Raisin Rosemary Crisps
Trader Joe’s holds the key to my (foodie) heart. It started with all their goodies to make an Trader Joe’s charcuterie board {under $30}. Part of that was trying (and loving) the Trader Joe’s crackers, specifically the raisin & rosemary crisps!
It wasn’t long before I discovered their low fat honey almond granola. Then I stumbled onto their inexpensive wines and fun beers. Put their hummus and flower sections in there, and you can see my lack of self-control once I walk through their front doors.
CONTENTS
raisin & rosemary crisps
These little crackers are delightful on their own, but with a soft cheese or hummus, they’re heavenly and quite addictive!
The only thing to prevent me from eating the whole box is that my husband and my sister enjoy them as much as I do. I suppose that’s a good thing, but my hoarding instincts always start to kick in when I have to share that box.
So it’s probably a good thing that I figured out how to make these healthy crackers at home!
Trader Joe’s Crackers
I don’t usually test recipes too many times, but this one required a couple of tries to get the crackers salty and crispy enough. The first time, the middle came out doughy; the bread was too sweet; and they weren’t crispy, more chewy. More cooking time, different pans, and a slight change to the sweet and savory flavors and I had it! One thing to point out is that the crackers should be fairly evenly sliced. Otherwise some parts crisp up a little too much in the oven. Otherwise, however, this homemade cracker recipe is pretty straightforward.
The almonds and seeds are my own addition, but I think the combination is just right and it looks so nice.
These raisin & rosemary crisps are divine with the roasted cauliflower + white bean hummus. And I can picture them perfectly with this roasted red pepper hummus.
And don’t you think these would be a fun homemade gift? That is if I don’t eat them all first!
Trader Joe’s had a few flavors of crackers, so I might need to try to recreate another one at some point. I love the idea of crackers with dried figs, but I hate olives. Maybe I can substitute a different flavor in there!
I also love that making these crackers at home cuts down on the waste of buying them in store too – all part of trying to live more sustainably!
Try These Other Homemade Trader Joe’s Recipes
Omega-3 Trail Mix
Cornbread Crackers
Everything But the Bagel Seasoning Mix
RAISIN & ROSEMARY CRISPS
Ingredients
- ½ cup raisins or currants
- ½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup whole almonds
- ½ cup each white and whole wheat flour
- 1½ tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
- extra salt for top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray one large bread loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine raisins, seeds, and almonds in a small bowl. Stir to combine – seeds and nuts will coat fruit and decrease stickiness.
- In a large bowl, combine flours, rosemary, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, and syrup. Mix in fruit, nuts, and seeds. Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle top with salt.
- Bake 35 minutes until top is firm.
- Let bread come to room temperature. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Place in freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight. The cold bread helps with thinner slicing.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Remove bread from freezer. Let sit 10 minutes to thaw slightly.
- With a serrated knife, cut ⅛-inch slices. Slices should be as uniform as possible. Place slices cut side down on an ungreased pan.
- Bake 8-10 minutes until crackers are a deep golden brown and corners start to crisp. Let cool before breaking in half.
- Crackers can be stored up to 5 days in airtight container or bag.
Delicious!
Easy to make and definitely delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I used a mandoline to slice the cake into thin strips, it worked like a charm. And yes, I still have my fingers…
So glad you liked them. Great idea with the mandolin! I’m still too nervous for my fingers…
Made this amazing recipe today, and it is one of my favorite seasonal treats! Switched it up a little. For the nuts I used sunflower seeds, pistachios, millet, brown flax seed. For the fruit I used golden raisins, dried chopped apricots, and orange peel. I sprinkled the loaf with sugar crystals before baking. Makes a fabulous sweet and somewhat savory treat.
Baked the slices directly on a cooling rack and it turned out perfect!
All your ingredient swaps sound yummy! And now I need to try baking them on a rack. I’m guessing they cook and crips evenly??
Could a dehydrator be used in place of baking them the second time..
Hi Bonnie! You know, I don’t have a dehydrator, so haven’t tried this technique. It looks from a bit of online searching it would be possible. I wish I could be of more help. Please let me know if you try it and how it works, however!
Another reader recently wrote to me that she took dried out banana bread and made crackers using this recipe’s slicing and drying technique. It’d be wonderful to know if a dehydrator would also work in that scenario (especially in the hot months)!
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe! I love the TJ’s crisps and I can’t wait to bake my own. Do you have any experience (or thoughts) on making a vegan version? I’d like to avoid the buttermilk and was wondering if you knew of any alternatives that would work especially well.
Thanks!!
Hi Maria! I don’t know of a good vegan substitute for buttermilk, but I just asked a vegan baking blogger friend and will let you know what I hear back! -Luci
Google buttermilk substitute. I think you can use any alternative milk and add ACV or lemon juice. Whatever you have on hand. But for measurement equations I’d Google it.
