Homemade Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

Don’t get me wrong – I’m very thankful for companies that make gluten free crackers. They’re convenient, taste pretty good, and fairly easy to find at most stores. But let’s be honest, they just aren’t the same.  Mostly because they’re made of rice or they’re trying to be a whole bunch of things – vegan, dairy free, wheat free, gluten free, whole grain, kosher, and the list goes on. Selfishly I decided I would make my own gluten free rosemary crackers just the way I wanted.

It’s not unusual for several of my dinners throughout the week to be a pretty cheese plate with a glass of wine. Simple, yet satisfying and quick to put together. When I found out that I had a gluten allergy several years ago, I knew I was going to miss a certain rosemary cracker from Whole Foods that was always part of my cheese plate.

I played around with a few different options and finally landed on these: with a combination of nuts, seeds and freshly ground millet flour they’re a natural, yet flavorful cracker with just the texture and taste I was looking for. They’re the real deal – buttery, crisp but not crunchy, lightly sweet + salty and they hold toppings well.

Cashews, almonds, sesame and flax seeds are all part of the equation, lending healthy fats and protein to make this a good-for-you snack. Whole grain millet flour helps gives them a softer, buttery texture than rice crackers. I made my own flour in my Wondermill, (really loving the convenience of making flour at home so quickly!) but you can find millet flour in most bulk bins. Otherwise oat flour would work too.

You simply add all of the dry ingredients to a food processor and process until it forms a coarse crumb. Then a little bit of honey, oil, and fresh rosemary is pulsed in. Soon you’ll find yourself with a slightly crumbly ball of dough that you pack together, resembling a softball.

A short stint in the refrigerator helps strengthen the dough so you can roll out the crackers pretty thin. And then we bake!

I’m in love with these babies. Their toasty flavor and soft, yet durable texture is fantastic. And the protein is a nice cushion for that glass of wine you’ll be sipping along with them. They turned out so well with such little effort that I think I’ll be hard pressed to buy packaged gluten free crackers unless I’m in a pinch. Enjoy them with your favorite cheese, hummus, or homemade chutney, and as always, your favorite glass of vino.

Side note: If you’re around this weekend, I’ll be doing a demo and book signing at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, 10:30 am, on Saturday, August 9th and would love to see you there! I’ll being talking about the book, some hints on how to use up all that summer squash and have samples. {Books will also be available for purchase, cash or check.}

Homemade Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

makes about 20 crackers
adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook

1/3 cup millet flour (30 grams)
1/2 cup almond meal (50 grams)
1/2 cup raw cashews (50 grams)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons flax seeds
a sprig of fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water

Combine the millet flour, almond meal, cashews, flax seeds and sesame seeds in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a meal. Add the leaves from your sprig of rosemary, salt, honey and the olive oil and pulse for a few more seconds until the rosemary is chopped up. Drizzle in water and pulse until everything comes together into a ball. If it doesn’t, add a tiny bit more water.Place the ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.When ready, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out with a rolling pin on a sheet of parchment paper. This will be easier if you put another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and then roll out to ⅛ inch thickness. If it starts to crack at the edges you can gently push it back together before continuing.

Cut the crackers into squares using a pizza cutter, then transfer them, still on parchment paper, onto the baking sheet.Bake for about 12-14 minutes until toasted and brown. Store in an airtight container for 10 days.

This post is part 2 of a 3 part series that I am writing and developing for Wondermill, a brand whose mission is to inspire others to make their own flour at home with ease. All opinions are 100% my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this site possible!