Confession: I could live on cheese and crackers.
One of my favorite meals is this: Cheese, crackers, fruit, olives, maybe a cured meat like prosciutto or summer sausage. Plus wine. And chocolate for dessert. The end. Repeat forever and ever.
Every few weeks, the husband and I will make a smorgasbord of these foods for dinner and just snack away while catching up on our Netflix queue (House of Cards, amiright?). It’s the best, because we usually buy too much of everything and then end up with a ton of leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day.
Recently I introduced to our snack-y dinner situation some fruit and nut crisps I got from the grocery store that are insanely delicious. I first had them at the dinner club I’m a part of and I could. not. stop. eating. them. But the box costs a pretty penny and because they’re so good, we tend to devour the contents within a day or two. No bueno.
So I did the food blogger thing, and I made some myself.
Guys and gals, these are the real deal. They taste just like those fancy, expensive storebought crackers but they’re made from scratch and much more affordable. They’re also incredibly easy, and the recipe makes more than what you’d get in a typical box — which is to say, we went through this batch in about four days as opposed to two.
Like my sourdough discard crackers, they’re also incredibly versatile. You can mix in your own favorite nuts (I used a combination of almonds, cashews, pistachios and hazelnuts) and dried fruits (I used golden raisins, but cranberries, regular raisins or chopped dried apricots would be fantastic, too). The same goes for the seeds — I used flax seeds, but sunflower seeds or pepitas would be great additions as well. You can even add chopped fresh or dried herbs, like rosemary or thyme, if you want. Just mix it all together in a bowl with some flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and milk, bake it in a loaf pan, freeze it, slice it and bake again until crisp.
And because they’re so thin, they cool very quickly and you can eat them pretty much right away. BONUS.
We, of course, have been eating them with cheese, but they’re good with just about anything or nothing at all. Just don’t be surprised if you, like us, leave them in a container on the kitchen counter within constant view and suddenly, they disappear. Good thing another batch is just hours away.
Me + couch + cheese + fruit and nut crisps + wine + Thursday night + Netflix = let’s do this.
Homemade Fruit and Nut Crisps
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted mixed nuts
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup whole flax seeds
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter or spray bottom and sides of 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, stir flour, nuts, raisins, flax seeds, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir in milk. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake 50 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack. Transfer to freezer and freeze at least 1 hour, but no more than 3 hours.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove loaf from pan. Use sharp serrated knife to cut loaf into 1/8-inch thick slices. Arrange slices in single layer on rimmed baking sheets. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown, flipping halfway through baking. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store at room temperature in airtight container up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
What’s the calorie/carb content?
Hi Mary, I’m not sure but there are some great resources to plug all the ingredients in and calculate it.
I made these today exactly as written (doubled for two pans) and gifted some( they loved them) and ate many! ? They are absolutely DELICIOUS! and so pretty with the red of the dry cranberries that I added. I am already thinking of other varieties of nuts and dry fruits that I am gonna make. ?? thank you for such a great recipe.
Lauren can you please tell me can I add a bit of honey or maple syrup instead of some of the brown sugar? If yes how much can I swap? Thank you again and Merry Christmas ?
Hi Nargess! A lot of folks do a 1:1 ratio. But for me, I don’t like my crisps to be wildly sweet, so for me if I was doing that substitution I’d sub out up to a 1/4 cup brown sugar with a little over 2 tablespoons of honey (or maple syrup). Believe it or not, for me the taste of honey is sweeter than the sugar! You might also omit about a tablespoon of the milk to help balance out the added liquid. I’m so happy your friends and family were so into these and can’t wait to hear how you keep using these crisps! Happy baking! ~gvd team
These look so delicious and pretty. I have just made them and doubled the recipe for 2 pans and they are almost fully cooled . My batter was quite liquidy, but they look good baked. Can I ask why do they need to be frozen before slicing, because wouldn’t it be easier to slice while they r soft? rather than hard frozen? Thabk you.
Hi Nargess! Transfer to freezer and freeze at least 1 hour, but no more than 3 hours. You want to be sure the dough has time to set, if you cut them when soft they have a pretty good chance of crumbling and falling apart. If cutting when soft your slices can’t be as thin, and might not be slices at all! I’m excited for you to try these! ~gvd team
Can they be frozen once baked?
Yes! Just be sure to store them in an airtight container or ziptop bag. Thaw them at room temp or give them a bit of time in the oven for some crispness to come back. Happy baking! ~gvd team
Great with spreadable cream cheese and a dollar of pepper jelly.
Hi Michelle! I couldn’t agree more! ~gvd team
These are SO GOOD! I’ve made them for family and friends, who always ask for the recipe! I find it’s very forgiving for the kinds of nuts and seeds you have on hand (e.g., I usually sub the flax seed for sunflower). Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad to hear that, thanks for coming back to let us know. Always makes our day! ~gvd team
Can you store in freezer to have longer shelf life? Would like to make several kinds for
family reunion. Could I use a food dehydrator to dried them to a greater degree? Thanks
Hi Sharyl! Yes, you can store these in the freezer so they have a longer shelf life! Yes, you could also use a food dehydrator, but that might impact their texture (they’ll be less tender and more crunchy). I would set it to a pretty low temp (like 135F) and then check on them. Above all, it’s important to make sure they are cool before you store them or they won’t stay crisp! Enjoy! ~gvd team