Sea Salt and Black Pepper Crackers

When I was little, my sisters and I would spend all summer playing outside. We’d roam through the woods, splash in the creek, and frolic in our tree fort. So much play to get in each day meant we couldn’t possibly come inside for lunch.

One of my funniest memories has to be when this dutiful big sister decided to pack the most desirable of kid lunches for her younger sibs: lunchables. But our (very wise) mother didn’t let us buy them too often, so I improvised. I filled three plastic containers with little squares of cheese, sliced summer sausage, crackers, and a handful of m&m’s. And then I labeled each one with a riff on our names: Kristable, Brynnable, and Erinable.

Yeah, weirdo alert.

I smiled at this memory last week while making homemade crackers. As I pulled the crispy little squares from the oven, I had a sudden desire to eat cheese and sausage and go running to a swing set. With sea salt and cracked black pepper, these crackers are a bit more sophisticated than the ones of my childhood, but that doesn’t mean I have to be. :)

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• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs. cold, unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup milk

Note: This dough also comes together quickly in a food processor if you don’t want to mix by hand.

Preheat oven to 450° F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and a small dash of salt and pepper. Grate the butter into the bowl using a small cheese grater. Gradually stir in milk. When dough comes together, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 5-6 minutes. Let dough rest for 15 mins before rolling.

Roll out half of the dough very thinly (1/16 inch if possible) onto an inverted nonstick cookie sheet. Score lightly with a fork and cut into squares using a pastry or pizza cutter. Sprinkle with sea salt and more black pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until brown, removing the outer crackers if they start to brown too quickly. Let cool on the pan for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with second half of dough.

Makes approximately 100 crackers.

Source: Slightly adapted from Lemons and Anchovies.

Nutrition facts (per 10 crackers): 125 calories, 2.9 g fat, 21.2 g carbs, 0.7 g fiber, 3.3 g protein.