Pumpkin Spice Crackers
Since the summer I’ve cut back substantially from indulging in bread and carbs as well as sweets. For the most part I’m eating whole foods – lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, whole grains and nuts. I’m not exactly sure how or why the transformation happened, maybe from all the biking I was doing, but I feel great, and as an added bonus, I’ve lost quite a bit of weight.
That said, every time I walk into Whole Foods they always have samples of Lesley Stowe’s Raincoast Crisps that I can’t resist. If you’re not familiar with these, they’re tiny ultra thin crackers filled with nuts, dried fruit and oftentimes herbs. I never feel the least bit guilty having 1 or 2 or even 3 crisps. They’re flavorful, crunchy and not at all filling. While shopping the other day I noticed they had a new holiday flavor – “Pumpkin Spice Crackers.” After sampling one, I decided to try and make some myself, it would be the perfect blog post, especially with the fall weather.
It didn’t take long to find a recipe online for Lesley Stowe’s Raincoast Crisps by another blogger, Julie of DinnerWithJulie. Her recipe is for Rosemary, Raisin, Pecan Crisps. However, I wanted to try and duplicate the Pumpkin Spice Crackers I tried at Whole Foods. So using the base of her recipe. plus spice ingredients listed on the Raincoast Crisps box, I recreated my own. To my surprise they taste identical to the store bought. I knew I had to share these with you.
These mini crisps are perfect as appetizer toasts, with cheese, spreads, dips or anything else you can think of to put on them. You might even want to package them up to give as a gift with some homemade jam or cheese.
If you’re a fan of Lesley Stowe’s crackers or ultra thin crackers you’re going to love these. Here’s my recipe, I hope you’ll try them…..
Pumpkin Spice Crisps
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup dried cranberries (Melissa's dried cranberries are plump and moist - need no hydrating)
- 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup flax seed, ground
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg or dried nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. Allspice
- 1/8 tsp. cloves
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray mini-loaf pans with non-stick coating and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the brown sugar, breaking up any big clumps. Pour buttermilk over flour mixture stirring with a spatula until combined and clear of any dry flour.
- Add cranberries (see Note), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds and spices to the batter. Stir blending evenly throughout the batter.
- Divide batter between coated mini-loaf pans, about 3/4 full - tap or smooth surface. Place baking sheet with loaf pans in preheated oven. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until tops spring back to the touch, are golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove cakes from pans and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
- Place in individual freezer bags or freezer container and set in freezer until frozen - several hours or over night. Loaves can be kept frozen for up to 3 months - if so wrap in foil before placing in a freezer bag or container.
- When ready to make the crisps, heat the oven to 300°F.
- Remove one loaf from the freezer and slice as thin as possible using a serrated knife, 1/8" thick. (I found it best to slice closest to the base of the knife, by the handle, for best leverage).
Lay slices in a single layer, not touching, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use as many loaves as desired or save some for another time. - Bake slices for 15 minutes. Flip, and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes. Crackers are done when deep in color (not burnt), feel dry to the touch, and are curled slightly at the edges. Crackers will crisp up as they cool.
- Remove from baking sheet to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Crackers will keep in an airtight for several weeks.
ENJOY!!!
Note: I use Melissa's Dried Cranberries which are very plump and moist. However, if using another brand and you find them to be hard and dry, simply place the cranberries in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to rest for 15 minutes to plump up. Drain before adding to batter.
Adapted from DinnerWithJulie - Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps