Grain-Free Crackers with Olive Oil (Dairy-Free)

When making experiments with my 1-2-3 Bread I once brushed the loaf generously with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkled with unrefined sea salt. The crust was crunchy and deliciously salty. That gave me an idea to try out crackers with the same method — almond flour and eggs, brushed with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled salt on top.

After few attempts I found the best ratio between almond flour and eggs. Then adding olive oil and salt wasn’t much of rocket science. The result: simple but delicious, very very addictive crackers. Easy to modify as well, of course.

 

 

 

Grain-Free Crackers with Olive Oil (Dairy-Free) 2 cups = 480 ml = 230 g almond flour (preferably organic) 2 extra large organic eggs 1.5 fl. oz. = 40 ml organic extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt (or to taste)   Directions In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour with eggs so that there are no lumps. This is best done by hand. You don’t have to knead the dough, just mix until it’s smooth. Cover the dough and chill it for at least half an hour. One or two hours is even better. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C). Shape the dough into small walnut-size balls, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten them with wet hands to 1/6 inch (0.4 cm) crackers. Or use a rolling pin and a cookie cutter to make your preferred shapes. Brush the crackers really generously with olive oil and sprinkle salt on top. Bake for some 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Be careful, the crackers get too brown very easily. Let cool. The crackers will get crunchier after cooling down. Store in a cool and dry place.

 

 

 

Nutrition information	Protein	Fat	Net carbs	kcal
The whole batch:	65.1 g	163.0 g	21.9 g	1815 kcal
Per cracker if 46 crackers in a batch:	1.4 g	3.5 g	0.5 g	39 kcal
Per cracker if 70 crackers in a batch:	0.9 g	2.3 g	0.3 g	26 kcal
Per cracker if 92 crackers in a batch:	0.7 g	1.8 g	0.2 g	20 kcal

 

 

 

Tips for making the crackers

It might be a good idea to start with a bit less almond flour, and add more if needed. The dough should be easy to handle, not too soft, not too hard, and you should be able to shape balls easily especially after the dough has chilled in the fridge.

I’ve used extra large (60 g) eggs, so they need more almond flour than smaller eggs. If you use smaller eggs, adjust the amount of almond flour according to them. As a matter of course, it’s easier to add almond flour than to remove it.

I used a rolling pin and a round cookie cutter with 1 1/2 inch (3.8 cm) diameter. I took a small handful of dough at a time, placed it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and placed another parchment paper on the dough. I rolled the dough until it was approximately 1/6 inch (0.4 cm) thick, removed the topmost parchment paper and took some 6–9 crackers at a time with the cookie cutter. Like this the yield was 92 crackers.

You can also divide the dough in two or three pieces, roll out one piece at a time between two pieces of parchment paper, remove the topmost paper and cut the dough with a knife or pizza cutter into squares and then brush the whole thing with olive oil and sprinkle salt on top.

 

My experiments with the crackers

Like mentioned, I got the idea for simple crackers from my 1-2-3 Bread. Since crackers basically don’t need any chemical leavening agent, the first thing was to leave out baking powder. I also used one egg less to get the dough more solid so that it was easy to shape.

First I tried with 2 cups (480 ml = 230 g) of almond flour and 2 eggs. I always use extra large eggs. That worked fine, but I wanted to experiment more. Next I tried with 2 1/2 cups (600 ml = 280 g) of almond flour and 2 eggs, and although that worked fine, I wasn’t that satisfied with the texture than with the first experiment.

Next I reduced the amount of almond flour and used 2 1/4 cups (540 ml = 255 g) and again 2 eggs.  The texture was again good, but I was the most satisfied with the first experiment, so using 2 cups (480 ml = 230 g) of almond flour.

 

Tips for variation

You can vary these crackers very easily. Below some ideas for toppings what you can sprinkle on top before baking:

• Chopped dried or fresh herbs. Thyme, basil and rosemary are just a few delicious examples
• Crushed chili or chili powder for hot and spicy flavor
• Garlic powder or powdered onion for tasty flavor
• Grated Parmesan for cheese crackers
• Seeds like sesame and sunflower seeds. It’s better to press them slightly onto the dough, otherwise they may fall off.

 

It’s horrible to think how unhealthy the commercial crackers usually are: full of wheat powder, hydrogenated fats, flavorings, even sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Yuk. You really don’t need that many ingredients to make crackers which beat the commercial ones what comes to both healthiness and flavor. You actually don’t need any chemical leavening agents either.

I love to eat these crackers with a cold drink made from white wine (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, depends on the mood and the occasion) and sparkling water, it’s some kind of a spritzer which I have modified from the usual wine spritzer.

In what kinds of occasions you prefer to have your crackers? Hot summer day snack with a glass of cold self-made lemonade? In a hurry when your stomach is rumbling and hunger requires immediate relief? In the night with a refreshing glass of wine when the kids are in the bed  and you have some time to indulge yourself? Easy-to-carry hiking food? Anytime?