These Homemade Gourmet Crackers are a revelation. A copycat of the gourmet fruit and nut crackers sold at the stores to serve with cheese that I love but are pricey! These are simple to make, keeps for weeks, cost 80% less than store bought and taste so much better, you’ll be amazed (I was!).
Spectacular with cheeses and spreads, and for gifting!
Stop press!!! Big news – DOZER HAS A BUTTON!!
↑↑↑ For all Dozer lovers out there who just want to skip straight to Dozer and see what cheeky antics he’s up to today, just click on the Dozer button and it will take you straight down to him, then you can come back and read the post!!!
Oh – there is a button to jump to the Recipe too, which I’ve had for a while now, and I also added a button to jump straight down to the Video.
A button for everyone – whatever you’re after! Dozer, recipe video or just the recipe!
OK, enough about the Dozer button. Onto today’s recipe – Homemade Gourmet Crackers!! I am super excited about this one because I’ve had some great feedback from my official taste testing team (aka my mother’s golf friends who descend upon the beach shack for a post-golf lunch and provide very constructive feedback on my recipes).
These crackers are so great, I really wish I had a fantastic story to go with them. But actually, I don’t. Quite simply, gourmet crackers are all the rage nowadays but I just can’t bring myself to pay the rather obscene prices for them. Fellow Aussies may have noticed a certain brand of gourmet crackers prominently placed near the cheese and spreads section of supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles. Crackers that look just like these homemade ones – except they are round – and they cost $6 for 15 pieces. $6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been known to drop a small fortune on designer shoes a handful of times in my life. However, I cannot bring myself to pay $6 for one packet of gourmet crackers, especially when 1 packet would never suffice for my gatherings, I’d have to get 3 or 4. Can you imagine paying $24 just for the crackers for a cheese board??
Oh wait, I just realised I totally lied. I did buy one packet – for taste testing purposes, to copy them. 😉 I’d been eyeing them off for months, wanting to do a huge cheese board with these gourmet crackers. Then finally the penny dropped – get a packet and copy them.
So that’s what I did.
These are very simple to make. It’s just like mixing up a muffin batter, except it’s baked in a loaf tin. Freeze (to make it super easy to slice thinly), slice, then bake again. It’s like making biscotti (ooooh, haven’t done that yet!!). It’s highly customisable, and brilliant for making ahead because the baked crackers stay crisp for at least 1 month OR you can keep the loaf in the freezer for weeks and weeks, then bake when you want them.
My taste testers agreed 100% that there is no contest when comparing these Homemade Gourmet Crackers to the store bought ones. With homemade, you can actually truly taste the ingredients – the spices, the cranberries, the sunflower seeds. The store bought one has far less flavour. When you taste them one after the other, which we all did, the difference is so “in your face”, it’s quite extraordinary.
If you’re planning a cheeseboard these upcoming holidays, I truly hope you consider these. Your family and friends will be blown away. They really are so simple, customisable, and make ahead – my taste testers were eating crackers I’d made 4 weeks earlier!
Oh – and they cost about 20% of the gourmet crackers that I copied. 🙂 I have a little gathering with friends this weekend, and I’m wondering how many times I will point to the crackers on the cheese board and proudly say “I made those”. I’ll ask my friends to keep count! – Nagi x
More cookie / cracker copycats
Other recipes I’ve created in the past for the same reason as these Byron Bay cookie copycat recipe (ie because I love ’em but they’re expensive!)
Byron Bay Cookies Copycat White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – big, thick, buttery cookies loaded with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Crisp with a tender melt-in-your-mouth texture, just like Byron Bay Cookies!
Muesli Cookies (Breakfast Cookies / Granola Cookies) – copycat of the thick, chunky, chewy muesli cookies sold in cafes across Australia. A healthy breakfast option because it’s like a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form – refined sugar free, low fat, gluten free, keeps you full for ages but it tastes like a sweet cookie!
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Homemade Gourmet Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 250 ml milk (any fat % cow’s milk)
- ¼ cup / 50g brown sugar , packed
- ¼ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt (I used Greek)
- ½ cup / 75g plain flour (all purpose)
- ½ cup / 75g whole wheat / wholemeal flour
- ½ cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit of choice)
- 1 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (or 3 tsp baking powder)
- ½ cup rolled oats (or 1/3 cup more nuts of choice)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds (or other seeds or nuts of choice)
Spices:
- ½ tsp ground turmeric (can omit)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg (or All Spice or 1/8 tsp cloves)
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary (or ½ tsp more thyme)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Grease and line a small loaf tin with baking paper (mine is 21 x 11 x 7 cm / 8.5 x 4.5 x 3”) (Note 1).
- Whisk the milk, sugar and yoghurt in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add plain flour, wholemeal flour and cranberries. Stir – use fingers to break up cranberries if required.
- Add remaining ingredients, including Spices, plus the milk mixture. It should be a thick batter, like muffin batter (note: batter in video looks slightly thicker because it was standing for a couple of minutes, doesn’t affect outcome).
- Scrape/pour into tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool on rack, then wrap in cling wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours, up to 3 months. (Note 2)
- Unwrap loaf and allow to thaw partially so the outside is not rock hard frozen (around 20 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 120C/250F (all oven types). Place one shelf in the middle, and another shelf beneath it.
- Use a serrated bread knife to slice thinly – around 2 mm / 1/12” thick (see video). Place biscuits on 2 large baking trays, you can squeeze them in as they won’t expand or stick.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until they are a light brown, swapping trays halfway.