Hi again! She got back to me quickly. Here’s what she says, “…for every cup of plant milk, add 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Or 1/3 cup plant milk to one teaspoon.” Her website is Devil Wears Parsley. She’s a great source for vegan alternatives (and a sweet human)!! Let me know how the vegan crisps turn out!!
Hi! Would this recipe work with gluten free flour? Or simply just using all almond flour?
Hi Kellie! I haven’t tried either flour in this recipe, but the cup-4-cup or 1-to-1 flour blends (or the like) should be fine replacements here. The almond flour would work, I think, but I’m guessing the baking times will be off. In my experience, almond flour dried out much faster. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you try it and how it goes!
Do you think I could use buckwheat or almond flour instead of wheat?
I think you absolutely could. I think the almond flour would be a more similar substitute, but if you’re used to swapping wheat flour for buckwheat flour, then it’s worth a shot!
Love the flavor! But my crackers are not crispy, they are too soft. Any idea how I can make it crispy?
Hi Cindy! Usually the crispiness relates to how thinly they were sliced. It can be tricky to get them so thin, I know. Otherwise, you can trying baking them for a longer time, but you’ll want to watch out for any edges burning. I hope this helps!
I haven’t tried making these yet because it is currently 117 where I live and I would faint from the hot oven and the smell I know will be intoxicating!!! I’m totally obsessed with Trader Joe’s and this whole line of cracker crisps; they’ve been cheese plate musts of mine for years! I want to try making then GF and will experiment with the TJ’s cup for cup all purpose flour and some mixes of GF flours from my pantry and then report back because I NEED to try these! So excited!! Umm is it fall yet???! At only 5 days into summer it is truly not!
I TOTALLY understand, Rachel. My baking comes largely to a halt in the summer! I’m guessing the TJs Cup for Cup will be a good replacement in this – we’ve used it for my husband in other recipes. You aren’t trying to get much rise, so it should be ok! Let me know when you do get to try them. I hope you love them!
Hi, Rachel: I just saw that Ur planning to try a gf version, and hope to learn how it goes, and what modifications to the recipe yield the right results for you. 🙂 They look so wonderful–i can almost smell them!
I made these yesterday and we loved them. I plan on making them again for a tea party. Will make a second loaf with cranberries and pecans and purple chive flowers…so will have both. Thank you.
Whoa!! What a fancy take on them. I’ve never cooked with chive flowers. Please let me know how it tastes. I just planted chives in my garden yesterday, so this will hopefully become something I can do too!!
can it be baked using 8 x 8 cake pan instead of loaf pan ?Thank you for sharing recipe.
Hi Parul! *Technically* you could bake it in a square pan, but the baking time is going to be completely different and I don’t know what it would be. You could experiment and keep an eye on it, waiting for it to be done and firm on top. After baking and cooling, you might cut it in half before freezing. From there you can follow the directions as they are written here. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your prompt response
I increased the temperature by 25 degrees and baked it for 18 to 20 minutes
What easy modifications! I’m so happy they turned out well and thank you SO much for sharing how you did it!
Hi!
Are you using sliced almonds or whole? Looking forward to trying this!!
Thank you!!
Hi there! I use whole almonds. They slice easily enough after they’ve baked (and using the serrated knife).
Hi Luci!!
Right on, thank you for the quick reply! I’ll report back after I make this, looks so good 😀
Hi
Thank you for your prompt reply. I will try this recipe again paying attention to what you suggested. My husband loves them and that’s why made them, so it’s ok.
God bless
Please let me know how it goes! I’ve loved these crackers when I’ve made them in years past, so I want to make sure the recipe is just right.
I will certainly do.
God bless!
I’ve had this pin for a long time and finally tried it today. For some reason the baking soda favor overpowers the other flavors? What can be the problem?I’m a100% sure I use the right amount. Then, too many raisins for my taste but not for my hubby 😊
Hi Mari! Ahh, I’m so sorry to hear they didn’t taste right. The 1 teaspoon measurement should be right. I googled a bit about baking soda flavor coming across too strong. The acid in the buttermilk should have countered the flavor. Was the flavor even throughout the recipe? Another site suggested it not getting mixed in enough. Other than that, I’m at a loss. As for the raisins… I’ve learned raisins aren’t everyone’s favorite and I really love them. I think you could easily do fewer raisins, you’ll just want to watch the bake time the last 5 or so minutes of baking it into the loaf. And then a few extra on the side for your hubby! 🙂
Hi, Mari; this may not be the problem u r having, but i will throw it out there on the offchance that it may help:
Years ago I had a similar problem; I ran it by my mother. It turns out that the tablespoon I was using to measure certain ingredients was not an actual 15 mL tablespoon (it was considerably larger); right up to that point, i had no idea that tablespoons for dining were not also standardized for measurement. Sure enough, upon switching to standardized measuring spoons, the problem was illuminated.
May your baking soda flavour issue be as easily resolved!
Fascinating, Daphné. I’ve heard about the differences in measurement sizes, but I really didn’t know the difference! This is why everything takes a village! Thank you so much for sharing.
Luci