Gluten Free Dairy Free Goldfish Crackers

Thank you to those who pave the way.  One of our favorite blogs is "Adventures of A Gluten Free Mom".  Here is one of her recipes that our kids LOVE.  We are usually lazy and just make them into square crackers, like "Cheese it's". These pack great for lunches (our kids make lunchables out of them with turkey or pepperoni).  There just plain fun!

• 4 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded (For a dairy-free, soy-free version, try using Daiya Cheddar Shreds…I also added a bit more cheese, about 4 1/2 oz.)
• 4 Tbs. Earth Balance Soy-Free buttery spread (or 2Tbls butter & 2TBLS Spectrum shortening)
• 3/4 c. Cornstarch (if corn-free use Arrowroot starch)
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 2 Tbs. dairy-free milk substitute, I used a splash more so when I rolled out the dough with additional cornstarch it wouldn’t become too dry)
• Optional Toppings: salt, dried herbs or spices if desired

1. Read Notes first to determine how you will proceed.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
3. Combine all the ingredients, except the milk, in a medium size-bowl. Mix until the mixture resembles a fine crumb. Add the milk and beat well.
4. On a lightly greased surface (I sprinkled the surface with cornstarch instead), pat or roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 3/4 inch squares or another small shape that you like (click this link for mini fish cookie cutters I use). You can also cut the dough into larger round or square shapes, just extend the cooking time.
5. Prick the tops of the crackers with a fork and sprinkle lightly with your desired topping (I just used salt). Bake on the prepared baking sheet until golden brown and crisp, approximately 12-14 minutes (Mine came out perfect at 8 minutes with my convection oven). The crackers will be light and crispy, although barely browning at the edges. The bottom of the crackers will have a bit more color.

NOTES:

We found that if you chilled the dough for 1 hour and the rolled them out between parchment paper we didn't need to use extra cornstarch for rolling.  We used a pizza cutter & ruler to cut straight squares directly on the parchment paper.  We then transferred the paper to a cookie sheet for baking.   We also found that the crackers on the outside cooked faster so at about 12 minutes we would remove the outside crackers and then replace the pan in the oven and continue cooking the crackers till done.

Adapted from: Adventures of a gluten free mom