I live on an island within the most isolated island chain in the world: Hawaii. This means rising costs of inflation and shipping, food has become really, really expensive. In fact, a single box of gluten-free crackers is pushing $10.

I don’t really care, who needs crackers anyways? I ask. It turns out 5-year-olds do. They need crackers really, really bad. Or, so that’s what they tell their mothers while their big 5-year-old brown eyes drip tears of sorrow.

You know who else needs them? People with gut issues who can’t tolerate grains and are desperately craving crackers to go with their smoked salmon or liver pate.

Sigh. Okay, I agree to make them for the greater good, but I have one significant rule: they must be easy to make. If I have to go through 10 steps of dough preparation to make a tolerable cracker, the crackers aren’t happening.

Which is how these pretty-darned-amazing crackers were born. No gluten, no grains, no eggs, no dairy, no fillers, no artificial flavors. Just almond flour, oil, and water. Oh, and whatever flavor you want to add for your own je ne sais quoi.

You know what? They’re really good! And really easy. So tired mamas be buoyed, and cracker-craving-gut-healers unite. If you can tolerate almonds, you’ll like these crackers.

Important baking considerations

• If you like these crackers, quadruple the recipe and freeze extras. They’re so easy you might as well extra for your future self.

• You can make these sweet or savory if you prefer. Mix rosemary and thyme into the batter for herbed crackers, or coconut sugar and cinnamon for some sweeter varieties. If you’re SCD you can mix honey into the batter, but make sure to check frequently to make sure they don’t burn.

• Almond flour has a habit of burning quickly once it’s done. That’s why it’s best to check the crackers frequently if they’re “almost done” rather than missing your mark by a few minutes.