Applesauce Crackers

I had a classic parenting moment with my daughter this morning:

"Daddy! Apple! Apple, please! Apple, please!"
"Do you really want an apple?"
"Yes, daddy. I want an apple! PLEASE!"

So, I peel, core and slice an apple, just the way she likes them. She's very particular.

Then she screams, "NO! NONONO!NO!NO! I WANT A BANANA! BANANA, PLEASE DADDYYYYYYYYYY!!! BANANAAAAA"

So now I have a whole apple that I can either try to save with lemon juice or eat or use in a different way.

I made Sweet Potato Crackers the other day, so why not try Apple Crackers?

Brilliant?

Brilliant.

Applesauce Crackers

(from here)

1/2 cup applesauce
1/8 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice (sub cinnamon)

1 1/4 cup AP flour (plus a bit more)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

==

I took my freshly cut up apple and went to work.

Toss in some brown sugar and cook your apples.

I also added some Chinese 5 spice because it rules.

I covered with plastic wrap and nuked them for about 6 minutes.

Nice and mushy:

I used my stick blender to process them, but a food processor would work fine.

This is not really a cup.

Add 1 1/4 cup AP flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup butter to your mixing bowl or food processor.

Mix til crumbly:

Add your freshly made applesauce (or store bought sauce).

Mix until really sticky.

Add flour to compensate.

Mix mix mix...

Looks good.

Knead in the mixer for a few minutes.

Turn out onto your work surface and let it rest for 15 minutes or so.

I weighed the dough out of curiosity.

==

Break your dough into manageable chunks.

I did 4.

Roll out onto parchment or a silpat or whatever. Try to make it the same size as your sheet pan for ease.

I sprinkled on salt and gently rolled it into the surface of the dough right before I cut them.

Cut into squares. I found big squares worked a lot better than small ones.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 400F.

The outsides of mine cooked WAY quicker than the insides. I took the done ones off the pan and kept cooking the middle ones for a few more minutes to get even browning.

==

Overall these crackers were awesome. I really liked the sweetness of the apple and sugar against the salt. I managed to get most of them nice and crisp so they had a great cracker texture I found most appealing.

Great experiment to try when you are left with uneaten apples.

Enjoy!