Rosemary Crunchers

You know how trends are cyclical? Well just like the leggings of the ’80s my cracker habit is back in full swing.

gluten free cheez its

There are plenty of healthy, whole food crackers on the market these days but many of the more ‘gourmet’ ones can easily run upwards of $5 for a 2 ounce box.  The way we eat around here that’s a once in a while splurge.

Rosemary is my all time favorite cracker addition so these little crunchers included plenty, fresh picked from my herb bed.  I’ve seriously neglected my herbs this winter but there is still plenty of thyme, oregano, sage, and rosemary out there; I should be throwing it into every meal for some just picked freshness!

Rosemary Crunchers

Pre-heat the oven to 350*

Wheat free and potentially gluten free (if gf oats are used)

Makes 30-40 crackers depending on how big you cut them

  • 1/2 cup of oats
  • 1/2 cup of almond meal*
  • ~tablespoon of rosemary (dried or fresh)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1-2 tablespoons water
  1.  Blend oats in food processor until no whole pieces are left
  2. Add almond meal, rosemary, and salt and process until combined
  3. Add grated cheese and process until combined
  4. With the blade running, slowly drizzle in a tablespoon of water and process for about 30 seconds
  5. Check the consistency, you are looking for the dough to hold together when you pinch it between your fingers.  If it’s still really crumbly then turn the blade on and add another teaspoon of water. It can quickly get to wet so only add a tiny bit at a time.
  6. Scrape the dough onto a baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper and form a ball
  7. nut crackers
  8. There are two options here.  You can either use your hands to press the dough down flat and spread it out or you can mash it down then cover it with parchment and roll it flat with a rolling pin.  Unfortunately the dough sticks-bad-to a rolling pin.  If you find a better method, by all means please let me know!  The objective is a nice flat dough about cracker thickness, whatever that means to you.  Try to get it as uniform throughout as possible so it bakes evenly.
  9. Score the dough with a knife into whatever size/shape crackers you want.  I went with a roughly even squares about the size of a Wheat Thin and got about 35 crackers (I didn’t count until after I’d munched several). You can also dust the top of the dough with a little extra salt if you like that sort of thing.
  10. Bake for 15-20 minutes, keeping a close eye towards the end to avoid over browning.  They are ready when the edges are juststarting to become a dark brown and the center feels hard.
  11. Let cool then break along the score!  They should be nice and crisp once cooled.  I store mine in a wide mouth Mason jar but I’m sure a Tupperware would work just fine.
*You can make your own almond meal by processing almonds in the cuisinart for a few minutes, just make sure to stop before it turns to almond butter!

cheese crackers