We had our first taste of the popular Raincoast crisps when we were visiting friends a while ago. It was I think the fig and olive flavour combination. From then on, I began hunting for the brand at every supermarket and store. So imagine my joy when I spotted their stand at the IFBC in Seattle that I attended in September! A pack of their cranberry and hazelnut crisps found it’s way into my goodie bag and I discovered that they were stocked at all local Whole Foods stores in the bay area.

When The Kitchn published a recipe for similar crisps/crackers just a few days ago, I knew I had to try out my own version. Who knew these were so easy to make in my own kitchen! It is an entirely adaptable recipe meaning you can try any combination of flours, seeds and nuts to make your own unique cracker. The loaves from which the crackers are sliced and baked can also be frozen for a few months which makes this the ultimate appetizer recipe to have up your sleeve. A bunch of these on a plate with some good blocks of cheese and you’ll have happy guests and compliments pouring your way.

 

Cranberry & Almond Crackers (adapted from a recipe on The Kitchn)

Ingredients (yields 4 mini loaves)

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cups almonds thinly sliced

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 wholewheat flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 tbsp fresh rosemary and thyme leaves combined and finely chopped

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup sunflower seeds

4 mini loaf tins – I used disposable ones that can be found at any supermarket. The measurements were around 5″ x 2″

Method

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Coat the inside of the tins with cooking oil spray and set aside. Soak the dried cranberries in a bowl with hot water so they can plump up. Lightly toast the almonds in a dry pan on low heat and set aside. In a large bowl, mix all the flours, herbs, baking soda and salt together. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly until there are no lumps. Pour the buttermilk onto the flour mixture and mix well with a whisk or wooden spoon. Drain the cranberries and add them to the bowl followed by the toasted almonds and sunflower seeds. Mix everything together so the fruit, nuts and seeds are spread evenly throughout the batter.

Divide the batter equally among the loaf tins. Place the loaf tins in the oven and bake for a total of 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Turn the loaves out of the tins onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cool, wrap them in foil and freeze for a few hours or overnight. This makes it easier to slice the loaves into smaller crackers later on.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300F/150C. Remove the loaf or loaves (if using all at once) from the freezer. Slice each loaf into thin uniform slices and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Place the sheets in the oven and bake for a total of 30 minutes, flipping the crackers upside down at the 15-minute mark.

Remove the sheets from the oven once the crackers are done (they’ll start curling slightly at the edges and will be dark in colour), let them cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a good few days.

If you’ve never tried the Lesley Stowe (Raincoast) brand of crackers before, look for them in a local Whole Foods store (if you’re in the US) to figure out what the fuss is all about and then, make a home made batch. You won’t be able to tell the difference.