June 14, 2018
What child doesn’t love fishy crackers? You know the ones I’m talking about…they come in a million different flavours and they’re shaped like fish (wink, wink). I swear my girls consider them a food group. It wasn’t until I had children of my own though, until I actually looked at the ingredients. The ingredients in these crackers aren’t the best, so I went searching for an alternative. I was wondering through our local bookstore on my lunch hour one day, when I stumbled upon this recipe book, and saw that there was a cracker recipe in it. I bought the book and tried the recipe as soon as I got home from work, and they were a huge success.
With my first, I was lucky, she didn’t have any food allergies or intolerances. I was able to buy her organic cheese crackers when I was short on time…not always in the shape of fish, but she still loved them. My second, though, is lactose sensitive (AKA she gets a lot of gas!), so when she figured out that her older sisters crackers were better than hers, I had to get creative…and quick. I adapted this recipe one day and they turned out great! My girls love making them with me, and as an added bonus, we get to make them any shape we want.
Lactose Free Fishy Crackers
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lactose-free cheese (grated)
- 2 tablespoons organic butter (cubed)
- ½ cup organic all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons ice water
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400F and make sure the oven rack is in the center position. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicone mats.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined (approximately 30 seconds). Continue pulsing while you slowly add your water. Pulse until a ball has formed.
- Divide your ball into four and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface, to your desired thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or use a knife to make a grid pattern on the dough (leaving you with square crackers).
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow them to cool completely.
Yields approximately 960g of crackers.
Tips & Tricks
- I’ve only used lactose-free cheddar and regular cheddar cheese for this recipe, but I bet other flavours would be just as awesome (my hubby really wants me to make them with jalapeno jack, but I’m afraid I’d eat them all in one sitting).
- The thinner you roll the dough, the crispier your crackers will be.
- I’m sure these crackers would last 5-7 days (depending on temperature and moisture level), but mine always manage to get eaten up before then.
- If I’m using a lighter coloured cheese, I add a pinch of turmeric to the dough to give it a more vibrant colour.
(Adapted from “The Best Homemade Kids’ Snacks on the Planet” by Laura Fuentes)
