New this month: Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers

One of my goals for this year is to make something new every month: a cleaner, a pantry staple, a snack we love but usually purchase, etc.  Time was running out this month and I still hadn't thought of something I wanted to try.  Perusing my Pinterest boards one day, I came across a homemade wheat thin cracker recipe on my snack board.  I love crackers.  I love Wheat Thins. I love them plain, with cheese, with dip, with Laughing Cow, with cream cheese and jam... pretty much anything is fair game with Wheat Thins.

The recipe is easy and I had everything on hand.  Phee was more than happy to hop into the kitchen to help mix these up.  She had so much fun!  With her help, it took about 40 minutes or so to mix these up, roll them out, and bake them.  By myself it would have probably only taken about 25-30 minutes.

You can find the recipe at The Green Life Pages.  I didn't follow it exactly; I never do.

Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers (makes 8 8-crackers servings)
Weight Watchers: 3PP per serving
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I would up this to 3/4 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water (or a tiny bit more if dough is too dry)
• salt (and pepper) for sprinkling on top, if you like

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. With a pastry blender (or two forks), cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly.
4. Add the wet ingredients and stir the mixture until it comes together.  If it appears dry add a touch of water.
5. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface or a non-stick mat, roll out one half of the dough very thin (1/16th inch). Using a pizza cutter, cut into whatever shape you desire. Using a spatula, place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with more salt, or pepper, if desired.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, watching closely. Halfway through baking rotate the pan to ensure even baking.  

Cool completely and store in an airtight container. This recipe makes about 64 crackers.

Be sure to roll the dough out very thinly- thinner than you think you should.  The thinnest crackers taste the most like real Wheat Thins. Those that were slightly thicker turned out crunchy, but also slightly chewy at the same time.  They aren't bad at all, just not as crispy as you might want.

Our crackers turned out beautifully.  I don't think they're quite salty enough, so, as I noted in the ingredient list, I'd up the salt a little bit.  I sprinkled salt on top of one tray or crackers and salt and pepper on the second tray.  Both are delicious!

What's your favorite cracker topping?

Linked up at Just Us Four, Homesteading Hippy.