I have to admit that sometimes although I try and keep a good stock of healthy snacks ready for hikes, it will get to the day before a hike and I realize that I don’t have much set to go. That is the time when I have to decide to make something from scratch or just run to the store.
The Friday before my hike to Dirtyface Peak and Lookout was just such a time and I wasn’t feeling like my usual turkey sticks and I really wanted to justify picking up some ready made crackers to go with hummus. There was about an hour before I needed to head out for a girl’s night out and it was do or die on whether to go the homemade route.
I did end up making the right decision by reminding myself it really doesn’t take that long. Unlike other baked goods recipes, crackers really are throw and go. Especially when you DON’T FOLLOW THE RULES. These Garlic Cilantro Crackers are proof!
#almondflour #tapiocaflour #tahini #cilantro #eggs #garlicpowder #oliveoil #salt
I quickly went to Pinterest and found the first cracker recipe I had all the ingredients for among the many I have pinned there. I hadn’t made this one yet, so I thought I would give it a try. I love everything that comes from Balanced Bites; you can see other recipes I have shared so far on my posts: Paleo Falafel and Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Granola.
This recipe is adapted from a great cookbook, Mediterranean Paleo Cooking. Love the Mediterranean diet and want some new ideas that are grain and dairy free? This is perfect for that. I, of course, added garlic to the recipe and upped the cilantro.
Okay, so here is where you start to break the rules. A lot of recipes will give you directions to separate your dry and wet ingredients. I’m sure there is some really good reason for that, possibly harkening back to long ago days before the FOOD PROCESSOR when you did every thing by hand.
JUST DUMP ALL OF IT IN AT THE SAME TIME! I do and have lived to tell about it. Yes, there are a few times where it might have made a difference. That’s part of the fun, I say. Like a little surprise each time. I defied the baking gods!
With crackers, it’s NO worry. Bread, maybe. But even the bread machines now have you putting everything in at once. Why keep doing something just because Grandma did it that way?? The ingredients will whirl around and eventually make one large ball.
Pretty, right? Look at how the cilantro makes it a colorful green. If you don’t have cilantro, you can use another herb like basil, oregano or parsley. No herbs? The recipe will still work without them because garlic makes everything turn out.
Get out two baking sheets and cover with either a silpat sheet or parchment paper. Makes for easy cleanup!
I like to use pans with an edge because when I use the rolling pin, it sits on that edge and helps to spread the dough out evenly (at least at first). Try and get the dough between 1/8 and 1/4 inches thick and as even as you can. This allows the crackers to bake at the same rate so you don’t end up with some brown and others not.
Also, the thinner you make them the crispier they will be and the faster they will bake.
Some folks will use another layer of parchment paper on top when rolling so the dough won’t stick to the rolling pin but the oil in the dough should be enough to keep it from doing so. If you find the dough sticking, rub a little olive oil on the rolling pin’s surface. As you can see in the pictures, I will sometimes finish off the dough with my fingers to get it as thin as I would like.
Gently cut the dough into squares with a pizza cutter (who doesn’t have one of those?). Shoot for about 1×1 inch. Be extra careful if you are using a silpat, it’ll cut that baby up. Listen to me, I know.
Sometimes I don’t know my own strength. The famous biscotti incident of 2015. It’s very sad, actually. Luckily, I have more than one. Gotta love Costco.
Moving on now…I believe in equal opportunity for all crackers, so I don’t sweat it if they are not perfectly cut. Those little ones taste just as good. And because they won’t hold as much hummus, I usually just eat them up first right out of the oven. Kinda like quality control.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the outside ones start to brown. This will depend on how thin you rolled out the dough so it is best to check on the crackers as they are baking.
I will sometimes take them out when the edges start to brown, remove the pieces that are done and stick the rest back in to finish. I don’t like to spend too much time rolling them out to all be EXACTLY the same height. This batch was 13 minutes, remove some, then 2 more minutes. I know, there is a baking goddess somewhere rolling her eyes at me.
See how they are not all perfect? Don’t believe all those beautiful Pinterest pictures. THEY ARE STAGED!
SEE? Staged crackers.
Let them cool before you put them in an air tight container or else they could become soft. Sometimes, I will put them in the dehydrator when I have time and this makes them crispier. When I do this, I take them out of the oven just before they start to brown.
Just like a lot of my trail food, I use more than a normal amount of salt and spices because it makes things more appetizing on the trail. Crackers can be dry by their very nature and although I usually have something like mustard or hummus, I like mine salty and full of flavor so I can eat them plain and not have to gulp down a bunch of water, too. That stuff can be quite precious out there, especially in that 30 mile dry stretch north of Crater Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you don’t need your crackers to be quite as salty, you can adjust.
Definitely make yourself some homemade crackers. Trust me. When you are sitting up there at the top of a summit and you pull these babies out, the views will not be the only thing getting “oohhs and ahhs”.
AND another benefit to making Garlic Cilantro Crackers instead of going to the store is that while these were baking, I had time to make homemade paleo hummus, too. Win, win!
If you enjoyed this recipe for Garlic Cilantro Crackers, head over to my Hiking and Backpacking Paleo Index for over 75 tasty treats to take on your next outdoor adventure! And for more information about the hike featured in this post, check out Dirtyface Peak Lookout outside Lake Wenatchee.
Garlic Cilantro Crackers
These Mediterranean inspired crackers are sure to be a hit on your next hike, filled with pungent cilantro and garlic and ready to scoop into hummus or your favorite dip.
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Gluten Free, No Dehydrator Needed, Paleo, Vegetarian, Whole Food
Servings: 80 crackers
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
- Chop the cilantro with a knife and then throw all the ingredients in the food processor.
- Mix until the dough comes together as one large ball in the processor. If making by hand, mix until all the ingredients are combined evenly and can be formed in to a ball.
- Divide the dough in half and roll out each portion out onto a baking sheet to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Consistent thickness allows for even baking.
- Gently cut the dough into squares 1″x1″ with a knife or pizza cutter.
- Bake for 15 minutes or the crackers have begun to brown on the outer edges.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an air tight container.
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