Who said you have to use Twin Dragon’s Egg Roll Wrappers for just making egg rolls? How about making a nutty cracker? Sounded like a great idea to me so I created Walnut Egg Roll Crackers with Fig Goat Cheese and Warm Spiced Honey.
HOLIDAY APPETIZER PRIZES
First Place: $1,000.00
Second Place: $500.00
Third Place: $200.00
Honorable Mention: $100.00
GAME DAY APPETIZER PRIZES
First Place: $1,000.00
Second Place: $500.00
Third Place: $200.00
Honorable Mention: $100.00
My first entry for the Game Day Appetizer are Won Ton Cherry Pepper Bombs. Similar to a jalapeño popper but with a fun twist using sweet cherry peppers and Twin Dragon won ton wrappers. The chipotle peppers add the deep smokey flavor. A delicious combo with the tasty pickled peppers.
Not only did JSL Foods Inc. send all of the competitive bloggers complimentary full sized products to use for the contest, they recently ended a wonderful charitable donation program called Fortune Cares, #fortunecares which I am honored to say I am one of their Honorable Mention winners. This program gave back to many in need and I am so grateful to have been apart of this effort.
Bring On The Holiday Appetizers
So what is considered a holiday to you and your family? When my four daughters were little I would make every holiday, little or big, an opportunity to cook food and celebrate. I decorated the house, set the table with valuable heirloom dishes and made memories around the table. I finally had figured out that the fine china sitting in the cabinet did nothing for no one if not used.
One of my favorite holidays with my daughters was Valentines day. Like I said, I would use the fine china with lots of chocolate laced around the table. As they got older the chocolate turned into gifts of makeup because that was more impressive and fun. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there still was plenty of candy just a bit less.
Nuts, Figs and Honey, oh Yum!!
Walnuts, figs and goat cheese are like best buddies. Put them together and it’s a winner. Add honey and now you have elevated the combo to a higher level. Walnuts are not the only nut that go well with figs. Pistachios and pecans are also a great choice. Just remember which ever one you choose, toasting the nuggets will bring out their highest level of nuttiness, yes nuttiness, the umani flavor that raw nuts do not add to a dish.
A local grocery store I shop at carries a package of figs that are sun-dried and rehydrated. This makes the figs soft and ready to blend in to the goat cheese. If you can not find figs like this you may want to place the dried figs you buy into warm water to allow them to soften.
Does the Kind of Honey I Choose Matter?
When it comes to the honey, I say purchase your favorite. Our local stores sell so many different varieties that it can be mind blowing. I reach for the raw and local honey. Be sure to warm the honey slightly before you add the Chinese Five Spice powder. It just makes it easier to blend them together. Set the spiced honey aside and reheat it when you are ready to serve the crackers.
Blend the figs and goat cheese together, roll into and log and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate if making ahead of time but beside to remove from the refrigerator before serving. Room temperature goat cheese spreads better as well as tastes better.
A package of Twin Dragon Egg Roll Wrappers will make many walnut egg roll crackers. Especially when air fried these crackers make a great low calorie snack cracker. They keep their crispness and go with so many different toppings.
Simply washing the cut egg roll squares with water is all you need to seal together the pieces. Make sure to leave the edges clean of nuts for a better seal.
I found that if I pressed from the center to the outer edges, I got a better seal. If you plan to air fry or bake the crackers then coat them with some cooking spray and a sprinkle of kosher salt. If you are deep frying them then sprinkle them with kosher salt immediately after you remove them from the oil.
Like I asked in the begin, what is a holiday to you and your family? We all celebrate in so many ways at different times of the year. Just know that these amazing crackers with the simple fig goat cheese and spice honey will impress your family and friends no matter what your celebration is for.
When I did a taste test between the deep fried and air fried/baked crackers, the air fried/baked crackers won. Both are great but if you are considering a health alternative then air fried/baked crackers is the way to go. The walnut egg roll crackers in the picture above are fried. The crackers below are air fried.
Don’t let this delicious Holiday appetizer slip through your hands. Make sure to pin it and save for gatherings of any kind. Your family and friends will thank you!
Walnut Egg Roll Crackers with Fig Goat Cheese and Warm Spiced Honey
Crispy walnut egg roll crackers pair perfectly with soft fig goat cheese that is finished with warm spiced honey.
Ingredients
- 10 Twin Dragon Egg Roll Wrappers
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped (divided)
- 5 oz. package sun-dried figs, finely minced, see notes
- 8 oz. package goat cheese, original soft variety
- 1/2 cup honey, raw and local variety if possible
- 1 1/4 tsp. Chinese Five Spice powder
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- Cooking spray
- Optional: 2 cups cooking oil if choosing to deep fry the crackers
Instructions
- In a small bowl, blend to together the minced figs and goat cheese. Roll the fig goat cheese into a log, cover and refrigerate. (Remove the fig goat cheese from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving and top with remaining finely chopped walnuts.)
- In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the honey for about 30 seconds to warm, then add in the Chinese Five Spice powder. Set aside and rewarm when ready to serve.
- Before making the walnut crackers, measure 1 tablespoon of the finely chopped walnuts and set aside to top the fig goat cheese later.
- On a clean surface, take two Twin Dragon Wrappers and lay them on a cutting surface, one on top of the other. Cut the wrappers into 9 equal squares. Separate the squares and brush each with water.
- To make each cracker, spoon about 1/2 tsp. finely chopped walnuts on half of the squares, making sure to keep them from the outer edges. Top each filled square with a water brushed square wrapper, wet side down.
- Press the two wrapper squares together, starting in the middle of the square working to the outside edges. (To firmly press each of the crackers together, use the palm of your hand and flatten the square.)
- Cover each round of crackers to keep them from drying out and then continue making the remaining crackers. Covering them as you go.
- You can finish the crackers by either baking, air frying or deep fry the them. See the instructions that were tested for this recipe below.
- To Air Fry: Pre-heat the air fryer to 350 degrees. If you are using a separate appliance air fryer, only coat a small amount of crackers with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Mine holds 7 crackers at a time and cooks for 3-3 1/2 minutes each batch. If you have an oven with an air fryer option you could do more of the crackers at once on a baking sheet.
- To Bake: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the baking sheet with the crackers, coat with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Turn the baking sheet half way if needed for even baking.
- Deep Fry: Heat 2 cups of oil in a large deep sided skillet to 350 degrees. Fry the crackers in small batches to not over crowd the skillet. Fry on the first side until the edges start to turn golden brown. Turn the crackers and continue frying on the other side until golden brown. The entire frying process will be approximately 1 minute. Remove the fried crackers to a paper towel and immediately sprinkle with kosher salt.
- When ready to serve, add the remaining tablespoon of finely chopped walnuts to the top of the fig goat cheese log.
- Best to serve the crackers with room temperature fig goat cheese and warm honey.
Notes
You can purchase Twin Dragon Wrappers at Walmart, Albertsons, Shaw’s, Von’s, Stater Bros, Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Associated Stores, Giant Stores, Shop N Shop, Winco, and Price Chopper!
If they are not in your local store, ask them to carry Twin Dragon Wrapper products! #TwinDragon #ChefYaki
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