If you’re looking for a cracker that oozes Christmas spirit, well, my Christmas Spiced Crackers are exactly what you’ve been waiting for! They’re jam-packed with flavours and aromas that will help you ring in the festive season! My Christmas Spiced Crackers are easy to bake, exceptional with holiday cheeses, pair beautifully with a variety of festive wines and can last throughout the festive season.
The recipe for my Christmas Spiced Crackers was inspired by a the famous Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps that are well known in the US and Canada, but I can’t seem to buy them at an affordable price in the UK. After several attempts, I finally perfected my own Christmas version of these crackers, and I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy them.
Prepping the Ingredients
This recipe is so easy! Basically, it involves mixing all the ingredients together in a big bowl and then baking, freezing and slicing the loaves and then baking the cracker slices so they come out warm and toasty. However, before mixing all the ingredients together, I highly recommend chopping everything first. It’s a great way to get quickly organised so that you’re ready to quickly add the ingredients.
When creating this recipe, I realised that there could be so many different variations. You could make it your own by adding your favourite dried fruits, nuts and spices. If you decide to deviate from my version, then I highly recommend keeping the ingredient measurements the same.
Baking the Loaves
Once you’ve mixed everything in a bowl, distribute the batter evenly between 4 mini loaf pans (15.6 x 8.6 x 4.2 cm / 6 1/8 x 3 3/8 x 1 5/8 in) that are well greased. Bake them in the oven at 180°C for 35-40 minutes until a knife comes out clean when inserted and allow them to cool down for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, remove the loaves from the pans and place them in the freezer for about an hour. As it’s tricky to thinly slice bread, placing the loaves in the freezer enables them to firm up and become easier to thinly slice. Basically, they cooperate better! Additionally, it’s important that the loaves have cooled down before being placed in the freezer, otherwise they will increase the freezer’s internal temperature, which could be disastrous!!
Slicing and Baking the Crackers
Once the loaves have been in the freezer for about an hour, set the oven to 170°C. Remove the loaves, one loaf at a time from the freezer and slice them into 1/2cm wide slices. Removing the loaves one at a time enables the other loaves to still be firm when you are ready to slice them.
Once the loaves are sliced, arrange the individual slices on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Place the slices in the oven for about 15 minutes on one side and then bake for a further 10 minutes on the other side. You probably want to carefully monitor the slices, as the slices might cook faster or slower.
Once the slices are subtly brown and crisp to the touch, remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack.
Serving
- My Christmas Spiced Crackers are delicious with a variety of festive cheeses such as Stilton, Beauvale, Gorgonzola Dolce, Brie, Baron Bigod, Camembert etc…the list goes on and on! Feel free to add toppings such as an indulgent fig spread to top off your cheese.
Wine Pairing
- Serve my Christmas Spiced Crackers topped with your favourite cheese and a glass of you favourite off-dry to sweet festive wine. I chose to pair my crackers and cheese with a medium-dry Australian Sparkling Shiraz. The subtle sweetness from the dried fruits and Christmas spices are well balanced with the Shiraz’s residual sugar and festive fruity notes. Additionally, you can’t say no to a glass of red bubbly to celebrate the season.
Storage
Feel free to store the crackers in an air-tight container. If they become a little less crispy due to moisture in the air, bake them in an oven set at 170°C for 5 minutes. These crackers will save for 1-2 weeks and can even be frozen.
Christmas Spiced Crackers
Equipment
- 4 x Mini loaf pans (15.6 x 8.6 x 4.2 cm / 6 1/8 x 3 3/8 x 1 5/8 in)
Ingredients
Christmas Spiced Cracker Ingredients
- 240 grams plain flour
- 60 grams packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 480 ml buttermilk
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp black treacle / molasses
- 65 grams roughly chopped dried cranberries
- 65 grams roughly chopped dried apples
- 65 grams chopped pecans
- 65 grams chopped walnuts
- 35 grams sesame seeds
- 35 grams golden flax seeds
- 65 grams pumpkin seeds (the small green ones)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- dash ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
Instructions
Christmas Spiced Crackers
- Begin by setting the oven to 180°C.
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the buttermilk, honey and black treacle and combine thoroughly.
- Mix the dried fruit, seeds, spices and orange zest together in another mixing bowl and then once mixed, add them to the flour and buttermilk mixture.
- Finally, thoroughly combine all the ingredients together and pour the batter evenly among 4 greased 6inch mini loaf tins
Baking
- Place the 4 mini loaf tins on a rack that is centred in the heated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180°C.
- Allow the loaves to cool for 30 minutes.
Freezing the Loaves
- Place the loaves in the freezer once cooled for an hour.
Slicing the Loaves
- Thinly slice the loaves into 1/2cm slices using a bread knife.
- Place the slices on a lined baking tray.
Baking the Slices
- Set the oven to 170°C and bake the slices for 15 minutes on one side and 10 minutes on the other. Monitor the slices so they don't burn.
- The slices are fully baked when each side is subtly brown and crispy to the touch.
Serving
- Serve with cheeses such as Stilton, Beauvale, Shropshire Blue, Brie or Baron Bigod.
Wine Pairing
- Enjoy with an off-dry wine such as a Sparkling Shiraz, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Ruby Port, Ice Wine or Demi-sec champagne.