Seeded Mustard Thyme Crackers

I've been baking more savory and healthy snacks lately. Maybe it's to try and get my son to eat more of my baking. The kid does not have a sweet tooth in the least. He would (honest-to-God) choose broccoli over chocolate. People often wonder how he could possibly be a child of mine seeing as I'm the kind of girl who eats dessert first if given the option (like at a buffet).

These sturdy crackers have a nice mixture of textures from the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oats and whole wheat flour. There's no white flour in this recipe! They even TASTE healthy and that's not a bad thing! They are a little thicker than "thins" but they have an oh-so-satisfying crunch. With shredded cheese baked right into them, they are easy to pack for snacks. There's no need to fiddle with sliced cheese on the side when serving these, although you can never have too much cheese, so feel free top with sliced ham and cheese if you like.



Seeded Mustard Thyme Crackers
adapted from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 cup grated cheddar
1 tbsp dried thyme

1/4 cup butter, diced
2 tbsp shortening
4 tbsp milk
2 tsp dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners. Combine milk and mustard in a small bowl.

2. In a food processor combine flour, oats, salt, sugar and seeds. Add cheddar and thyme and pulse just to incorporate - don't overdo it, you still want the oat/cheese/seed texturedness.

3. Add butter and shortening and pulse. It should resemble coarse meal. Drizzle mustard/milk mixture into the food processor and pulse until it comes together slightly. Sparingly add more milk if needed, just enough to form a rollable dough.

4. On a floured surface roll out as thin as you can. Cut into desired shapes (I like squares) and bake for 5-8 minutes, rotating and watching closely as they can go from pale to burnt in seconds.