Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. It is also the only herb I have any success growing on my own, so I use it frequently. With roasted potatoes, in marinades for meat, or scattered on top of freshly baked focaccia, in a word–delicious.
You can imagine my excitement when I discovered rosemary flavored crackers. A hint of flavor added to my cheese and cracker platters? Perfect. Well, after taste-tests were completed, it was really only half-perfect.
The first crackers, or “crisps” as they are referred to on the box, were Trader Joe’s Raisin Rosemary Crisps. As relatively new item at the store, the pretty green box caught my attention. The crisps look almost like mini-Melba toasts studded with various additions, including (no surprise here), raisins and rosemary, but also sunflower and flax seeds. Sounds bizarre? I agree…but despite its interesting set of ingredients and not-so-pretty appearance, this cracker is truly out of this world good. I LOVE them. They combine sweet, salty and savory flavors all at once and somehow manage to be delicious. I love them with cheese, but they are also great for dips or just by the handful as a snack.
On the other end of the spectrum are Triscuit’s Rosemary and Olive Oil crackers. They claim to have “natural flavor” but I found the rosemary flavor to be extremely artificial tasting. Rosemary is actually on the list of ingredients (listed as “Spices-includes rosemary”) but in my opinion, they taste nothing like the woodsy, full-flavored herb I love so much. I felt they made everything taste ‘off’ and my husband and kids agreed that they were just not good. I have to say I was pretty disappointed, considering that the original Triscuits are one of my very favorite crackers.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, I highly recommend their Raisin Rosemary Crisps. If not, skip the Rosemary Triscuits and stick to the originals!
Click here for more information about Tracy’s Connecticut cooking classes, or to read her The Secret Ingredient Blog.
