Homemade Gourmet Crackers are going to change the way you think about buying expensive little packets of gourmet crackers for your cheese board. Easy, economical and loaded with flavour you can bake them ahead, or freeze the loaf and slice to bake for the holidays.
Who doesn’t want a tasty little fruit and nut cracker loaded with nuts, spices and dried fruit to add to your entertaining platter. Perfect for smearing a ripe runny brie or creamy blue cheese on. The dates, pecans and cranberries, along with the spices deliver big time on flavour. Win, win!
Easy to make
The recipe for crackers is very easy to make. You mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients and then mix the two together and bake. The trick to getting your crackers thin is to chill the loaf, preferably overnight before slicing and baking the crackers to crisp them up.
So the mixture has two bakes. The first is to cook the loaf and the second is to slice and bake the crackers till they’re crisp. Too easy!
Mix up the flavours
You can customise the cracker flavours to suit what you have on hand. As long as you keep the fruit and nut ingredients to three cups you can switch up the flavours. Think dried apricots, dried figs, prunes, sultanas, raisins, dried apple, dried cherries, or dried blueberries will all work.
Switch up the pecans for walnuts, pistachio, cashews or hazelnuts for your own gourmet crackers.
Freezing homemade gourmet crackers
We love making and freezing ahead of time for the holidays in particular and this loaf can easily be frozen and baked when needed. We’ve made these crackers ahead of time and pulled the loaf from the freezer before baking many times.
The whole point of chilling the loaf is to make the loaf easier to slice. Simply take the loaf from the freezer and allow it to thaw. Once thawed sliced the loaf and place slices on baking sheets to bake and crisp up. Easy!
Make your own buttermilk
Making your own buttermilk is easy. You can whip some up in just 5 minutes by adding some fresh lemon juice, or white vinegar to milk. Measure the 2 cups of milk into a jug and add 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar and give it a stir. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes and you’ll notice little curdled bits that you won’t detect in your recipe.
It won’t have the thickness of store bought buttermilk but it does the job of reacting with the baking powder and bi-carb soda (baking soda) which causes the loaf to rise. Use away!
It also makes a perfect substitute when you want to whip up a batch of pancakes.
How to serve homemade gourmet crackers
Homemade gourmet crackers go so well on platters with different cheeses, some quince or pear paste and some grapes, or apple and pear slices to really get your party going.
Perfect for gifting
Making up bags of homemade gourmet crackers makes for a perfect holiday gift for your guests. Grab some cellophane bags and some pretty ribbon and bag up the crackers.
Scroll to the bottom for the Delicious Homemade Gourmet Crackers recipe
Check out some more winning savoury nibbles
click on the link for the recipe…..Homemade Granola Bars
click on the link for the recipe…..Parmesan Crisps
click on the link for the recipe…..Anchovy Cheese and Pine Nut Biscuits
click on the link for the recipe…..Easy Parmesan and Rosemary Shortbread
What’s your favourite homemade crackers to serve with your cheese board?
We would love to hear from you in the comments below when you make these Delicious Homemade Gourmet Crackers.
Homemade Gourmet Crackers
These crisp little fruit and nut crackers are super easy, economical and delicious. The baked loaf freezes well for make ahead entertaining. Bake the loaf and freeze it then remove from the freezer, thaw and slice before baking again. Too easy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda (baking soda)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk - see notes above to make homemade buttermilk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 cup loosely packed chopped dates
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts
Instructions
first bake
- preheat oven to 180c (350f)
- lightly grease a 2 litre (8 cup) loaf tin or terrine
- stir the flours, brown sugar, cardamon, pepper, baking powder, bi-carb soda (baking soda) and salt in a large bowl
- in a separate bowl whisk the buttermilk, orange zest, honey and molasses together
- add buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk till blended
- stir in the dates, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and pecans
- pour into prepared tin and spread to level
- bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes away clean
- cool the loaf in the tin for 30 minutes
- run a knife around the inside of the tin, then turn out to a cooling rack to cool completely
- wrap loaf in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator (it's best to make this a day ahead before slicing as a chilled loaf slices more easily)
second bake
- preheat oven to 150c (300f) and line two baking sheets with baking (parchment) paper
- use a serrated knife and slice the chilled loaf as thin as possible
- place the slices onto the baking sheet - they can be quite close together
- bake for 20 minutes then remove trays and turn crackers over
- bake for a further 20 minutes until browned and crisp
- let crackers cool on the tray
tip - if the crackers still feel soft after cooling, return to the oven for a few more minutes
Notes
- store crackers in an airtight container for up to a month
- if crackers go soft reheat on a tray in a preheated oven for 5-10 minutes
- unsliced loaf can be frozen and thawed before baking for the second bake
Nutrition Information
Yield
48Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 66Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 1mgSodium 70mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 2g
Nutritional information provided here is only intended as a guide.
