Gourmet Fruit and Nut Crackers

These gourmet fruit and nut crackers are one of the most popular recipes in our Better Than Store-Bought series, and for good reason. They're packed with dried figs, apricots, pistachios and pumpkin seeds, but they bake up thin, crispy and crunchy, just like the fancy ones from the store that cost more per box than the cheese you put on them. Bake a quick bread, freeze it, slice it thin, then bake the slices again until crisp. Extra loaves keep in the freezer, so a fresh batch for the cheese board is never more than 30 minutes away!

Skip the $9 box. Make copycat Raincoast Crisps at home!

If you've ever picked up a box of those fancy fruit and nut crackers at the store (read: Raincoat Crisps), you're probably familiar with the high price tag. We love them, we just don't love paying for them. So we figured out how to make them at home, and this recipe makes about 50 crackers with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

The trick is a double bake, the same idea as biscotti. You bake a lightly sweetened quick bread full of fruit, nuts, seeds and herbs, freeze it, slice it thin, then bake the slices again until they're dry and crunchy. That second bake is what keeps them crispy even with all that fruit inside.

This recipe has been on our site since 2024 and even made it into our debut cookbook! These are the perfect sweet-savory cracker for a cheese board, alongside brie, goat cheese, blue cheese or a sharp aged cheddar.

We put them out with our sweet & savory rosemary roasted nuts and Christmas tree cheese ball every December, and they also make a lovely edible holiday gift.

xoxo, Lexi & Beth

Key Ingredients Needed for Fruit and Nut Crackers

• Dried fruit: We used figs and apricots. Any combination works (dates, raisins, cranberries, cherries, prunes), just keep the total at ¾ cup and chop everything small, about the size of a raisin. Big chunks tear when you slice the frozen loaf.
• Nuts or seeds: We like pistachios and pumpkin seeds in ours. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds and flax all work, ¾ cup total, chopped finely like the fruit. Use unsalted nuts. For a nut-free version, use all seeds instead!
• Kosher salt: 1 ½ teaspoons of Diamond Crystal (our preferred salt). This matters: Diamond Crystal is about half as salty by volume as Morton kosher or table salt. If you're using Morton, use 1 teaspoon; for fine table salt, use ¾ teaspoon.
• All-purpose and whole wheat flour: A 50/50 mix. The whole wheat gives the crackers their deeper color and flavor. 100% all-purpose works if that's what you have.
• Honey: Maple syrup or agave work in the same amount. Readers who swapped in agave found the crackers took a few extra minutes to crisp.
• Milk: Any kind. We use oat milk to keep them dairy free for my mom!
• Fresh rosemary and thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, citrus zest: Warm spices plus a little pepper keep these from tipping into dessert territory. For a more savory cracker to go with sharp cheese, cut the cinnamon in half and add an extra teaspoon of rosemary.

How to Make Fruit and Nut Crackers

Note: This recipe uses two different oven temperatures: 350°F for the loaves and 300°F for the crackers. That's not a typo!

Mix the batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two mini loaf pans (about 5 ½ x 3 ¼ inches) with parchment. To a large bowl, add both flours, baking soda, salt, herbs, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, zest, chopped fruit and chopped nuts and stir until the fruit is coated in flour.

Stir in the milk and honey until no streaks of honey remain. The batter will be looser than muffin batter, loose enough to settle flat in the pan.

Bake the loaves

Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let the loaves cool completely in the pans.

Freeze the loaves

Wrap each cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight. This is what makes thin slices possible, so don't skip it. The loaves keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Slice and bake again

Let the frozen loaf sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, and lower the oven to 300°F. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut slices about ⅛ inch thick and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If ⅛ inch keeps crumbling, go to ¼ inch and add a few minutes to the bake (more on this below).

Bake for 12 minutes, flip each slice, and bake another 12 minutes. They should be golden brown and feel dry to the touch, but may still look a little soft where the fruit is. Don't worry, they crisp up as they cool. If they're not golden yet, flip again and give them another 3 to 8 minutes; ovens vary and several readers needed the extra time. Cool on the pan.

Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!

