Easy Seed Crackers
It was with swift fortitude that I began to experiment in cracker making once I made the leap into grain and wheat-free eating. The cost of purchasing a box of wheat and grain-free crackers, containing maybe 20 crackers (sometimes less), is ridiculous. And hard to find. You can find gluten-free everything, but that’s a whole other post for another day. Giving up refined sugar was easy, I found alternates (raw honey, real, dark maple syrup, dates and bananas) far superior anyways. But pasta. Bread. Crackers. Vehicles with which to devour avocado smashed, and cracked salt and smothered goodness. Other dips and spreads. Without at least one staple with which to enjoy any of these fine things I knew I was in for it and fall off the wagon I did, many a time.
If one is going to completely over-haul their diet and eat/treat food as the medicine it was intended as well as the truly scrumptious and sensual experience that it should be; well then. You need an alternate plan of action. For me it was these crackers. Which, until of recent…have satiated many a would-border-crossing over to the dark-side of grainy, wheat-y goodness. Yet, I’m rather enjoying the well-rested, non-spiked blood sugar, migraine-free days of my life as it happens to be right now…being pre-diabetic in two words? Can SUCK IT. These have become a staple and I’ve moved right along into testing (over and over and over) again a Paleo rye bread recipe. When that recipe gets approved out of test-kitchen status to that of something mouth wateringly magnificent, oh my friends. Then we shall have a smashed avocado on toast party. All the things on toast.
Until then, I have these crackers and they’ve been doing me just fine. Others too, if my neighbours count. (Of course they do. You wish you had neighbours as awesome as I do.) You don’t have to be a Paleo cuisine convert to make/enjoy these beauties. If you care about what you put into your body or simply love delicious food, in a ‘from-scratch’ sort of way; these belong in your mouth.
- 3 cups of flax seed (blonde or dark)
- 6 tbsp. hemp hearts
- 6 tbsp. flax meal
- 6 tbsp. sesame seeds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 c. filtered water
- 3 tbsp. tamari
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1½ tsp. onion powder
- 1½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp. cayenne
- 1 tbsp. coconut flour
- 1 tbsp almond flour (or leave out for nut-free and add another tbsp. coconut flour)
- STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 150 F. Line two big cookie sheets with parchment paper. This is an easy one bowl deal. Quick in the prep, rather long in the waiting. Easy to make, although patience is required so the amount of ingredients is enough for a double batch. I pop these in the oven after the kids go to bed and turn them over before I go to bed. Or pop them in before I go to bed and turn them over in the morning. Literally all you do is put all of the wet ingredients and herbs | spices in a mason jar and shake.
- STEP TWO: Add the wet to the rest of the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. (The flax, coconut flour and almond flour will absorb some liquid and start to congeal and paste-up, which is what you want for easy spreading.) You may need to add a bit more water, if things are looking too thick.
- STEP THREE: Spread out on the baking sheets using a slotted spoon, ever so gingerly. Get a nice thin layer going on, spreading evenly and allowing the squished mounds that feed through the slotted spoon to get flicked back into the mixing bowl. Keep playing and adding until you have an even layer meeting all the edges of your baking sheets.
- STEP FOUR: Score. This is key. I use a long steak or paring knife and score vertically and horizontally creating the size of crackers you want. Avoid perfection at all costs. Slide into the preheated oven (yes, it's a low heat, you could speed this up at 250 F for 4 hours or so.) and 'bake' (really dehydrate) for 9-10 hours. These aren't fussy. I've left them for as long as 12 hours at 150 F and all was fine. Remember to flip halfway through your 'baking' time and peel off the parchment paper that the crackers will be stuck too. I've never had a tray of them fall apart on me in the flipping, the flax/wet mixture and heat really does bind everything together.
- STEP FIVE: Carefully break the crackers apart and seal in an air tight container. They never last more than a couple of weeks around here.
- Side-note: Since my boyfriend (aka: the Vitamix) came along I have been making all of our nut meals, seed flours etc., using the dry canister. It was an expensive purchase initially, but well worth it in the long-run. Purchasing ground almond flour and ground flax, for example, is far more pricier than raw seeds and nuts. I'm also not burning through 2 blenders a year anymore with my efforts.

Amazing with sweet potato and bison chili and avocado! (No legumes. Fully paleo. Recipe to come.)
That dip below? Saves my life almost daily. I always have a jar on hand in the fridge. Versatile in that it can be eaten hot on zoodles (zucchini noodles) and as a dip for veggies and crackers. What’s it? Raw cashew, roasted red pepper and fresh basil ‘cheese’ dip. Tastes like cheese, I swear. Recipe to come on that too.
I’ve gotten into the habit of making our almond milk (cheaper, carcinogen-free) and I save the pulp to make nut ricotta or cream ‘cheese.’ Strawberries or blueberries is a popular topper especially with the kids. Obviously there are all sorts of savoury options too. I love smoked salmon and capers. And as I’ve mentioned; all of the avocado all of the ways. Oh, and mashed banana. Another popular one with the mini-kind.
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