I’ve had some bad luck making crackers… CRACKERS, of all things. Too soggy, too burnt, too spicy — you name it and I’ve screwed it up… in cracker-form.

BUT tonight, I broke the cracker-curse. I found a very forgiving & simple recipe for crisp and tasty – not to mention QUICK – crackers.

If you’re craving cheese and crackers but only have the former, no fear, the latter is easier than you think.  Just a few basic ingredients will give you crispy crackly, perfectly spiced crackers in just 20 minutes!

Thank you to the kind people at TheKitchn, for the cracker-crave-quenching recipe* I’m talking about. It seems the messier you roll them, the more “artisanal” they look, which is just an added bonus.

Cracker Recipe*

*originally from Kitchn.

3 c. flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. olive oil
1 c. water
Toppings: Sesame seeds, sea salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, or a spice blend.

1. Heat the oven to 450°F
2. Sprinkle a baking sheet lightly with flour and set aside.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients.
4. Add the oil and water- you want a soft, sticky dough. If it’s too dry, add a little more water.
5. Divide the dough into 2 halves so it’s easier to work with. Roll one half on a floured surface, until the dough is uniformly 1/8″ thick. If the dough bounces back, let it rest for a few minutes until it relaxes, then continue rolling.
6. Brush the rolled dough with a little water (not too much). Sprinkle you topping onto the dough.
7. Cut the dough into crackers. I found 1 .5″ x 2-3″ crackers work best.
8. Put crackers on a baking sheet and prick with a fork.
9. Bake for 9-10 minutes, you want the edges lightly brown.
10. Cool the crackers before storing them in an airtight container.

I found they cooked faster than the original recipe indicated: 9-10 minutes was just fine for mine, which were rolled out pretty thin (thinner dough = faster crackers!). My advice is to watch the oven (Great-British-Baking-Show-style) around the 7-8 minute mark, so you’re sure not to over bake them.

My favorite part of this recipe is that you can top it with whatever you like.  I topped mine with seams seeds, finishing salt, and caraway, to pair with a Chèvre cheese from the local goat farm we visited last weekend** — though you can easily customize these crackers to fit any cheese or dip you’re pairing them with.

**…the best part about local goat cheese is… being smothered by baby goats, while buying the cheese:

 

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