Rosemary Crackers with Roasted Pecans, Parmesan and Dried Chili Peppers
Four dozen crackers
½ cup roasted pecans
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp dried chili flakes
8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into ½’ cubes
½ cup cold buttermilk
Coarse sea salt to sprinkle over crackers before baking
1) Lightly toast the pecans in a non-stick skillet and set aside to cool completely.
2) In a food processor, pulse the pecans and the rosemary together into a coarse chop. You still want small pieces of the nuts – not a powder.
3) Empty the chopped nuts into a large bowl and then pulse together the flour, parmesan, sea salt, chili flakes and butter cubes until the it resembles coarse cornmeal. Empty the chopped contents into the same bowl as the nuts.
4) With your fingers, mix all the ingredients checking for any leftover large clumps of butter. Pour in the buttermilk and use your hands to gather the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature while your oven heats.
5) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
6) Divide the dough in half. Flour a piece of parchment on your counter and roll the first ball of dough into a square ¼” thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut the rolled dough into 1 ½” squares. Before separating the squares, sprinkle the top with the coarse sea salt and, if desired, create a pattern with the tins of a fork on each square. Place the squares on the parchment-lined sheet pan, 1” apart.
7) Gather the scraps of the first ball of dough and add to the second. Roll the second and cut into squares. Place these on the second sheet pan. You should have four dozen crackers to bake.
8) Bake the crackers for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the crackers are crisp and evenly browned.
9) Cool the crackers completely on wire racks before serving.
