California Fig and Pistachio Crisps
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped California Dried Figs I used California Mission Figs but any kind will work
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour 2 tablespoons removed to coat figs, see instructions
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup low fat milk
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 ½ cups shelled pistachios
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup flax seed*
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350˚F.). Spray five small bread pans generously with baking spray (for rectangle shaped crackers).
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For round crackers use clean, dry, empty food cans. Number of cans will depend on size of cans. I used seven 10-ounce Rotel tomato cans. Spray cans with baking spray. Rub spray all over with a paper towel then spray again. Cans need to be very well greased to ensure easy removal of loaves.
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Combine chopped figs with the 2 tablespoons flour. With your hand, toss to completely coat figs with flour. Set aside.
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Whisk together Greek yogurt, milk and honey in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
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Combine both flours, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add raisins, pistachios and all seeds. Stir to mix well.
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Add Greek yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and stir until all four are incorporated. Add chopped figs and stir gently just to combine.
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Divide batter between prepared pans, filling ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely. When cool, place in freezer for at least 1 hour.
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When ready to complete crackers (their "second bake"), preheat oven to 250˚F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
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Remove loaves from freezer. With a sharp knife, slice loaves as thinly as possible. Place slices on prepared sheet pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and quite crisp. Crisping will continue as crackers cool. When completely cool, store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
~ *Use milled or ground flax seed whenever possible. Whole flax seeds are not easily absorbed and therefore much of the nutritional value is lost.
~ If weather is humid and crackers loose some of their crispness, you can easily restore their deliciousness by placing in a 250˚F oven for 10 minutes.
~ Mix and match the seeds and nuts to your liking, just keep the total amount the same. Also feel free to substitue different dried fruits, really the sky's the limit to the variations that are possible here.
~ A tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary is a delicious addition to this recipe. We wanted to let the figs shine on their own this time, but we also tried it with the rosemary and it's wonderful!
~ When you're slicing the crackers, it will be difficult to slice thin when you get to the end of the loaf. Instead of wasting the last little bit, I cut the ends up into little cubes, toast them in a separate pan as the crackers bake and voila! Delicious croutons that will jazz up the simplest salad!
~ If you're tired of granola, these are wonderful for breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt!