Simple & Wholesome: 6-Ingredient Grain-Free Goldfish Crackers Recipe: Transforming A Childhood Classic into Nutrient-Packed Snack for my Toddler
Sadly, the majority of conventional kids' snacks and the snacks that are specifically marketed towards children are typically made with enriched flours, sugar in many forms, high fructose corn syrup, artificial food dyes, and seed oils. Enriched flour, a common ingredient in these snacks, undergoes extensive processing, stripping it of fiber and phytonutrients through chemical and mechanical means. Then synthetic vitamins and nutrients are added back in. If you didn't know much about Enriched Flour you'd think it sounded like a good thing -- false!
There are snacks that I loved growing up and that are super nostalgic to me but that I refuse to feed my child (or consume myself) due to the low quality ingredients used in them. I remember eating Goldfish crackers at church (in Sunday school or youth group) and one summer in high school I ate goldfish and drank unsweetened iced tea while reading almost everyday and can still taste that combo. Nostalgia can be hard to fight sometimes and because we’re super intentional about the ingredients we consume the next best thing is making them myself. This may not be something that everyone has the time to do and that's okay but for me, because I'm unwilling to compromise on ingredients that we buy or feed our son this is what works for us.
Goldfish cracker ingredients: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CHEDDAR CHEESE ([CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES], ANNATTO), VEGETABLE OILS (CANOLA, SUNFLOWER AND/OR SOYBEAN), SALT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: YEAST, SUGAR, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, PAPRIKA, SPICES, CELERY, ONION POWDER, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA.
You can see the ingredients in my homemade goldfish crackers below.
I decided to make my toddler some homemade grain free, gluten free goldfishies with just 6 ingredients and they turned out awesome! Making these goldfish crackers was pretty easy but did take time. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat… this way my son get’s a taste of my nostalgia but with ingredients that we can pronounce and that we can feel confident in feeding him and eating, ourselves.
If you prefer a vegan version or if you cannot do cheese check out my old recipe for vegan cheese it crackers from many years ago. If you can do egg just sub out the flax egg for a real egg and you're good to go. If you can't do any egg or dairy whatsoever then follow the recipe and you're also good to go.
I used this COOKIE CUTTER for the gold fish by the way. This rolling pin is also very helpful as you can change the rings on the handle to the desired thickness (or thinness) of whatever you're rolling out. GENIUS!
INGREDIENTS:
7-8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups almond flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons or a splash lemon juice
Pinch of turmeric (for color) - optional
Punch of paprika (for color) - optional
Directions: Mix everything in a food processor until combined. Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper about 1/6 of an inch. Use a fish cookie cutter (or any shape) and place the little fish onto a cookie sheet. I used the backend of a honey dipper to get them out. Sprinkle with a little more salt (optional) and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Once you see them start to brown on the edges take them out immediately and let them cool on a wire rack. Store in cookie jar or loosely sealed container.
For more delicious recipes check out my cookbook Eat Real Food. It has 75+ recipes featured and everything is gluten free and dairy free. Most recipes are paleo and Whole 30 compliant. It also has a delicious dessert section, too! Order here.
