Despite the fact that there is no such thing as Autumn here in the UAE (the temperature is still dancing around 40C and the humidity is still brutal), when October rolls around, it flips a switch inside of me. I start to crave the smell of warm spices and things in brown and red hues!

You see, in my book , fall is almost as magical as spring! I know this may sound crazy but think of it this way: spring carries the hope and  promise of new beginnings while fall tries to teach you time and time again that sometimes you have to let go in order to grow and start over when your spring comes around.Letting go is not easy but even endings can be beautiful if you believe deep down that you have the potential to bloom again in spring

When the time came to choose this month’s SRC recipe, I automatically went for something that has autumn written all over it!

For this month, I had the pleasure of going through Sid’s sea palm cooking by the lovely Sid. Sid has a wonderful collection of recipes,I especially loved exploring her Gluten free recipe section and her tapas recipe section.The kids and I  bookmarked her Boston Cream Pie and her herbed sundried tomato spread but eventually had to go for her raincoast lookalike suncoast tea bread.

Despite being up against some fierce competition (it was hard to talk the kids out of the Boston cream pie! ), the crisps did not disappoint! The kids actually loved them as tea cakes without the 2nd toasting. I on the other hand loved them toasted with a little labneh spread on top. I think they would also be brilliant with some cheddar cheese and apples.

The spices really added warmth to the crisps. The contrast between the nutty crunchy walnuts and the soft, fruity and chewy cranberries and raisins made these crackers a great treat/ snack on their own. The seeds simply added another dimension of flavor and texture to them.

If you are in a place where you get to enjoy the beauty and magic of fall, make these crackers and I promise, you’ll love them. And if you are like me, stuck somewhere missing all of that, make these and at least get to enjoy part of the fun of autumn 🙂

Raincoast crisps

2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Buttermilk
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Honey
1 cup Dried Cranberries  (you can also use raisins)
1/2 to 1 cup Walnuts or Pecans (depending on how nutty you want them to be)
1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
1/4 cup Ground Flax Seeds
1 tablespoon chopped Fresh Rosemary (optional)

1. Preaheat your oven to 180 C/350 F
2. In a bowl mix the flour, ground flax seed, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and baking soda.
3. Next add the dried fruit, and nuts and mix.
4.  Add the honey and buttermilk and mix together lightly, just until moistened.
5. Pour or spoon batter into two 8”x4” (20cmx10cm) loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray or 5 mini loaf pans, liberally sprayed with non stick spray.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden and springy and the cakes start pulling away from the sides a little. (use a cake tester and when it comes out clean, your cakes are done)
7. Take out of the oven and cool on a wire rack
8. Serve as tea cakes or slice thinly with a sharp serrated knife and arrange on a baking sheet and  bake for 15 minutes, at 160 C then turn over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
9. Take out of the oven and allow to cool completely then store in an airtight container