Every Friday morning, Cole and I head to Trader Joe's and do our grocery shopping for the following week. It has become such a part of our routine that the store employees recognize him and ask where he is if I ever pop in without him.
Now that the novelty of shopping at the uber-popular retailer has worn off {our location opened a little over a year ago}, it's become a lot easier to shop without distraction. I see you, Cookie Butter... but we've only got room for fruits and veggies in this basket.
I do, however, enjoy browsing the aisles for TJ's seasonal items because they often have creative twists on ordinary foods that inspire me to make my own spin-offs in the kitchen.
Now that we're halfway through October, shelves are filled with all sorts of pumpkin-filled treats. {For the record, the Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes are the only item that have managed to sneak into my shopping cart. They were good.} From Pumpkin O's cereal to pumpkin bagels to pumpkin soup... the most popular gourd of the season is in no short supply at TJ's.
When I spied their Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps last week, I felt inclined to try my hand at homemade crackers.{Naturally.} The only time I ever think to buy crackers is when I'm entertaining because they go well with spreads and cheeses and round out a party tray nicely. Plus, crackers and bread = my husband's kryptonite, so I try not to have them readily available to keep temptation at bay. Even though I probably wont make homemade crackers very often, I figured it's still a nice skill to have under my belt.
Three ingredients, no funny stuff, and way cheaper than those fancy "artisanal" crackers that come 5 to a package... I couldn't think of a reason why I shouldn't give it a try.
Voila. Seasonal crackers. {Admittedly, they really don't taste much like pumpkin, but do get that nice orange hue for some fall flair.}
I kept mine pretty plain -- just a sprinkle of sea salt on top -- but you could get creative and add fresh herbs to the mixture or sprinkle some seeds on top if you really want to jazz them up. And if you want to get really cute, punch out some shapes with a cookie cutter to drive the pumpkin point home.
Pumpkin perfection without any risk of falling into TJ's clever end cap snares! Sounds like a deal to me.
Pumpkin Crackers
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt {plus extra for sprinkling}
3 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
About 4 tablespoons water*
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking pan by lining with parchment paper, or simply use a pizza stone. Let the pan or stone heat up with the oven.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt and pumpkin puree. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until a firm dough forms -- you don't want it to be too wet or sticky, so adding water slowly and watching for the desired consistency will help ensure that you don't add too much liquid.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead it a few times until slightly elastic, shaping it into a ball. Set it aside and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece out as thin as possible using a rolling pin -- you want it to be as thin as you can get it so they bake up nice and crisp. Give it some elbow grease & work those abs, then you won't feel as bad as eating a few extra crackers. {If desired, cut out pumpkin shapes using a cookie cutter or a pizza cutter, or simply roll out into one thin, "artisanal-looking" piece.} Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Optional: Spray dough with a little olive oil {I just use my Misto} or non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with desired seasonings like salt or sesame seeds.
6. Place rolled dough onto hot baking pan or pizza stone and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until they are browned and crisp.
Remove from oven and allow to cool -- they'll crisp up a little more. Once cooled, break large pieces into smaller shapes. Serve with spreads, cheese or dips.
