Everything-Spice Phyllo Crackers

By Ali Slagle

Everything-Spice Phyllo Crackers
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Styling: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(152)
Comments
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Here’s a cracker that bakes up flaky and buttery, no matter how much of a baker you may or may not be. There's no need for a whisk, mixing bowl or even flour: Just layer phyllo sheets with butter, top with everything-bagel seasoning (or other spices, or grated cheese), and slice them into squares or triangles of any size. Each cracker promises a joyful, shattering mess; a companion to wine, beer or something stronger; and the pleasure of knowing it was so easy to make. Each batch yields a bounty of crackers, but this recipe is also easy to scale.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 40 to 60 crackers
  • 4sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed overnight and kept under a damp towel
  • ¼cup/55 grams unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
  • ¼cup/40 grams everything-bagel seasoning (or make your own using 1 tablespoon dried minced onion, 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel or caraway seeds and ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1teaspoon flaky sea salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper the size of your baking sheet on a work surface.

  2. Step 2

    Place a sheet of phyllo on the parchment paper and brush the pastry lightly with butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo, and lightly press down to eliminate any air bubbles trapped between the two sheets. Repeat with the next 2 layers of phyllo, then brush the top with the remaining butter. Trim the edges of phyllo, if necessary, to leave a ½-inch parchment border, and slide the parchment and pastry onto the baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl, combine the everything-bagel seasoning, pepper and flaky salt. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the phyllo, and press gently to adhere. Using your sharpest knife, cut the phyllo into 1½-inch squares (or feel free to cut them into strips or triangles of varying sizes).

  4. Step 4

    Bake until golden at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet and serve at room temperature.

Tip
  • Crackers can be made up to 4 hours before serving. Once cooled, keep crackers covered with plastic wrap on a baking sheet.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
152 user ratings
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Comments

MsMcK

These are amazing - my family went nuts for them! You have to really press down on the layers once they’ve all had the butter brushed on. You want to rub & press them out with the side of your hand, they’re not so delicate at this point. We did half savory with Jane’s Crazy Mixed-up Seasoning (perfect for this) & half sweet with a sprinkle of cinnamon/sugar/cardamom. SO good....

Pat

Sounds like za’atar might be a good choice for seasoning.

Becky

Made this even easier by just using puff pastry. Brushed butter on the top and added seasoning. Took about ten minutes. Delicious!

Pam

how long will they last after baked? I want to make for a pparty in 5 days.....

Debi

Mine toppled over as they were too high. Very tasty though. Would it be better to do only two layers?

Andrea

I didn't have phyllo, but I had some nice puff pastry, so I gave it a shot. Wow, with just a bit of brushed vegan butter on top, and the spice blend this was amazing. I used smoked salt on part of it too. Lots of ways to go with it.

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