These simple raw vegan, gluten-free and nut-free crackers are made from sunchokes, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, red pepper flakes, scallions, and sea salt. Together they create a cracker with a spicy kick and a nutty background from the sesame seeds.
Sunchoke, also known as Jerusalem artichoke, is the perfect cracker base because it is starchy and a little sweet. They say it tastes like an artichoke but I haven’t had an artichoke in a while to tell you. To me it tastes like a crosss between corn, potatoes and radish, very interesting. This is a very versatile vegetable and can be eaten raw of cooked. However, if cooked the skin should be peeled off.
Just a few simple ingredients can make both a crispy cracker and a biscuit, depending on how they are prepared.
The first cracker is a crispy whole seed cracker. It is made by blending the sunchokes with water until it becomes a puree like applesauce. Then you add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a spoon.
Any kinds of spices and herbs can be added for a custom cracker. I personally like black pepper, rosemary and leeks. You could also make a lemon thyme; or a tomato basil, mhmm.
In the picture below I used flax seed instead of hemp seed, both come out really well, but I prefer the hemp seed.
Dehydrating Crackers
Spread the cracker mixture, with the back of a spoon, 1/4 inch thick; onto a dehydrator teflex sheet.
Both crackers are dehydrated at 165 degrees for 1 hour, and then flipped onto a breathable tray to continue dehydrating at 115 degrees
Cut the crackers once you can tell they have hardened on both sides slightly approximately 30 minutes after you flip them.
You get about 5 rows each way resulting in 25 crackers. Separate them from each other so they get evenly dehydrated.
Cook Crackers in Oven
Although not raw, it is quicker to make crackers in the oven.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees, Spread the cracker mixture, with the back of a spoon, 1/4 inch thick; onto a baking sheet.
Bake cracker for 30 minutes, cut into 5 rows both ways, resulting in 25 crackers, and flip.
Bake for another 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
The second cracker is like a “cookie cracker”, if there is such a thing, or maybe more like a biscuit. It’s crispy but yet chewy.
The difference is you blend the seeds and sunchoke together with water. The oils from the seeds are released and form more of a cookie consistency. The only way to achieve this effect is if you have a high speed blender such a vitamix, or else the seeds will not be ground.
These cookie crackers can be dehydrated or cooked and cut the same way as the crispy crackers.
The end result, cookie crackers on the left and crispy crackers on the right.
I personally prefer the crispy cracker but many of my friends enjoy the cookie cracker, the choice is yours. 🙂
Sunchoke Sesame Seed Crackers
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup sunchokes
- 1 cup sesame seed
- 1/2 cup hemp seed
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 scallion
INSTRUCTIONS
Crispy Cracker
- Blend sunchokes and water in blender.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients with a spoon.
Cookie Cracker / Biscuit
- Blend all of the ingredients together in a high speed blender such as a vitamix.
Dehydrating Both Crackers
- Spread the cracker mixture, with the back of a spoon, 1/4 inch thick; onto a dehydrator teflex sheet.
- Dehydrate at 165 degrees for 1 hour, flip onto a breathable tray and continue dehydrating at 115 degrees
- Cut the crackers, once you can tell they have hardened on both sides slightly, approximately 30 minutes after you flip them.
- You get about 5 rows each way resulting in 25 crackers. Separate them from each other so they get evenly dehydrated.
Cook Crackers in Oven
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees, Spread the cracker mixture, with the back of a spoon, 1/4 inch thick; onto a baking sheet.
- Bake cracker for 30 minutes, cut into 5 rows both ways, resulting in 25 crackers, and flip.
- Bake for another 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.