Party, party, party. It’s has been birthday season at our house, our house is totally festooned with decorations, and apparently Christmas is only just around the corner (it’s okay, it’s still like 40 sleeps away…) so I thought now might be a good time to bring you a little cracker of a recipe (ha, ha) that will take your cheese platter to the next level. It’s an easy recipe from Top With Cinnamon’s cook book that is super delicious and really easy to make – Fig and Walnut Crackers with sesame seeds and pepitas. You can make them ahead, to save on that last minute pre-party stress, so your day can feel special without the fuss, just my kind of party.

Fig & Walnut Crackers

adapted from Top With Cinnamon by Izy Hossack

170g wholemeal spelt flour
65g buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
375ml water
5 tbsp honey (I used clover honey for a little extra something), gently warmed
60g walnuts, roughly chopped
60g pepitas
150g dried figs, sliced
handful of sesame seeds for sprinkling {optional}

A few days before you plan to party, preheat your oven to 160 degrees C. I want your party to feel only exciting and not last minute, so that’s why I want you to do this a few days early. Butter and line two loaf tins.

In a big mixing bowl, stir together the flours, the baking powder and bicarb soda and the salt. I think a pinch of fennel seeds could also go nicely here, feel free to throw in a good pinch if you’re feeling fancy.

Add the water and honey (I warmed mine just slightly to get it to mix easier, it depends on the weather and on the honey) and stir it until it is well combined. Stir through the walnuts, figs and pepitas. Press some sesame seeds on top if using.

Divide the mixture between the two tins, and bake them for 45 – 60 mins, you want the loaves to have become golden and firm, and to have started to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool on a wire rack until completely cold, then wrap them well and pop them into the freezer for 3 or 4 hours.

Preheat your oven again to 160 degrees C. Take your loaves from the freezer, and with a sharp bread knife, slice them thinly (think about eating a lovely cracker with cheese, make them a few millimetres thick). Place your slices onto a couple of baking trays lined with paper, and bake them for 10 or 15 minutes. Then let them cool again on a wire rack. They will get crisper as they cool.

Voila, pretty little crackers. And so tasty too. They keep in an airtight container for about a week, but if you feel like they could do with an extra crisp up, just pop them back into the oven for a few minutes and they will be crunchy delicious.