Homemade Savory Crackers with Nuts & Herbs: An Easy, Healthy Recipe for Artisanal Snacking
Indulge in the simple pleasure of freshly baked savory crackers, crafted from scratch with just a handful of pantry staples. These delectable crackers boast a rich, sablé-like texture that melts in your mouth, making them the ultimate accompaniment to your favorite soft cheeses. Quick to prepare and utterly satisfying, they elevate any snack time or gathering.
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There’s a unique satisfaction that comes from creating your own snacks, and homemade crackers are no exception. For years, I’ve cherished savory crackers as a versatile staple, perfect for dipping, pairing with an artisanal cheese board, or simply enjoying on their own. This passion eventually led me to explore the rewarding world of making them from scratch. The journey has been incredibly fulfilling, primarily because it offers unparalleled control over what goes into your food.
When you make your own savory crackers, you gain complete command over the ingredients. This means you can meticulously adjust the sodium and fat content to suit your dietary preferences or health goals. More importantly, it opens up a world of possibilities for incorporating a wealth of nutritious ingredients. Imagine the goodness of various nuts, wholesome seeds, and fiber-rich wholegrain flours, all packed into a crispy, flavorful bite. This hands-on approach transforms a simple snack into a truly wholesome and personalized treat.
The Undeniable Appeal of Homemade Crackers
Beyond the health benefits, making crackers at home allows for endless creativity and customization that store-bought options simply can’t match. Over time, I’ve developed several beloved savory cracker recipes, including the popular Crunchy Seed Crackers featured in my cookbook, French Appetizers. Each recipe offers a distinct flavor profile and texture, enabling me to choose the perfect cracker to complement whatever I’m serving. This particular recipe for Savory Crackers with Nuts and Herbs holds a special place, as it’s designed to be the ideal partner for soft cheeses.
These savory delights are characterized by their exquisite nutty flavor and a delicate, slightly brittle crunch. What truly sets them apart is their simplicity, requiring only six fundamental ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry: all-purpose flour, water, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, baking powder, and your choice of nuts. The dough comes together effortlessly by hand, and the process of rolling, cutting, and baking is surprisingly swift, yielding a fresh batch of gourmet crackers in mere minutes.
Achieving the Perfect Texture: The Sablé Secret
One of the most captivating aspects of these homemade savory crackers is their luxurious, sablé-like texture. If you’re familiar with French sablé cookies, you’ll recognize that delightful richness and tender, crumbly quality. This isn’t your average hard, brittle cracker; instead, it offers a sophisticated mouthfeel that truly elevates the snacking experience. The use of olive oil, combined with the finely ground nuts, contributes to this unique texture, providing a slight richness without being overly greasy.
This texture makes them exceptionally well-suited for pairing with creamy, delicate soft cheeses. Instead of competing, the cracker gently crumbles and melts alongside the cheese, creating a harmonious blend of flavors and sensations. It’s a textural masterpiece that you simply must experience to fully appreciate. And the best part? They are a wonderfully healthy snack option, free from the artificial preservatives and excessive sodium often found in commercial varieties.
Customizing Your Crackers: Nuts, Herbs, and Beyond
While the recipe specifies “nuts and herbs,” the beauty lies in the freedom to choose your favorites. For the nuts, consider a single variety like walnuts, almonds, pecans, or cashews for a distinct flavor, or create a custom blend for added complexity. Walnuts offer an earthy depth, almonds a subtle sweetness, pecans a buttery note, and pistachios a vibrant color and unique taste. Finely chopping them ensures they integrate beautifully into the dough, contributing both flavor and that delightful sablé-like crumb.
For the herbs, Herbes de Provence is a classic choice, infusing the crackers with aromatic notes of thyme, savory, rosemary, and oregano. However, don’t hesitate to experiment! Freshly chopped rosemary or thyme can add a wonderfully fragrant touch, while dried oregano or a pinch of sage could also create intriguing variations. A dash of smoked paprika can lend a subtle smokiness, or a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper can introduce a gentle warmth. The possibilities are truly endless, allowing you to tailor these savory crackers precisely to your palate.
