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- 16 January 2017 < Back to gossip

Carrot and seed crackers

Good crackers are hard to find so I’ve started making my own! That way I know exactly what’s in them too. These are quite crumbly but if you spread the mixture nice and thinly they will hold together fine. Store them in a sealed container and they keep well for three or four days.

Makes 25 crackers

  • 80 calories per cracker
  • 100g blanched almonds, lightly toasted
  • 50g sunflower seeds
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 50g sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp golden linseeds
  • 1½ tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 large carrots, coarsely grated (about 200g)
  • 4 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • black pepper

Time check

  • Prep: 20 minutes
  • Cooking: 30 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.

2. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then set them aside to cool. Put the almonds into a food processor and pulse a few times until they are coarsely chopped. Add the seeds (reserving the half tablespoon of cumin seeds for later) and pulse a few more times until everything is combined but still coarsely chopped.

3. Add the carrots, sun-dried tomato paste, olive oil and a tablespoon of cold water, then season with a teaspoon of sea salt and some black pepper. Blend until the mixture is sticky and holds together if you pinch a bit in your fingers, but is still quite coarsely chopped.

4. Lightly oil a baking tray and spread the mixture over it to a thickness of about ½cm. Smooth it flat with wet hands and sprinkle with the remaining cumin seeds.

5. Bake the crackers in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until they are lightly golden and firm to touch. Remove them from the oven, trim the edges and discard, then cut into 25 rectangles. Carefully turn them over and put them back in the oven for another 6–8 minutes to crisp them up a little more. Take them out and leave to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool.

A little tip...

To serve, spread with light cream cheese, sliced tomatoes and a few basil leaves or sliced avocado, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. You can also use these crackers instead of crisps for scooping up dips.

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