Recipe - Malted Milk Crackers

1 cup Allpurpose flour
1 One half cup Instant malted milk
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth cup Vegetable shortening
One half teaspoon Vanilla extract
One fourth cup Water

"The malt in these dessert crackers will remind you of the oldfashioned
soda shop. Served alone or with a hot cup of coffee, they are a delightful
alternative to cookies. 325~F. 10 to 12 minutes Preheat the oven to 325~F.

Mix the flours, malted milk, and salt together in a large bowl or in the
food processor. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Cut in the shortening
until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Slowly blend in enough of the
water to form a dough that will hold together in a cohesive ball. The dough
should be soft, but not sticky. For easier rolling, wrap the dough in wax
paper and chill One half hour.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions for rolling. On a wellfloured
surface or pastry cloth, roll out to between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick. With
a sharp knife or cookie cutter, cut the dough into 2inch squares or
circles.

Place the circles on a lightly greased or parchmentlined baking sheet an
prick each one in 2 or 3 places with the tines of a fork. Bake for 10 to 12
minutes, or until light brown, turning over once during baking. Allow to
cool on a rack. Yield: 4045.

VARIATION: For a unique flavor, add 2 Tablespoons carob flour (St. John's
bread) to the dry ingredients. Lower the oven temperature to 300~F. to
prevent scorching. Cooking time will be increased by a few minutes.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini