When I was in college, my closest grocery store was a Whole Foods. This was convenient and dangerous, considering it’s nicknamed Whole Paycheck for a reason and I didn’t have a paycheck. For my bank account and waistline’s sakes I limited myself to one “browsing” trip a week, on Saturday mornings. This “yay, you made it to the weekend!” treat conveniently lined up with the best sample day of the week. See, this is how Whole Foods lures you in. They may be pricey, but they do samples right. Steak? Pie? Artisan bread? French cheese? Check, check, check, and oui.

One of my favorite samples were (are) Raincoast Crisps. If you’ve never tried them, well, maybe don’t because they are addicting. They’re little squares of sweet / salty / nutty / crunchy goodness that supposedly go well with cheese but are perfectly delectable on their own. They also cost a pretty penny for a measly little box.

The good/dangerous news is, you can make your own. It isn’t hard, and at the end you are rewarded with a nice stash of Raincoast Hacks that easily pass as store-bought. (A stack of these would make the perfect hostess or holiday gift!) Note that the whole process takes a bit of time from start to finish (the chilling time is important if you want thin crackers), but can be easily spread over a couple of evenings. When you finish, congratulate yourself on saving money on crackers and use it to buy fancy imported cheese to go with them.

DIY Raincoast Crisps

Makes 8-9 dozen crisps | Adapted from Seven Spoons

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pistachios
• 1/4 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
• 185g / 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 60g / 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 85g / 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup raisins or coarsely chopped dried figs
• 1/4 cup millet
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or rosemary, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans or four mini loaf pans (I use these).
2. In a nonstick pan over medium heat, lightly toast the nuts and pumpkin seeds. When they are fragrant, transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar, and honey and stir until combined. Add the reserved nuts and remaining ingredients and stir until just blended.
4. Divide the batter between the prepared pans (roughly 305g per tin for the mini pans). Bake until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes for mini loaf pans or 45 minutes for 8×4 loaf pans. They are finished when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and the loaves are springy to the touch. Immediately turn the loaves out of their pans to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. For easiest slicing, chill the loaves. Once they’ve cooled to room temperature, I like to stick them, uncovered, in the fridge for a couple hours and that does the trick nicely. (You can also freeze the loaves whole and slice and bake straight from the freezer. You may need to add a couple minutes to the baking time.) Using a serrated knife, slice the loaves as thinly as you can (I aim for 24-30 slices per mini loaf) and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300° F.
6. Bake slices for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. If the slices are not quite crisp at this point (but are already deeply colored), turn off the heat and leave in the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes to dry, checking every 5 minutes or so. Cool crisps completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container.