Parmesan Pecan Crackers -- Low Carb & Wheat/Grain-Free

We had another cold day here today -- it was only 28 degrees this morning and only made it up into the 40s. I had a really busy day today and didn't want to make anything complicated for dinner...but wanted something "comforting" to eat. I had leftover cooked chicken breast in the fridge, so I decided to make a quick Chicken Noodle Soup with it. I made a half batch of tortillas to use as noodles for my soup and just used a carton of chicken stock since I didn't have any homemade stock available. I thinly sliced a carrot and stalk of celery and simmered it in the stock along with the chicken. I stirred my "noodles" into the soup before serving. But...what is soup without crackers? Well, it's soup...and tonight I wanted soup AND crackers, so I made a quick and oh-so-simple batch of Parmesan Pecan Crackers using a mixture of almond flour, pecan meal and Parmesan cheese along with some herbs and spices. The crackers turned out great! We enjoyed them with some cheese along with our soup. I snapped a couple photos below as well as the easy cracker recipe. It only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to make the crackers and roll them out and then about 15-20 minutes to bake them...and they are really good. With the upcoming holidays they would be great with cheese or dipped in hummus or topped with a variety of different spreads. They are actually good all by themselves. Enjoy!

Parmesan Pecan Crackers

Makes approximately 4 dozen crackers

Ingredients:

·        1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

·        3/4 cup almond flour

·        3/4 cup pecan meal

·        2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

·        1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·        1/4 teaspoon onion powder

·        1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

·        1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

·        1/4 teaspoon sea salt

·        1 large egg

·        1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place first 9 ingredients (all the dry ingredients) in a medium bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk egg and olive oil until combined; pour into dry mixture. Combine mixture using a rubber spatula into stiff dense dough; knead a couple times in the bowl with the heel of your hand to thoroughly combine and moisten ingredients; shape into a ball.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the size of your baking pan; place parchment on counter or workspace. Place dough in center and press down evenly with your hands to about 1-inch thick. Place another sheet of parchment on top of dough. Roll dough out between parchment paper until about 1/8-inch thick. Remove top sheet of parchment; transfer bottom parchment to baking pan. If desired, lightly sprinkle additional sea salt on top of dough. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutting wheel, cut into 1-inch squares, or desired size.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown, checking frequently. If crackers on outer edge begin browning more quickly, carefully remove those and transfer to a plate or rack. When crackers are done, remove from oven and leave on parchment paper until cool. Separate crackers and enjoy. Store cooled crackers in an air tight container.

*Note – If crispier crackers are desired, after separating baked crackers, return to a 300 degree oven for about 5 to 7 minutes until crisp.