Healthy Homemade Crackers from Scratch (Applesauce Crackers)

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These German-style Healthy Homemade Crackers from Scratch (with Fruit) have just a touch of sweetness and are perfect for the entire family–even baby–to enjoy. Easily made in a food processor, they come together in almost no time at all.

Easy Homemade Crackers from Scratch

Making homemade crackers might sound intimidating. (Hopefully not!)

But, truthfully, these Healthy Homemade Crackers from Scratch take so little effort and time. You will wonder why you haven’t tried baking homemade crackers before.

Healthy Baby-Led Weaning Teething Crackers

For me, one of the main draws to make this recipe was my teething one-year-old. If ever there were a snack monster, she was it–in the cutest way possible, of course.

At least three times a day, she would make her rounds to the pantry, the snack basket, the bread drawer, and under the table to snatch up any snack she could. And it wasn’t because she didn’t eat her meals. It was simply because her little tummy was constantly on her mind.

Endless packages of Ritz crackers were not ideal, and I needed more homemade snack options besides Healthy Chocolate Brownie Muffins and Animal-Based Egg Pancake Bites to feed her. She craved something crunchy to munch on.

So these Healthy Homemade Crackers from Scratch came into our lives at the perfect time.

One of my favorite aspects of these crackers is that you can serve them soft-baked or roll them out thinly for a more traditionally crunchy cracker. Whichever stage you find yourself in with baby-led weaning, you can tailor these crackers to suit your needs.

Variations to This Homemade Applesauce Crackers Recipe

• Try switching up the toppings of this recipe. Use raisins, dried blueberries, dried cherries, small seeds (like sunflower seeds), or desiccated coconut as the garnish on top.
• Substitute the applesauce for pear-sauce or another mashed fruit sauce. Nearly anything could work here: mashed mango, mashed banana, etc.
• Leave the honey out of the recipe entirely. Then, just before baking (and after slicing the crackers), drizzle the honey over the top of the crackers.
• Use cookie cutters to shape the dough into fun shapes.

Tools You Will Need to Make These Healthy Applesauce Crackers

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment for these healthy homemade applesauce crackers. Just gather these supplies to get started:

• a food processor
• a spatula
• a reusable silicone baking mat
• a blunt knife (such as a butter knife)
• an airtight glass container for storing

Ingredients for Healthy Homemade Crackers with Fruit

• 1/2 cup homemade, unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup organic oats
• 1/3 cup pecans (or other favorite nuts)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tbsp. raw honey (omit for babies under one year, if needed)
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
• Dried cranberries or raisins, for garnish

How to Make Healthy Homemade Crackers from Scratch (Applesauce Crackers)

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
2. Line a cookie sheet with a reusable silicone baking mat. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, blend the oats and pecans until they become a fine flour.
4. Scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula. Add the applesauce, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Blend to form a dough. (The dough will be slightly runny but should hold together well and maintain its shape when formed.)
5. Scrape the sides of the food processor and give the dough a good stir to make sure all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Scoop the dough onto the prepared silicone baking mat. Using the spatula, spread and flatten the dough into a rectangle about 1/4″ thick (for soft-baked crackers) and even thinner for hard crackers.
6. Using a blunt knife (such as a butter knife), slice the dough into crackers.
7. Sprinkle dried cranberries or raisins evenly on the top of the crackers. Press them slightly to make them stick to the crackers.
8. Bake for 20 minutes (for soft-baked crackers) or slightly longer for hard crackers. (We prefer the soft-baked crackers.)
9. Cool completely. Store in an airtight glass container on the countertop for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

How to Store Healthy Homemade Crackers

If the homemade crackers are soft-baked: Store them in an airtight glass container on the countertop for up to a few days. Keep them in the refrigerator for longer storage.

If the homemade crackers are hard and crunchy: Store them in an airtight glass container on the countertop for up to a week (or two, in some climates).

Can You Refrigerate Homemade Fruit Crackers?

Yes, you can. I recommend refrigerating these Healthy Homemade Crackers from Scratch (with Fruit) if you soft-bake them because the combination of the dried fruit and the soft-baked nature of the cracker can lead to mold if left at room temperature for more than two days.

Try These Other Family-Favorite Healthy Snack Recipes

Some of our family’s all-time favorite healthy snacks include:

• Healthy Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Almond Flour
• Healthy No-Bake Double Chocolate Granola Bars
• Healthy Homemade Honey Marshmallows (High Protein, Paleo)

Homemade Applesauce Crackers Recipe Card

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