Once in a while I’ll splurge for a box of Raincoast Crisps – have you tried them? They come in several flavors, but my favorite is Rosemary, Raisin, Pecan. At $8 to $13 for a relatively small box, we don’t buy them often.
Then I discovered this post from The Kitchn – a copycat recipe with Cranberries, Pecans and Rosemary. I hadn’t considered making my own! And they did all of the heavy lifting because these crackers are fantastic!
My take on these came from an impulse buy of dried sour cherries and that I happened to have walnuts in the freezer and a few stems of fresh rosemary still holding on in my herb garden. It’s a version that I’d highly recommend. But this is a recipe that you could (and should!) experiment with using any nut, seed, fruit, herb combinations that you like.
The preparation of these is reminiscent of biscotti in that you bake the batter as a loaf and then bake it again in very thin slices. These crackers have the extra step of freezing the loaves solid before you slice them, but that’s also a benefit as you can make the loaves up to 3 months in advance and then slice and bake just the amount you want.
To make these, you’ll need mini loaf pans and I highly recommend these. They are of great quality, are inexpensive and are made of silicone (no need to grease).
Sour Cherry, Walnut and Rosemary Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried sour cherries
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange mini-loaf pans on a baking sheet. (If the pans are silicone, no need to grease them. If they're metal, be sure to grease them thoroughly.)
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Place sour cherries in a small bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside.
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Whisk the flours, rosemary, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, breaking up any clumps.
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In a glass measuring pitcher, whisk yogurt and milk together until smooth; pour over flour mixture and stir just until moistened.
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Drain the sour cherries and add them along with the walnuts and poppy seeds to batter. Gently stir to distribute evenly.
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Divide batter between the mini-loaf pans, filling them about 3/4 full. Transfer baking sheet with loaf pans to oven. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
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Remove loaves from pans and cool completely. Wrap loaves in foil and place in freezer bag or freezer container. Freeze for several hours or overnight until solid.
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To make crackers, preheat oven to 300°F. Place one oven rack in top third of oven and a second rack in bottom third.
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Remove one of the loaves from the freezer and slice very thin - 1/8-inch or thinner - with a serrated knife. Arrange slices in a single layer, close but not touching, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining loaves until you've covered two baking sheets.
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Bake 15 minutes. Flip and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes. Crackers are done when they are golden in the middle, feel dry to the touch, and have slightly curled slightly edges. The (crackers will continue to crisp as they cool.) Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
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Repeat with remaining loaves.
I made these incredible crackers! Thanks you for a wonderful recipe. I didn’t have the mini pans, but used two well buttered full sized loaf pans. Topped with goat cheese and fig jam. YUM
Great idea to make them in a full size pan! Why not, right? And love how you chose to top them – perfect combo. 🙂
Such a great idea! Must try these 🙂
I AM ADDICTED to Rainforest Crisps! (In fact, I used them in the recipe I just posted!). I can’t believe you created a copycat recipe – I am so impressed! I definitely need to try to make them myself so I don’t keep forking up way too much money for crackers whenever I’m at Whole Foods;) Thanks for the recipe, Marissa!
We should get together, Sarah. I’ll bring the crackers and you bring that amazing spread you posted!!
Marissa, I LOVE the Rainforest Crisps and probably spend too much money buying these!!! how did I miss the post on the Kitchn!! thank you so much for sharing this today. . totally trying this recipe!!
I know what you mean, Alice! I’ve spent a lot on them over the years and am excited to know how easy they are to make!
These really do look like the perfect holiday cracker! Thanks for sharing and happy holidays!
Thanks so much, Sonali! Happy Holidays to you too!!
Wow – you’ve got some really great flavors in this healthy snack! This looks and sounds fantastic! I love that you photographed this with what I assume is brie in the background – sour cherries and brie are such an excellent combination!
I agree – especially when the brie is a little melty…
I feel like once I started snacking on these I would never stop!!
It’s not easy to stop – that’s for sure! 🙂
The flavor combination here is wonderful! I use dried sour cherries a lot in Middle Eastern cooking so they’re in the pantry! I love crackers and things to nibble on, these are perfect.
Thanks, Kevin! I have my eye on several of the Middle Eastern recipes on you blog…
I’ve been looking for something swish for New Year’s Eve and I think I’ve found it! These crackers sound fantastic!
Thank you, Maureen! I’d love to hear what you think of them…xo
I’ve never been a big fan of biscotti but I love crackers with cheese so your dried fruit and nut version makes me want to give it a try when I’m not so stuffed from supper that I don’t want to see food again in this lifetime. 🙂
’tis the season for full bellies! 😉
I just LOVE making my own crackers.. in fact I never store buy crackers and I just made a batch of caraway seed and apple crackers to accompany a delicious brie I need to eat. I definitely will be making your crackers Marissa, I can imagine how delicious they taste – you can never go wrong with combination of cherries, walnuts and rosemary.
I know what you mean, Thalia. Store-bought crackers are so often a disappointment! If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. xo
We made these for a Daring Bakers challenge! They were SO good and so versatile too! I don’t think you can even buy them here in Australia!
Did you, Lorraine? I love it!
I’ve never heard of crisps like this, made like biscotti!! And never in a million years would I have thought of sour cherries and rosemary and walnuts as a flavour combo but I can imagine it and I know it will be brilliant! PINNING to make this over the holidays! Whoopee!
Thanks so much, Nagi! It’s amazing how much the rosemary adds to this – it’s not something that you’d want to over-due it’s more of a scent than a flavor, but it really makes the cracker.