Palm oil free Ritz peanut butter crackers

Palm Oil Free, Gluten Free (RITZ) PEANUT BUTTER CRACKERS
 

DAY 1: These "Ritz" peanut butter crackers are better, if not tasting entirely similar, to the branded one! It has a perfect twist of sweet and salty for that perfect snack. Best part, and the reason why I recreated this recipe, is that they are palm oil free! If you are curious as to why I have a 7 day recipe challenge all about keeping palm oil out of my food (amongst keeping it out of everything else in my life), then check out #2 on my "Lower your footprint" page. This pesky ingredient is contributing to massive deforestation in the Sumatran rainforest and its causing our fragile ecosystem to collapse, driving animals out of their homes and to the brink of extinction.

This snack is super simple to make and you can find these ingredients in sustainable bulk to make this trash free, organic, and cheap! The only thing I didn't buy in bulk was the gluten free flour which I bought in a huge bag that I will reuse for my bulk brown rice flour hauls in the future. It was the first purchase I made since being trash free/plastic free that had any packaging and I'm so happy I found a reuse for the bag. In the future I don't think I will do it again but it was nice to put my brain to the test for alternative uses after it ran out.  I adapted the recipe for the crackers from Gluten Free on a shoe string! It was a perfect recipe, and Im so happy with it.

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of Pamelas gluten free pancake/baking flour (you can use regular flour which is easier to find in bulk!)
-4 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil (+2 tablespoons melted oil for brushing crackers before oven)
-1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
-1 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
-1 teaspoon paprika
-pinch of salt
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1/2 cup water with ice in it (don't include ice in measurement
FOR FILLING:
-Organic and palm oil free peanut butter! 

WHAT TO DO:
1. Preheat to 375 F. Prepare your baking sheet with non-stick silicone mat (making this trash free!)
2.Chop the 4 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil in bowl and after place in freezer.
3. Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Take chopped oil oil out of freezer and mix in with dry ingredients cutting with two knives to form pebbles.
4. Add in olive oil and slowly, bit by bit, add in water (discard ice, maybe throw it in a flower pot <3).
5. Stir until complete dough forms. Make into ball and put in refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes (just to firm)
6. After allotted time, take out and put on clean, floured surface and roll out dough to thickness you desire (about 1/8th inch thick). Get circular shape cutter to cut out cracker sized circles from dough. (I got very creative and found a stainless steel lid)
7. Pop in oven for about 8-10 minutes. Take out and brush with melted oil. 
8. Lay out and let crackers cool.
9. Put desired amount on one side of cracker and squish with another! BOOM! YAY!