Nearly every day after arriving home from middle school, I dropped my backpack on the floor next to the kitchen table and walked straight into the pantry to rummage around for a snack. Mom had designated an entire shelf to quick grab-and-go finger foods, located at just the right height for short preteens to stare at and reach.
In addition to the packaged chewy chocolate chip cookies and fudgy cupcakes, that shelf held a wide variety of less sugary snacks: mini pretzel twists, fruit-filled granola bars, Goldfish, Triscuits and Wheat Thins. Although the big one-pound bags of pretzels usually disappeared in less than a week between my younger brother and me, the crackers were always a popular choice too.
We’d alternate between craving the simple woven wheat style of the larger Triscuits and the slightly sweeter, less messy Wheat Thins. I generally preferred the latter, mainly because they were smaller and I could eat more! But regardless of which snack we chose, we’d set the box in the middle of the kitchen table and take turns politely reaching in to grab a few crackers while starting on our homework.
Eventually, my brother and I started gravitating towards healthier snacks like fresh fruit or veggies with dip, so Mom stopped buying quite so many boxes of kid-friendly crackers at the store. Instead, those were replaced by more “adult” tasting varieties from Trader Joe’s flavored with rosemary, thyme, and other herbs for Dad to snack on at night.
However, with this recent heat wave (106°F in September??), my family and I lost the desire to cook dinners, and we turned to lots of salads or smorgasbord evening meals instead. Because my dad still enjoys his nightly crackers, albeit with gourmet goat cheese and Brie lately, I decided to bravely turn on the oven and bake these Homemade Wheat Thins for him!
Although I probably should’ve made a double batch… It turns out my brother loves them too and has been snacking on them in the afternoons!
Truth be told, these aren’t quite exactly like Wheat Thins. When I looked at the ingredients list and saw three different kinds of sugar, I knew I could make my recipe healthier! So we’re trading the processed ingredients for 100% wholesome ones, which means this DIY version is clean eating friendly.
Even better, these require just 5 ingredients, all of which you probably stash in your pantry already! Whole wheat flour, salt, coconut oil, maple syrup, and water. That’s it! I skipped baking powder or baking soda because I prefer my crackers to be nice and flat, instead of puffy and raised in the center. That look is fine on my cupcakes, but… I’ll keep my crackers thin, thanks!
The secret to crunchy crackers is to roll them out as thin as possible. Aim for less than 1/16”, if you can! I always roll mine out with a silicone rolling pin because that has a non-stick and more even surface than wooden ones, and I do it right on the silicone baking mat on which I plan on baking the crackers.
My other trick is to slice the flattened cracker dough into squares using a pizza cutter! It results in straighter lines than a knife, but either will work.
Then pop the tray in the oven, wait impatiently, and snack to your heart’s content!
| Homemade Wheat Thins | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) whole wheat flour (measured correctly)
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60mL) water, room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in the coconut oil, maple syrup, and water. Stir until all of the flour mixture is fully incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured silicone baking mat, and lightly knead a few times. Roll the dough into a 1/16” thick rectangle. Slice the dough into squares using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. Prick the center of each square with a fork, and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Slide the silicone baking mat onto a baking sheet, at bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes or until crunchy. Cool the crackers on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before serving.
For a gluten-free version, use this recipe instead or the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
{vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Amy, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I always need a crunchy snack and these really fit the bill. Thanks for the tips on how to get nice crunchy crackers. These look awesome.