While visiting our daughter a few months ago, she served a really yummy “cracker” I had never seen before. I’m not sure what they were but they were like a small, thin, flavorful toast. I fell in love with them immediately! She had gotten them at Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, so I either had to buy a bunch and schlep them home, or I had to find a way to recreate them.
Once again I turned to my bff Google, and (as usual) she didn’t let me down. Come to find out, I’m not the only one who loves these crisps. There was a plethora of blog posts devoted to both the Trader Joe’s crisps and a similar cracker named Raincoast Crisps. I have never seen nor tasted Raincoast Crisps, so I’m not sure how similar my recipe is.
I loved the fig & olive combination but I wanted to add some seeds and nuts, as well. I have made them many times and have learned that anything goes when it comes to what you want to add or leave out.
One recipe makes about 80 crisps, and they will keep for a very long time if kept in an air tight container. Ours never last long enough to have to worry about them getting stale.
Let me know how you like them, and what combinations you come up with!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 cup honey
- 1/8 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup dried mission figs, chopped
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 TB balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup brined kalamata olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh or dried rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, and spray a 5X12 pan. Set aside. I don't have a 5 X 12 pan. I used several small loaf pans.
- In a pan, heat the red wine and the balsamic vinegar together with the chopped figs to reconstitute the figs and add more flavor to them. Slowly simmer the figs until all of the moisture is evaporated, and the figs are almost dry in the pan. Let cool.
- Sift together the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients, and add both together (a standmixer is fine). Now, add the warm figs, the kalamata olives, and all the nuts and seeds. Mix well. Fill into the prepared pan and bake for 45 –50 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool thoroughly.
- Slice very thinly with a serrated bread knife. Set oven to 300F and place slices on cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 12-15 minutes until crisp. If you give them a whiff with an organic canola or olive oil spray, they bake extra crispy. Cool on a cookie rack, and store in airtight container.