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Snacks
Gluten-Free "Not Quite" Graham Crackers
MAKES 20 CRACKERS
These easy-to-make crackers are crisp and flavorful. They’re delicious on their own and ideal for any place you want to enjoy graham crackers, such as in pie crusts and s’mores. Double or triple the recipe. In fact, keep a mixture of the dry ingredients on hand so you can whip these up in short order. They’re egg free and can be made dairy free, as instructed.
¼ cup sorghum flour
¼ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup oat flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter, dairy-free margarine or shortening of choice
2 tablespoons honey
3-4 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1. In a large bowl, combine flours and arrowroot. Add sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, guar gum and salt. Whisk to mix well. Add butter and mix with pastry blender (or your hands) until well combined.
2. In another bowl, add honey, water and vanilla and mix well.
3. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients. Use a spatula to mix batter by turning over into itself or use a food processor and pulse just until mixed.
4. Roll dough into a ball. Refrigerate 15 minutes or overnight.
5. When dough is chilled, place it on a sheet of parchment paper that has been cut to the size of your baking sheet. Using a plastic bag or another sheet of parchment paper on top, roll out dough to a thickness of 1/8 to ¼ inch.
6. Cut dough into 2-inch squares and leave on parchment paper.* (A pizza cutter works great for this.) Gather up smaller pieces, re-roll and add to baking sheet, making sure all crackers are on parchment paper. Prick holes in dough with a fork. Chill in refrigerator 10 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
8. Prepare topping by mixing 1 teaspoon sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over crackers, if desired.
9. Place dough in preheated oven and bake 15 minutes or until crackers start to brown on edges. (If crackers are thicker than ¼ inch, cover lightly with foil and bake a few minutes more.) Store crackers in airtight container to keep crisp.
Each cracker contains 54 calories, 3g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 63mg sodium, 7g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 1g protein.
*TIP Parchment paper can be re-used several times.
Recipe by Madalene Rhyand, director of Living Without’s test kitchen.
Comments (13)
Our test kitchen director says any milk should work. Powdered milk would work well because you could make it a little thicker than regular milk. Soy or hemp milk will also do well. Rice milk is a little thin, but may also work. Pay attention to consistency. Good luck. Moderator
Posted by: LW Moderator | September 7, 2012 3:50 PM Report this comment
I cannot tolerate Coconut in any form .. milk or powder ... what would be a good substitute?
Posted by: Unknown | September 7, 2012 11:24 AM Report this comment
Help! o energy ready madefoods- please.
Posted by: Unknown | August 29, 2012 12:39 PM Report this comment
TIP: SPRINKLE THE OPTIONAL TOPPING ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER BAKING AND IT STAYS CRISPER. - MODERATOR
Posted by: LW Moderator | August 21, 2012 9:54 AM Report this comment
Libby: We have a toaster oven (costs about $50) devoted to gluten free baking in house. It is large enough to make these (and frankly I do almost all my gf baking in it) and it does not heat up the kitchen. These are really good. Hope you enjoy them, we did.
Posted by: Elgie | August 21, 2012 9:53 AM Report this comment
It is quite true that a small percentage of Celiacs cannot tolerate oats, even certified gluten-free oats. Living Without published a comprehensive article on the subject which may help alleviate your concerns. Read it at : http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_16/feel_your_oats-2658-1.html Quinoa flour and quinoa flakes are a satisfactory substitute for oat flour and flakes. But as it with everything else for the food allergic, if it bothers you, don't touch it! - Moderator
Posted by: LW Moderator | August 21, 2012 9:45 AM Report this comment
Glad I wasn't the only one with this concern. I would probably substitute either millet or maybe even flaxseed meal. It's hearty and would go well with the graham 'cracker' texture and wholesomeness. Lauradwight (above comment) had a great suggestion to sub a combination of millet & buckwheat flours too! I plan on baking these tomorrow hopefully (if it cools off a bit here!!) so i'll let you know how it turns out!
Posted by: Libby W | August 20, 2012 9:36 PM Report this comment
Hi Scubadooba! You can use quinoa flakes in place of oatmeal. They look just like oatmeal and I'm told they taste similar (I never liked oatmeal unless it was in cookies so I don't know how hot oatmeal tasted). Ancient Harvest sells quinoa flakes and they have recipes on the box to make it hot like oatmeal and they also have a really good cookie recipe too.
Posted by: Ines K | August 19, 2012 4:32 PM Report this comment
I know many celiacs who once healed have no issue with uncontaminated oats (grown in separate fields, processed in GF facilities). Keep an open mind about this if you can also not tolerate other complex carbohydrates like corn as it is often due to other dietary "contaminates" that cause remaining small bowel inflammation - a key one is carrageenan - made from red seaweed that is found in many foods, esp. dairy and non-dairy milk substitutes. Many feel that have an issue with soy until the discover it is the known inflammatory carrageenan that is in just about every soy milk... I have helped a few celiac friends be able to eat oats (uncontaminate!) once they completely heal their bowel by eliminating the ever-present carrageenan...and other preservatives like MSG that search to keep the bowel inflammed and unable to handle things like corn and oats. That said it takes months of no preservatives and easily digestable carbs - and of course no gluten - to reach the point of complete healing to reintroduce oats, corn, etc.
That said oats can still be an issue for many people - I would go with a millet/teff mix as buckwheat might be overpowering - though worth a try!
Posted by: Sharon M | August 19, 2012 12:29 PM Report this comment
I wish I could eat oats! I used to love oatmeal wayyyy more than it loved me! :) Libby, any suggestions for a substitution? I like graham crackers but most packaged ones are too sweet or just taste bad.
Posted by: scubadooba | August 16, 2012 11:05 PM Report this comment
We can't have oats in our house. I might sub 1/8 cup millet flour and 1/8 cup buckwheat or teff for the oat flour.
Posted by: lauradwight | August 16, 2012 9:25 PM Report this comment
Yah, i was surprised too. I was feeling a little confused. Thanks for your comment.
Posted by: cvs/august 16, 2012 9:30 pm
Posted by: Unknown | August 16, 2012 8:27 PM Report this comment
I am a little surprised, and disappointed, that you call for oat flour in this recipe. You make no mention that most Celiacs cannot tolerate oats. Even uncontaminated oats. I know enough to substitute the oat four for another truly GF flour but imagine many wouldn't. It is hard enough to be vigilant and keep my 9 year old daughter out of harms way without second guessing a recipe in this magazine in particular.
Posted by: Libby W | August 16, 2012 3:35 PM Report this comment