Spicy Pepper-Jack Crackers - A Delicious Grain-Free Snack

This afternoon I made a batch of crackers so I could use them to eat as a snack, with cheese or dipped in my Holy Moly Guacamole. I made Spicy Pecan Pepper-Jack Crackers. These crackers have a higher ratio of pecan meal to almond flour which gives them a slightly "grainier" quality as well as a dark "whole wheat" cracker look. I added some chia seeds to give them a little bit of crunch. I used a simple hand dough blender to cut Monterey pepper-jack cheese into the dry ingredients. If you don't like spicy things, you could swap some nice sharp cheddar, or your favorite cheese in its place. To give it an extra kick, add a bit of sriracha or if you have it, a couple teaspoons of spicy chili infused olive oil. Adding the pecans to the cracker mixture produces a darker cracker so don't think that these are burned because they are dark. The dough itself was dark before being baked. Notice how the little bits of cheese got browned and golden in the crackers (in the photos below). These are tasty to eat "as is" and were really good when hubby and I enjoyed them with some sliced cheese and fresh berries for our late afternoon snack today. One of my favorite little snacks is putting a little smear of cream cheese on crackers -- especially crackers that taste good (like these) because it doesn't overpower their taste. My big breakfast this morning kept me going until around 4:00 when I felt like I wanted a little snack since I rarely eat lunch on the weekends. It was nice having crackers available to pull out. I don't have to cook dinner this evening since I have plenty of leftover Chicago Style Deep Dish Skillet Pizza from last night (I was only able to eat one piece). I snapped a few photos and included the easy recipe below. Enjoy!

Spicy Pecan Pepper-Jack Crackers

Makes approximately 4 dozen crackers

Ingredients:

·        3/4 cup almond flour
·        1 cup pecan meal
·        1/4 teaspoon onion powder
·        1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
·        1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
·        1/4 teaspoon sea salt
·        1/2 cup shredded Monterey pepper-jack cheese
·        1 - 2 teaspoons chia seeds
·        1 large egg
·        1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
·        1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or to taste, optional
·        Sea salt, to taste, optional (for sprinkling on top of crackers)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add cheese. Use a pastry/dough blender to cut the cheese into the dry mixture until cheese is the size of very small pebbles (you could also pulse briefly in a food processor). Stir in chia seeds.

In a separate small bowl, whisk egg, olive oil, and sriracha until combined; pour into dry mixture. Combine mixture using a rubber spatula into a 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 work space. 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.