Fruit, Seed and Nut Crackers

Name: Fruit, Seed and Nut Crackers
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 30 serving
Ingredients: 2 cups flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; ¼ cup light brown sugar; ¼ cup honey; 1 tablespoon molasses; salt; 2 cups buttermilk; 1 cup dried fruit; 1 cup small seeds; ¼ cup to 1/2 cup nuts; optional herbs and seasonings - from cinnamon to curry

User Reviews

4.8

36 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
Servings
30
Calories
91 kcal
Course
Snacks
Cuisine
American

Fruit, Seed and Nut Crackers

Jade Rice

Report

Now you can stop buying overpriced store-bought crackers. These crackers are customizable, easy, crunchy & healthy! They begin as a loaf of hearty and dense bread, made with sunflower and flax seeds, raisins, and a variety of nuts. The loaf is baked for about an hour, allowed to cool, and is sliced very thinly. Bake the slices for about a half hour or until they crisp up, and viola, you have thin, crispy, crunchy crackers, loaded with texture and flavor. The choices are limitless from what kinds of seeds, nuts, dried fruit, seasonings, and spices used to flavor them, with some optional suggestions noted. Because of the dried fruit, seeds, and nuts which provide protein, healthy fats, and fiber, the crackers are both filling and healthy.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

2 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

2 cups flour I used 1 cup bread, 1 cup whole wheat; don't use more than 50% whole wheat or rising could be effected
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup light brown sugar packed
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon molasses optional but recommended
salt optional and to taste (buttermilk is salty and most add-ins are salted, so you may wish to omit)
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup dried fruit I used raisins
1 cup small seeds I used 3/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup whole roasted flax seeds
¼ cup to 1/2 cup nuts I used 1/3 cup of mostly almonds, with a few cashews and walnuts
optional herbs and seasonings - from cinnamon to curry garlic powder to ginger; try fresh herbs including basil, thyme, oregano, or rosemary

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside. Note that my batter was just barely contained in a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan while baking. If using considerably more add-ins than the 1 cup-1 cup-1/2 cup as detailed above, bake as two 8-by-4-inch loaves, and reduce baking time accordingly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour(s), baking soda, brown sugar, honey, molasses, optional salt. Pour the buttermilk over the top and stir by hand until combined, about one. Batter will be both fluffy and a bit lumpy. Add the dried fruit, small seeds, nuts, optional herbs and seasonings, and fold to incorporate. Transfer batter to prepared pan(s) and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (for 1 pan, less for 2 pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure loaf is really done; it's deceiving and will seem like it's done but it's dense and can fool you. If loaf is browning faster on the top before center is cooking through, cover with foil in the second half of baking. Slight overbaking is okay because bread will be sliced and baked again to dry it out more.
Allow bread to cool for at least 4 hours, overnight, or for a few days before slicing it thinly. Prior to slicing it, putting loaf in the freezer for about an hour or until very cold but not frozen will help you to slice it thinner. Slice bread with a very sharp serrated knife, as thinly as possible; using a mandolin is an option if you're skilled with it.
Place slices edge to edge without touching on Silpat- or parchment-lined trays; I fit 12 slices per tray. Bake slices at 300F for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until crispy and crunchy, flipping them over a few times through baking (I baked 15 minutes, flipped. Baked 15 more, flipped; repeated until crispy). Baking times will vary widely; as short as 30 minutes or longer than 1 hour, based on thickness of slices, add-ins used, climate, personal preferences. Very thin slices will bake up much faster so keep an eye on them. Crackers firm up more as they cool. Allow crisps to cool on trays for a few minutes and serve. Crackers will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container or ziptop food storage bag, but may loose some crispness as time passes, especially if you live in a humid climate.
Serve with jam, jelly, nut butter, a favorite dip, guacamole, hummus, soup, cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese or another favorite spread. Serving choices are dependent on what add-ins were used and what optional spices and seasonings were incorporated from sweet to savory.
Add-In Suggestions - I find one cup of dried fruit, one cup of small seeds, and up to one-half cup nuts is a nice balance but it's very mix-and-match and customizable
For the 1 cup Dried Fruit - Raisins, cranberries, craisins, figs, dates, dried cherries, apricots or your favorite dried fruit
For the 1 cup of Small Seeds - Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, millet, pine nuts, whole roasted flax seeds (I wouldn’t use ground flax as it will thicken and bulk the batter, and I would also stay away from chia seeds for this reason)
For the Nuts - Almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia, peanuts, filberts, pecans or a blend of your favorite
Optional Spices and Seasonings - Cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, anise, ginger, garlic, curry, onion, cayenne, chilli, chipotle. Try fresh herbs like rosemary, basil, oregano, or thyme
Adapted from Dinner with Julie

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1 Calories 91kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 2g (3%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 3mg (1%) Sodium 145mg (6%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 8g (16%)