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
Add The View from Great Island as a Trusted Google Source
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 didn’t think this particular post would interest me, but it did! i’m all but resolved to make my own crisps, and i don’t even eat or serve that sort of thing! the cross-section is terrific and the loaf is just chock-full of goodies. nice one, sue. 🙂
That cake looks so good that I might have a hard time being patient enough to slice and toast it up! But on the other hand, it sounds amazing with cheese–so I might not. 🙂
those are totally and completely gorgeous. I am going to have to try and create a gluten free version of this!
These look gorgeous! Hard to imagine that batter comes together so easily when the results are so amazing! I’m going to give these a try this weekend.
annie
I’ve made little crisps quite similar and loved doing so..it does open up a whole window of creativity.
Lovely recipe thanks~
These crisps are gorgeous! I’ve never seen the store-bought variety. I bet the variety of flavors and textures in these makes them truly unique.
I’ve paid the “you got to be some incredible cracker for this price” at Whole Foods. They WERE; however, the reality of paying more per pound than most indulgences I purchase has made me less inclined to toss them into our grocery cart. I saw DWJ’s post on these a while ago, but your photos give me hope that the process IS worth the result. Your version looks awesome! Great mandolin tip, i was wondering how you sliced through those seeds and nuts as I read…. and then you gave the crucial know how. Brilliant.. the evenly sliced perfectly toasted crisps are gorgeous.
I’ve wanted to make these for a while now, but I was certain that I wouldn’t be able to slice them. It was a nice surprise to learn that it wasn’t so hard. Of course I did use this recipe as an excuse to go out and buy my first good bread knife. But I needed to do that anyway 😉
I was reading flatbread and cracker recipes last night in an effort to make something that wasn’t cookies! This is genius and $8 boxes of crackers aren’t ever happening here:) But these could be! I have always wondered how crackers like this are made…the double baking. Bake as loaf, slice, bake. I have always just rolled out dough, sliced with pizza cutter and baked the squares. Huge lightbulb here. Thank you Sue!
I’m embarrassed to say we’ve bought a few boxes of the expensive crackers, but they served their purpose for ‘inspiration and research’!
They look incredible, I would love them toasted with butter. The hazelnuts are calling out to me.
I did that this morning, popped one of the thicker slices into the toaster for just a little bit and buttered it up. Yum.
You have reminded me how delicious these crisps are, Sue. I would love the addition of dried figs and hazelnuts. They are so good with a little piece of cheese on top.
It’s nice because the cracker is crisp and the fig is chewy. I think I may make these for next year’s holiday gifts, and I have lots of lead time to figure out fun variations!