Homemade Wheat Thins

i have a guilty pleasure - wheat thins. there is something about those crunchy, salty squares that is so addictive. i don't ever buy them because i gobble them up. however, my mom always has them in her pantry. i sneak a handful almost every time i'm at her house. (sorry mom! i owe you a box, or two, or ten by now:)

the reason i don't buy them at the store myself (besides my lack of self control) is the ingredient list. according to the nabisco website, the ingredients in wheat thins are as follows:
Ingredients: WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, CORNSTARCH, MALT SYRUP (FROM BARLEY AND CORN), SALT, INVERT SUGAR, MONOGLYCERIDES, LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND/OR BAKING SODA), VEGETABLE COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT, TURMERIC OLEORESIN).

of course in the grand scheme of things, these aren't bad for you but they could be better. whole wheat flour is the first ingredient which is good but close on its heels is enriched flour, sugar, invert sugar, malt syrup, and a host of other ingredients i cannot pronounce.

but sometimes, i just need a cracker. sometimes nothing is a good substitute when i am craving a crunchy, salty, carb-y snack. imagine my excitement when i came across this recipe for homemade wheat thins from oh she glows! the good news is the recipe contains all whole wheat flour, just 1 tbs of sugar in the whole batch, and every other ingredient i can pronounce and i know what it is. i changed her recipe up a bit by reducing the sugar slightly, using half whole wheat flour and half whole wheat pastry flour.

the better news is these crackers are actually good! i was really skeptical that they wouldn't taste nearly as good as my beloved nabisco wheat thins. of course they aren't an exact replica but they are equally addictive. i see many batches of these in my future.

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Wheat Thins
slightly adapted from oh she glows


3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp paprika
4 tbs (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup cold water, plus additional if necessary


preheat oven to 400 degrees F.


in a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, salt, and paprika. using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture becomes like corn meal. combine water and vanilla and stir it into flour mixture. using you hands, combine and press dough together. add more water if needed, but dough should just come together and be dry, not sticky.


divide dough and roll out 1/8" thick. cut into squares with a pizza cutter and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 8-10 minutes rotating pan once, halfway through to ensure even browning. crackers should have light brown edges.


let cool completely and store in an airtight container.