September 7, 2009

Fig, Plum, and Almond Crisps


Ever had those Rainforest Crisps they sell at Whole Foods? I tried them once when they were giving out free samples, and oh were they good. I couldn't justify the $7.99 price tag though, so I resigned myself to never eating them again. Well, never say never, because I found this recipe at Seven Spoons and they ended up tasting just as good! I love how it's such a very versatile recipe, and you can easily adapt it to add whatever fruit/nut/spice combination you'd like.

I halved the recipe since I didn't have enough dried fruit on hand, but I recommend doubling the recipe to make two loaves, freeze them, and bake only the amount you'd want to eat. Maybe I didn't slice mine thinly enough, but they weren't as crisp the next day. A quick pop in the oven remedied that, but they lost their crispness soon after.

Fig, Plum, and Almond Crisps
adapted from Seven Spoons
makes 1 loaf


1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/8 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup honey
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried figs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried plums
1/8 cup sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease an 8"x4" pan.

Roast almonds and pepitas on a baking sheet, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes until fragrant but with no change in color. Remove from the sheet and let cool.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the buttermilk, brown sugar, and honey. Toss in the roasted nuts and the rest of the ingredients until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden and fluffy, about 45 minutes. The loaf should spring back immediately when touched. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Before re-baking, preheat the oven to 300ºF.

Slice the loaf only when it is completely cooled, or freeze it once it has cooled. Once frozen, slice the loaf as thinly as possible and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for an additional 10 minutes until crisp and deep golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

2 comments:

tara said...

Well done! They look delicious. The softness might have been due to the thickness, or that some moisture still remained in the crisp. Or, that there was a lot of humidity that day. Whatever the reason, I am so glad that the reicpe worked for you.

Christina said...

Thank you! I figure it might've been the thickness--I need to invest in a proper bread knife. Slicing the loaf up with a 4" paring knife was dicey at best.