I know you’ll get a kick out of these Hazelnut Fig Crisps if you’re a fan of those fancy store bought crisps. Even more so if you’ve been intrigued but weren’t willing to plunk down the $8 a box. Isn’t it thrilling to realize you’re not dependent on ready-made!
homemade hazelnut fig crisps are like a thin savory biscotti
They start their life as a dense loaf that is heavily studded with nuts, seeds and dried fruit. The loaf is then thinly sliced and baked again until crisp. The final crackers are crunchy with a nice bit of chewiness, full of flavor, and beautiful. We’ve always used these crackers with cheese – our favorite pairing is with soft blue or goat cheese. But I’m thinking they would make a glamorous breakfast, smothered in cream cheese. And you’d be hard pressed to find a healthier snack.
make these crisps your own by varying the ingredients
The recipe calls for a cup of seeds, so you could mix and match any way you want. I used sesame, millet, pepitas, and flax seeds. Then you can further personalize it with your favorite nuts, dried fruits, herbs, etc. I used whole hazelnuts and rough chopped dried figs.
homemade seeded crackers come together easily in one bowl.
It’s like a quick bread, and all you do is throw everything together in a single bowl – I love that! The hardest part about this recipe is choosing your add-in ingredients because the possibilities are endless.
The loaf comes out of the oven a deep glossy brown. Let it cool, then wrap it up and pop it in the freezer. When it hardens you’ll have a much easier time slicing it thinly for its second round in the oven.
however you slice them, these crackers are fabulous.
I originally sliced the bread after it was in the freezer for about an hour. I tried leaving the loaf in the freezer a little longer, and managed to get very thin slices on the mandolin set at 1/4 inch. Only try this if you’re skilled with the mandolin…you have to apply even pressure, and use caution. If the bread becomes frozen solid it can’t be sliced, so you have to let it thaw somewhat.
The fun of a recipe like this is the room it leaves for wild creativity… I have a feeling I’ll be working with this idea a lot.
more cheese plate ideas
- Savory Herb Shortbread
- How to Make the Ultimate Cheeseboard
- Low Sugar Wine Jelly
- Homemade Boursin Cheese
Hazelnut Fig Seeded Crisps
Equipment
- standard 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/4 cup millet seeds
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
- 1 cup whole hazelnuts
- 1 cup dried figs, roughly chopped
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F. Grease a standard 9×5 loaf pan.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Stir in the buttermilk and honey. Mix well. (The batter will be thin)
- Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
- Cool on a rack.
- When cool, wrap the loaf in foil and pop in the freezer for an hour to an hour and a half to firm it up for slicing. You can also freeze the loaf at this stage and slice and bake it at a later date.
- Slice as thinly as you can, using a very sharp serrated bread knife. The thinner you are able to slice the loaf the crisper your crackers will be. Lay the slices out on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 300, for about 15 minutes, then flip over and bake another 15 minutes, until the crackers are a rich brown and crisp on both sides.
Notes
- You can bake these crackers in mini loaf tins for a smaller cracker if you want. Just adjust the baking time down to suit the size of the pan.
- If your slices are a bit on the thick side, pop them in the toaster! I think I will experiment with some intentionally thicker slices. They would make fabulous tartines, or crostini, too.
Nutrition
I loved both recipes this one and the copy cat version and the mini loaves turned out wonderful, thank you. My question is after double baking the sliced crisps/crackers I placed them in a freezer zip lock bag after they were cold. After 2 days we noticed they were softer. How do I keep them crisp for enjoying them over a longer period. Has this come up before? Is there a solution? Thank you for your advice Sue.
Sue please disregard my first question looking for the Mini pan instructions. I found it. Thank you. Cannot wait to bake these up this morning.
Be sure to try my newer crisps recipe, too! Copy Cat Raincoast Crisp Crackers.
I cannot wait to try this recipe. I was wondering if you might suggest the right bake timing for mini loaf pans. Thank you in advance.
Hi Karen, I have a newer recipe for these, and I give directions for mini loaves, here.