Simple Steps to Savory Perfection
The process of making these crackers is remarkably straightforward, designed for even novice bakers. It begins with combining flour and coarsely chopped nuts in a food processor, transforming them into a fine, flavorful meal. This step is crucial for achieving the desired texture and ensuring the nutty essence is distributed evenly throughout the dough. Once the dry ingredients are whisked together with baking powder, herbs, and salt, the wet ingredients – olive oil and lukewarm water – are introduced.
A fork helps incorporate the liquids, followed by a brief hand-kneading to bring everything together into a firm, pliable dough. The dough should be neither overly sticky nor crumbly, indicating a perfect balance. After a quick preheat of your oven to 400°F (200°C), the dough is rolled out thinly (about 1/8 inch or 3 mm) on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2-inch (4 cm) round cookie cutter, you effortlessly create uniform crackers, which are then carefully transferred to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Don’t worry about spacing them too far apart; these crackers won’t spread much during baking. Bake them for just 10 minutes, or until they turn lightly golden at the edges and feel dry to the touch, signaling perfect crispness. Let them cool completely on a wire rack to achieve their ultimate crunch.
The Art of Pairing: Serving Your Savory Crackers
These homemade savory crackers are incredibly versatile and can elevate a wide array of culinary experiences. As mentioned, they are truly at their best when served with soft cheeses such as creamy brie, tangy goat cheese, or rich camembert. The cracker’s tender texture provides an elegant counterpoint to the cheese’s creaminess. But don’t limit yourself to soft varieties; they also pair wonderfully with semi-hard cheeses like sharp cheddar or nutty gouda, offering a delightful contrast.
Beyond cheese, these crackers are fantastic with an assortment of dips. Imagine them alongside a vibrant romesco sauce, a creamy hummus, a smoky baba ghanoush, or a hearty spinach and artichoke dip. They’re robust enough to scoop, yet delicate enough not to overwhelm the dip’s flavor. For a more sophisticated presentation, include them on a charcuterie board alongside cured meats, olives, and fresh fruit. And for those moments when you just need a satisfying bite, they shine as a healthy, flavorful snack all on their own. They also make a superb crunchy topping for soups and salads, adding an unexpected textural dimension.
Storage and Enjoyment
One of the many advantages of these savory crackers is their excellent shelf life. They will remain wonderfully fresh and crisp for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. This means you don’t need a special occasion to bake a batch; you can simply make them for yourself and enjoy them over several days, or even share them with friends and family throughout the week. Their enduring quality makes them a perfect make-ahead option for entertaining or for ensuring you always have a healthy snack on hand.
There’s an undeniable charm and superior taste to homemade savory crackers that store-bought versions simply can’t replicate. From the control over ingredients to the satisfaction of baking them yourself and the exquisite sablé-like texture, these crackers are a true culinary delight. So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and prepare to impress your taste buds with these simple, elegant, and utterly delicious homemade treats. You might just find yourself making them again and again!
Pin Recipe
Homemade Savory Crackers with Nuts and Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 cup 125 g all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup 85 g / 3 oz coarsely chopped nuts (one or a combination of walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, cashews)
- 1 tsp 5 ml baking powder
- 1/2 tsp 2 ml Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 tsp 2 ml kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp 30 ml lukewarm water
Instructions
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In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and nuts, then process until the nuts are finely ground. Transfer to a mixing bowl, then whisk in the baking powder, Herbes de Provence, and salt. Add the olive oil and water, then use a fork to incorporate. Finish kneading the dough together with your hand to form a firm ball. (The dough shouldn’t be sticky nor crumbly.)
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Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough out to reach a thickness of 1/8 inch (3 mm) (sprinkle the dough with additional flour to prevent it from sticking, if needed). Using a 2-in (4 cm) round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, then carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. (Using an offset spatula is the best tool to do this. No need to space out the cookies too much because they won’t spread upon baking.) Gather the dough scraps, knead lightly just to bring the dough together again, roll out and cut out more cookies. Repeat until no dough is left.
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Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until they look dry and lightly golden around the edges.
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Let cool completely on a wire rack.
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SERVING: Serve with dips (these savory crackers go really well with Romesco sauce!) or with soft cheeses. Or enjoy them as a snack!
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STORAGE: Store the savory crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1week.
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