Rosemary, Raisin and Pecan Crisps

Rosemary, Raisin and Pecan Crisps

Rosemary-Crisps

I can’t believe I’m about to make these again. The recipe makes a two loaf pans’ worth and the entire batch is almost gone.

Bored with plain crackers and still hyperventilating from the sticker price on the artisanal crisps, I was thrilled to find a knock-off recipe in Julie Van Rosendaal’s book Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Food. I recently listed this book as one of my faves in the “People I Know and Like” category. Well, Julie, I no longer like you. I love you — dearly. And so do all my guests.

I made these crisps for a Christmas party and despite their rectangular shape (the popular but pricey artisanal version is round) no one realized they were homemade. When I pointed out that these fantastic crisps came from MY wonky little oven, people did a double take. Not sure if I’m insulted by their surprise– after all, I make my own ice cream and granola, so why do eyebrows raise when I whip up crisps — but these puppies disappeared very quickly.

I served them with a fig version of my Rosemary Spread for the party, but found myself munching them all on their own when no one was looking.

Batch number 2 goes in the oven today. I’ll have to lock them up if I want any left for company.

Anyone else addicted to this kind of snack? If so, what flavour combinations do you like best?

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Rosemary, Raisin & Pecan Crisps

Excerpted with permission from Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods by Julie Van Rosendaal. Published by Whitecap Books, 2009.

Makes about 8 dozen crisps (I used 9 X 5 loaf pans and it made about 6 dozen)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds, ground
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey, and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds (if using), sesame seeds, ground flax seeds, and rosemary and stir until just blended.
  3. Pour the batter into two 8- X 4-inch loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
  4. The cooler the bread the easier it is to slice really thinly. You can leave it until the next day or pop in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thinly as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet (I like to slide and bake one loaf and pop the other in the freezer for another day.) Reduce the oven heat to 300°F and bake them for 15 minutes, the flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. Try not to eat them all at once.

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19 Comments
  • jodi (bloomingwriter)
    Posted at 10:57h, 16 December

    Obviously Andrew and the cats ate all the first batch. They’re sneaky like that.

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 11:12h, 16 December

    Me! I’m addicted to this kind of snack! I live near Zabar’s and am frequently to be seen there, purchasing similar kinds of crisps – my favorite being the black olive and rosemary, and the “health” crisps made from grain bread.

    Frankly, I’ve never thought to make them myself … but, thanks to you, that’s about to change. I love the sound of this recipe, Charmain! Do you think I could swap 1/2 the flour for some whole wheat flour? I don’t see why not and will probably give that a try.

  • Andrew
    Posted at 11:19h, 16 December

    @jodi (bloomingwriter), They were delicious….I mean no we didn’t.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:31h, 16 December

    Dive, according to the Food Substitution Bible (my go-to book for this kind of thing) you can easily swap 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the all-purpose. However, since you are adding fibre to the recipe, you need to increase the liquid by 1 tbsp.

    I’m thinking my next version will be with figs and walnuts…

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:33h, 16 December

    Surprisingly, the cats are not interested in this kind of food, although they played with a lemon square as if it were some kind of strange smelling cat toy. So much for my clean carpet!

  • Cheryl@5secondrule
    Posted at 11:55h, 16 December

    Ooh, they look so easy to make, almost like biscotti, but easier. I love savory snacks like this. The buttermilk surprises me for some reason, but I’m printing this recipe out now because I actually have all the ingredients.

    AND they look healthy to boot.

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 11:57h, 16 December

    @Charmian Christie, thanks so much for checking, Charmian. I’ll make a notation on my print-out about the extra liquid.

    The fig & walnut combination sounds divine too. How great would those be with some creamy, soft cheese – like Chaource?!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:34h, 17 December

    Droooooolll.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:36h, 17 December

    Shhh. Don’t say the “healthy” word. No one will eat them.

    You’re right. This is similar to biscotti in that it’s baked twice, but it has no added fat and is much crisper. I love these and will be experimenting with the basic recipe. At $7/box for the artisanal version, I’m more than motivated.

    Let me know how they turn out!

  • Dana McCauley
    Posted at 12:34h, 17 December

    I don’t even want to read Julie’s recipe since if I do, I’ll just make them and then eat them and make them again! I have no self control any more. What happened to the model of restraint I used to be? Oh, yeah. I got married and lazy since I didn’t have to impress new boys anymore.

  • Kathryn
    Posted at 12:53h, 17 December

    I love this recipe (and Julie) too! When I first made them, I could not believe that I was capable of such a lovely creation. I made a few substitutions, but can only recall that I did not have any sesame seeds and I substituted cranberries for the raisins. Dates would go nicely too. I think that the fresh rosemary, or other herb, is a must, though.

    Santa delivered a brand new stove yesterday (YAY) and I am anticipating better results (the old one had a thermostat that changed temperature at will).

    The cats dislike anything that does not come from a container labelled ‘cat’, however, like your resident felines, see nothing wrong with tossing people food about the kitchen (particularly when the floor is clean and the food gooey).

  • Sophie
    Posted at 04:09h, 20 December

    Oooooh,…I like this recipe a lot!!

    A wonderful creation full of goodness!

    Thanks a lot, my dear friend!

  • Laura
    Posted at 19:01h, 20 December

    Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    I made some on the weekend and was very pleased with the results. Did you find they tasted better as a party dish fresh out of the oven?

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:42h, 21 December

    Glad you liked then Laura. I found I liked them better once they’d cooled so they were extra-crunchy and crackerlike (if that’s a word).

    My second batch is a few days old and tastes just as good as the day it was made.

    If you are concerned about freshness, you can bake the loaves and freeze them until you’re ready to bake the slices.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:43h, 21 December

    Dana, these have no added fat and are relatively healthy. Flax seed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds… and very little sugar. Go on. Make a batch. You know you want to! 😉

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:50h, 21 December

    Dried cranberries are a perfect seasonal substitution. I’ve got a few variations in mind for this versatile and easy recipe. Can’t imagine them without rosemary.

    We seem to be living parallel lives. My current stove is temperamental and the oven fluctuates wildly. I’m not betting on Santa bringing a new stove since he thought we needed a snow blower more. Oh well, there’s always my birthday in June!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:51h, 21 December

    “Full of goodness” is the perfect description. These are actually healthy, but taste like a decadent snack. How perfect is that!

  • auntie m
    Posted at 10:41h, 01 January

    Is this batter very thin? For a first attempt I cut the recipe in half and instead of 1 cup ap flour I subbed 1/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat and the rest (1/2 cup) ap flour. the batter was super runny.

    thanks for your help.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:14h, 01 January

    The batter should not be really thin and runny. Almond flour might affect the texture a bit, but not that much. It sounds like you halved the flour component, but used a full amount of the buttermilk. I’m only guessing, of course. I mention it since that’s the kind of mistake I’d make when adjusting recipes. Sorry you had issues.