- Leave biscuits on tray to cool – they will harden so they snap when you break them. (Note 3)
- Store in an airtight container for 4 weeks (probably ok for longer, I’ve only done 4 weeks). Brilliant served with creamy cheeses like brie, camembert, but soft, creamy blue cheeses is the ultimate pairing!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Hi Nagi, I’m going to make these and make different varieties. If I make some with dried apricots and figs etc, do I need to chop them up first in pieces?
Hi Dora, yes I would chop first so they are evenly distributed throughout 🙂 N x
I made these today. Wow! they are amazing. Can’t stop eating these with cheese and quince paste or anything really! Will definitely make more. Thanks Nagi!,
Next day despite putting them in airtight container went all soggy and tough what can I do as they were lovely and crisp when I made them
Hi Abigail, they should stay crisp – did you put them in the container when they were completely cool? You can crisp them back up by popping them back in the oven for 10 minutes or so 🙂 N x
This recipe looks great! What type of rolled oats did you use? Old fashioned? Quick One Minute Oats? I would think either would work, but I’m curious what you used.
Hi Jane, I just used rolled oats here 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! Eager to try these but will have to do at my folks’ place as my tiny freezer is chockers.
If I was to try and make these sugar free, would I need to substitute anything in place? If it was just a Tbsp I wouldn’t worry but will the batter be affected too much missing the 1/4 of a cup?
Hi Sandy, yes it will change the batter – I haven’t tried with any subs though sorry! N x
I’m coming this right now and it smells amazing. Early taste tests at the pre slice and bake has earned a two thumbs up. I agree with you – these are much better than the shop bought ones and very economical. Looking forward to exploring more of your recipes – thank you 😊
Thanks Nagi for sharing a wonderful and delicious recipe!! They turned crispy.. perfect go to snacks!!
Hi Nagi, this is a great recipe and is always popular! I like to put my own twist with Australian grown almonds, raisins and flaxseed.
Yum! There are so many options here! N x
These are so delicious! I left out the yoghurt (didn’t have any) and just used all purpose flour but they still came out great. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s great to know Haylee! N x
Hi Nagi, I Substituted the cranberries with dates, as I’m not allowed to eat cranberries. They turned excellent. Love the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
They are so versatile you can use anything you like here – I’m so glad you enjoyed them Leeann! N x
Hi Nagi!
I’m going to try baking this on the weekend- but with the flour shortage still going on do you think plain flour alone would be okay if I can’t find wholemeal flour?
Hi Michelle, yes that should be fine 🙂 N x
Nagi, these are great! Thank you so much. I used small mason jars for the first bake, and they came out really well.
I’m so glad you love them Raven, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
So many of my friends are gluten free… any ideas to make these gluten free (and still taste amazing?)
Hi M, sorry I haven’t tried to be honest!! N x
Hi Nagi, thanks for uploading your recipe! I am new to baking and this maybe a silly thing to be confused about but when I put in 1/2 cup plain flour, it only weighed about 45 grams (as opposed to the 75g listed above). In cases such as this, should I stick to the 75g and pack the flour in the measuring cup so that 1/2 cup weighs 75g?
Hi Cece, always go off weight if unsure as that’s a constant measure no matter where you’re located. I use a 250ml cup so half a cup of flour weighs 75g here. N x
Thanks so much! I made this for my family and friends and they all love it – even my 2 year old!
Hi Nagi, this recipe is awesome!! The crackers look just like the bought ones & taste incredible! Thank-you so much for sharing 😁🙏
You’re so welcome Bronnie!! N x
Thank you, will try them
I think I have about 16 mini loaves in my freezer right now! I ended up trying all different variations, the favourite’s have been fig and almond, chocolate and orange, baklava, and sticky date pudding! Excellent recipe and i’ve found that keep so well. I use a deli meat slicer to cut the loaves while still partially frozen and it has been a life saver! Thanks for the recipe Nagi, highly recommend for anyone to try especially during isolation
You mention in your post about having different recipe combinations for these moriesh crackers and I wondered if you could let me know where you found the recipes or if these are your own creation?
Love these crackers but find they take much longer than 50 minutes in the oven to become crisp.
Hi Anne, you may be cutting them a little thicker and hence they take slightly longer – N x
I keep making these! Awesome idea, they keep really well, so many combinations you can make too! My first batch failed a bit as I didn’t get the initial bake thorough enough, still slightly doughy in the middle so when I sliced and baked them they were a bit chewy, still tasted great but the whole batch went a bit stale because of the moisture, not had a bad batch since! I make sure that loaf is thoroughly cooked then make sure they’re crisp when they come out of the second bake. A dollop of triple cream brie on top can’t beat them!
Hello Nagi!… love that I have found you .. one good positive coming out of isolation 😊😊
I’m so glad you found me and are enjoying the recipes Christine! N x
Oh my word! These are soooo delicious. I can’t believe I actually made these, they taste exactly like the expensive ones and there are so many different fruit/nut combinations. What a cracker of a recipe. Thanks again Nagi.
YES!!! How great are they Sherry – and you can customise them to suit!! N x
Made these, as I’ve been daydreaming about those crackers that are too expensive to buy, but taste so nice! Tasted and looked awesome, but in the freezing process, the baking soda seems to have reacted with something, and I have green flecks in my crackers! Oh well, just means that I have to eat the whole batch 😮 Will be trying again, but maybe with different dried fruit! (Was it the cranberries?)
Hi Sarah, sometimes that can happen with sunflower seeds but don’t fret, it’s perfectly safe to eat!! N x
Forgot to rate😁i give it 7 ⭐️ 👍
Thanks so much Maya!!