12.Aug.2007 Cheezy Quackers

These may look innocent, but they’re dangerously addictive. You have been warned.

You can sub the same quantity of whole-wheat pastry flour for all-purpose, as it works wonderfully and doesn’t alter the flavor in any way.

If you want your crackers to be bona fide crispy crackers, roll them out more thinly than described in the recipe.
If you want them to be closer to goldfish crackers, roll them out a bit less. I prefer them that way, personally.

If you make a big batch and find yourself snacking on them too often, let the freezer be your hero: they keep beautifully in there.

I’m not a fan of “too salty” foods, and I find these to have just the right amount of stuff in them. It’s all a matter of personal taste though, so keep that in mind and adjust the pepper, salt, and any other spice you might want to add following your own preferences.

Now let’s get cracking!

Cheezy Quackers

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (40 g) nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup (56 g) nondairy butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) water or any nondairy milk

Combine flour, yeast, pepper, and salt. Cut butter on top and combine with a mixer, a fork, or your fingers, until it gets the appearance of a coarse meal. Add water or milk, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, and combine until dough forms.
You can either wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the fridge until ready to use, or roll it out immediately.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, such as Silpat.
Roll out your dough between two pieces of parchment or Silpats, a little under 1/4 inch (6 mm). Cut out shapes using the smallest cookie cutters, about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm). Repeat until you run out of dough, rolling it out again between batches.
Place crackers on prepared sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on thickness, until crackers are light golden brown on the bottom.
Place on a rack to cool down. These crackers freeze well, if you manage to keep them around long enough for that.

Yield: about 60 small crackers, depending on the size of the cookie cutter

Variations:
Add dried spices and herbs.
Use different flours, such as a mixture of spelt, chickpea, brown rice, or whole-wheat.

For a spelt version, with the same instructions:

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (165 g) light spelt flour
1/3 cup (40 g) nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) peanut or other oil
4 to 6 tablespoons (60 to 90 ml) water