLE? If you have kids, they could TOTALLY help with this part.
Bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes depending on thickness until edges start to brown.
Cheesy Emoticon Crackers went with me and some friends to Vesper Peak this last weekend. Yeah, the bf is in there, too.
As I was eating and talking about them, I was trying to decided on a name for my crackers.
“Grown Up Cheesy Crackers?”
“Cheesy Horsey Crackers?”
My friend Elle noted they looked like emoticons.
Hmmm…
Then I started having fun with pictures…
These Cheesy Emoticon Crackers were also fun to eat this week at work.
Yes, work.
I am back to the daily grind. I accepted a different position at my old place of employment. I guess I still have some more work to do with children and families. I didn’t want to because next June I will have to decide if I am working the summer or quitting to hike and starting my job search all over again. But insurance was going to cost me $900 a month without a job so it was back to work I go. For now. And this job will allow me to continue to pursue my other interests and move towards new directions. And pay the bills.
My boss says she will make it work for me next summer but we’ll see.
You can read more here about my hike to Vesper Peak.
Cheesy Emoticon Crackers
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
12 minutes
Total Time
32 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, No Dehydrator Needed, Paleo, Vegetarian
Servings: 80 crackers
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sweet potato starch
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon horseradish dried
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until they come together to make a ball.
- If it is a still sticky, add a little bit more tapioca starch. If it is a bit crumbly, add a little bit more sesame oil.
- Roll out the dough onto a silpat sheet if you are just going to cut into squares or onto waxed paper if using cookie cutters. You want a 1/8-1/4 inch thickness depending on how crispy you want the crackers.
- Use either a knife or pizza cutter for squares or cookie cutters for circles, hearts, or other shapes. Cut out as many as you can from the sheet you rolled out. Place these on your silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Roll the leftover dough into a ball and then out onto the waxed paper again. You may need a new sheet of waxed paper. Continue to do this until you have used up all the dough.
- For the smiley faces, use a chopstick to make eyes and the curve of a spoon to make smiles. Be creative!
- Bake in a 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes until the edges begin to brown. The thinner you roll the dough, the less time it will take.
- Let cool on a rack and store in a airtight container.
Pin for later…
Thank you so much for stopping by Must Hike Must Eat!
If you need some healthy eating inspiration start here:..
Need some eating out suggestions when friends want to stop after a hike? I have a Pacific Northwest Eating Guide here.
Want to know where Must Hike Must Eat has been last? Check out the Latest Trip Reports.
Find out what’s been happening outside the blog:
The Must Hike Must Eat Newsletter keeps folks up-to-date on events both on and off the blog.
If you have a question you don’t want to post in the comments, you can ask them here: