Is it possible to fall in love with a cracker in Paris?
What if that cracker was made in Germany/fabrique en Allemagne? No matter. I experienced a coup de foudre/instant love my first day in Paris whilst snooping in French Girl's cuisine. These crackers are thick, crunchy, heavily seeded,bio, about 3" x 4" and deeply satisfying. I ran out to Carrefour and bought 4 packs to bring home. 
Unfortunately at time of departure, the Macarons kicked out the seeded crackers (except for one pack) and that was that. 
While watching The Good Wife on Sunday it hit me. A crunchy cracker was essential. (The macarons were gone but wouldn't have done the job). I retrieved a remaining cracker and chomped. 
Careful inspection of the ingredients (farine complète d’épeautre (55%), graines de tournesol (17%), graines de sésame (8%), farine d’épeautre (5%), flocons d’avoine, graines de lin (3%), sel de mer, levure, extrait de malt d’orge).led me to think,
'I can make these myself!' 
After a bit of internet research I clobbered together a makeshift recipe, using Pascale Weeks, who referenced LA Times Peter Reinhart + NYTimes Tiny Kitchen (there's a video here) for Spelt seeded crackers. 
No one else seems to toast (just for 5-8 minutes) the seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax, oatmeal) but you get a richer, nuttier cracker if you do. I combined about 1/2 cup of the toasted seeds with a 1/2 cup of the spelt flour in the blender.
Plus no one else seems to add the seeds directly to the flour. Nevermind. I wanted seeds inside as well as on top of the crackers.
I'm not showing you how I dissolved 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a 1/2 cup of water by the way. Then dump your seeded flour mixture into the water and play (kneed into a kind of messy ball for about half a minute). If you ever made paste from flour and water as a kid you can do this.
Finally my fancy 'macaron' trays are coming in handy. Use the BACK side of the tray to roll out your ball of dough. Don't forget to throw lots of flour on the tray and your rolling pin!
All recipes say to poke holes in the rolled out dough. I forgot with the first batch and it didn't seem to make any difference...
Yesterday when Sue mentioned she'd made Trader Joe's gingerbread mix(in a box in fact), wheels started turning. Off to TJ's to search and reconnoiter. This morning I took one look and decided I would try making gingerbread cookies out of these puppies. Why not?
It was easy to knead the lumps into a ball and roll out..
Pigs and rabbits here I come!
The dough comes with a packet of crytallized sugar for decor. I added in some cinnamon for extra umph...
The 1st batch came out rather pathetic but tasted fine :)
The 2nd batch was pas mal at all!
Instead of 12 fat chewy cookies I got 3 dozen plus crunchy, hard, quite tasty cookies...
For all of $2.99!
BIG MERCI Trader Joe's!
Granted my little ginger bunnies are a long way from Birdbaths gentlemen...
And I'll never sniff again at Eleni's gorgeous yellow taxis...
Miracle of miracles, baking these cookies did not turn me into a glutton!? Three cookies and I was satisfied. Did the baking aromas do the trick? Do I now dare to make homemake marshmallows? 
You tell me? What have you been baking lately?