• Test a few slices first. Before you slice the whole loaf, cut three or four, bake them, and see how the thickness works in your oven. A reader's tip, and a very helpful one! Every oven is different.
• Pan options: We use two of these mini loaf pans, about 5 ½ x 3 ¼ inches. One standard 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan works with about the same bake time – the crackers will just be longer and flatter. Readers have also used four 2 ½ x 4 inch mini pans, a small Pullman pan (great for even slices) and a bundt pan. An 8x8 pan will not work, the loaf is too wide to slice.
• Gluten free: We haven't tested it, but several readers have by using 1:1 gluten free flour. Slice the GF loaf at ¼ inch rather than ⅛.
• Make the loaves ahead. Bake a double batch, wrap the cooled loaves tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. One reader made 90 crackers for her Christmas cheese board and didn't have a single one left!
• Doneness on the second bake: Golden brown, like the rye chips in a bag of Chex mix, and dry to the touch. They will harden more as they cool.

What's the best way to store fruit and nut crackers?

Storage: Keep the baked crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Because of the dried fruit they soften a little as they sit. If that happens, spread them on a baking sheet and pop them into a 300°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp back up. Crackers made with cranberries or raisins stay crisp longer than ones made with figs or apricots.

Freezer storage: Freeze the unsliced, cooled loaves, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months. When you want crackers, let a loaf sit out for 10 to 15 minutes, slice and bake at 300°F as directed. We keep two or three in the freezer from November through New Year's!

More homemade cracker recipes you'll love

• Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers
• Christmas Tree-Shaped Crackers
• White Cheddar Spritz Crackers
• Slice & Bake Cheddar Cheese Coins

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

Recipe

Lexi

Fruit and Nut Crackers

4.78 from 31 votes

Homemade fruit and nut crackers: bake a quick bread studded with dried fruit and nuts, freeze it, slice thin and bake again until crisp. This recipe makes about 50 crackers, perfect for a cheese board!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Chilling time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 52 crackers

Course: Appetizer, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Calories: 28

Video

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A post shared by Lexi Harrison & Beth Sinclair (@crowded_kitchen)

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt use less salt if using fine sea salt or table salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ cup dried fruit finely chopped (apricots, figs, dates, raisins, cherries, etc)
• ¾ cup unsalted nuts or seeds finely chopped (pecans, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds etc)
• 1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup

Equipment

• 2 Mini loaf pans

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line two mini loaf pans (~5 ½” x 3 ¼”) with parchment paper.
2. Add both flours, baking soda, salt, herbs, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, dried fruit, nuts and zest to a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Stir in the milk and honey until well combined and no streaks of honey remain.
3. Divide between the 2 mini pans. Bake for ~25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
4. Let cool to room temperature, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight. (You can also leave them frozen for up to 3 months, as long as they are tightly wrapped.)
5. Preheat oven to 300˚F.
6. Remove from the freezer and let the loaf sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Use a serrated knife to slice into ⅛” thick slices. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
7. Bake for 12 minutes, then flip each cracker over. Bake for another 12 minutes, then check for doneness. If they aren't quite done, flip again and cook for another 3-8 minutes or longer; ovens vary. They should be golden brown and feel dry to the touch, but they may still look soft due to the fruit. Don’t worry - they will crisp up as they dry! See storage information below. 

Notes

Loaf pan size: We used two of these mini loaf pans for this recipe. The size is about 5 ½ inch x 3 ¼ inch. You can also use one standard size loaf pan (~8 ½” x 4 ½”), but if you do, the crackers will be much longer and shorter. This may also change the cook time. 

Bake time: When you're baking these in loaf pans, use a toothpick to test doneness. If it comes out clean, you're ready to go.

Second bake: You'll know your second bake is done when the crackers turn a nice brown color - almost like the rye chips in a package of Chex mix. They'll be slightly crispy, and will harden up even more as they cool.

Use a serrated knife to slice the frozen loaf into about ⅛" slices. 

Freeze and bake later: You can bake several loaves of these and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for later. If stored properly, they will last for a few months in the freezer. When you're ready to bake, simply remove from the freezer, slice and bake. 

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a few days. If they start to get soft from the dried fruit, you can always pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up. Note that dried fruit with higher moisture content (like apricots or figs) will make these go soft faster than fruit like dried cranberries.

Nutrition

Calories: 28kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 25mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.2mg

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