It’s a Sunday afternoon, my daughter is napping, and I’m sipping a cold drink and munching on chips and salsa. Life is good.
In my nectarine salsa post, I mentioned that I was working on improving a flax chip recipe and I think I did it. Previous attempts at making a flax-based chip, like this one, although low-carb and grain-free, resulted in a flimsy chip that didn’t stand up well to a heavier dip. The chip would break apart in mid dip leaving the piece to get soggy and muddy the rest of the salsa or dip. The taste and texture also left something to be desired. For the flavor, I messed around with this recipe but it still wasn’t what I was aiming for. I wanted a chip that wasn’t bland but neutral enough to pair with any type of dip. The recipe also had to be quick and easy to make since I would be making it often and I’m short on time. After much tinkering, I made one simple addition and it was the one I needed – almond butter. The almond butter provides some much needed body and integrity while still letting it be light and crunchy enough to be a chip and not a cracker.
So without further ado, here it is.
Better Than A Corn Chip
Makes two cookie sheets worth
1 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond butter (I use salted)
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mix all the ingredients together. Mixture will look and feel gelatinous.
- Spread mixture on a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper to about 1/8 inch thickness.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes then flip the whole thing and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Chip will look dry when done.
- Cool completely before breaking into smaller pieces.
Since the chip mixture needs to be spread onto the cookie sheet, it doesn’t lend well to scoring before baking so I just break it apart after it’s done. I like the more rustic and organic feel of it anyhow. For a raw version, this chip can be dehydrated as well. Like a corn chip, I like this to be salted only, but you can season it however you fancy.
So there you have it, easy peasy flax chips that are ready for dipping. Enjoy!
12 comments
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September 26, 2010 at 4:48 pm
guythehealthypaleoguy
Wow!!!
What can I say WOW
Thanks!!! Guy The Healthy Paleo Guy
September 26, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Michele
These look great and I plan on trying this recipe later this week!
September 26, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Carrol
Hi Michele – Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll let me know how they turn out for you. I appreciate all feedback.
September 27, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Michele
Unfortunately they didn’t turn out terribly well. We’re at altitude (7200 ft) so that could be the reason.
With the first batch, the crackers weren’t ready to turn even at right around 20 minutes except for the outer bits. On the second batch, I tried flipping the Silpat over on to my cookie sheet (an airbake) for at 15 minutes, but 10 minutes later, they were still sticking to the center of the Silpat.
For the first batch, the middle bits were good wrapped around egg salad, almost bread like, and the outside parts didn’t hold up well to dipping (maybe due to our heavy dip!) so we just scooped them on with a spoon. The second batch is still cooling. The center bits don’t look really done though the outside parts were.
Any ideas?
September 27, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Carrol
Hi Michele,
Sorry to hear that 😦 I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes but I wonder if it’s a combination of that, oven temp and the almond butter itself. My oven tends to run hot so for most recipes, I reduce by 25 degrees. You can try adjusting temperature & increase cook time. Also, try to spread the chip mixture as thinly as possible so that you’re just covering the silpat with it. Too thick and you’ll end up with flat bread (which may not be a bad thing, actually). Also, if your brand of almond butter is thicker, you can try reducing the butter and increasing the water a bit at a time. I would rather have a thinner mixture and bake longer than one that was too thick to spread easily and undercooked. The thing is that the almond butter is what gives the chip more structure. Does that help?
September 27, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Grapefruit Cooler «
[…] kinda boring some times. So I’ve been making grapefruit coolers to sip on and eat with our chips and salsa. It’s tangy, refreshing, and cools the […]
October 5, 2010 at 7:16 am
malpaz
hmmm gonna hafta try something of he sorts. do you season it at all?
October 5, 2010 at 7:34 am
Carrol
I usually just salt mine but you can season it with whatever you like. If you do, please stop by and let me know how it turns out.
October 6, 2010 at 3:36 am
LCDC
How much does 1 cup of flax seeds end up being when ground? The recipe as written calls for the flax seeds to be measured (1 cup), and then ground, as opposed to being already ground when measured, and I only have pre-ground (Bob’s Red Mill).
October 6, 2010 at 7:26 am
Carrol
Thanks for asking. It should be “1 cup ground flax”. I’ve updated the recipe to clarify that.
September 16, 2011 at 3:27 am
Elvin
Unfortunately I can’t eat flax. The tiniest amount cause my throat to itch and tingle. Any chance thus could be done with anything else? Maybe chia seeds?
October 5, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Carrol
Hi Elvin – You don’t have to use flax. Just use all almond flour. You can also try using the same amount of chia but know that the texture will probably vary. Hope it works out for you.