Homemade Graham Crackers April 22
When Derrick announced the theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday as molasses, I was stumped. What do you go with molasses? The things that immediately jumped to mind were ginger crinkles, ginger snaps and gingerbread - none of which fit terribly well with springtime snacking. Cakes and pies and puddings… molasses just seems to make everything heavy. Then I realised that molasses doesn’t have to make things heavy. It is just often used as a sweetener in heavier things.
So what is something nice and light? Hmm… how about marshmallows. And what goes with marshmallows? Graham crackers and chocolate to make s’mores.
Now we were talking.
I’ve been wanting to try homemade graham crackers for some time now. I even went out and bought a cookbook, Retro Desserts by Wayne Harley Brachman, that I knew would have a recipe for it. Grahams use both honey and molasses, so the flavor of molasses isn’t overwhelming. The cookies turned out to be amazingly crumbly and delicious. I didn’t have 1/2 cup of graham or rye flour, as the recipe called for, so I just substituted whole wheat flour. This led the final product to have a texture strikingly similar to store-bought grahams, meaning that they were flakey and not dense. In fact, I was thrilled since a similar texture means that probably I made them correctly!
I whipped them up in the food processor in no time. The dough was incredibly easy to roll out and I’m sure it could be rerolled once to use up any scraps, though I just ate some raw and tossed the excess. The only change I would make to the recipe is to roll the crackers out thinner than the 1/4 inch called for. I aimed for 1/8 inch and they puffed up a tiny bit in the oven.
I would not hesitate to use this instead of graham cracker crumbs the next time I was in need of a pie crust, either.
I would say that these had a lot more flavor than store bought graham crackers and a slightly more rustic texture. They were more substantial and much tastier overall. I would make them again in a heartbeat. I also discovered that they stay crispy when stored for several days in a airtight container, which is great because I can’t imagine wanting to eat a mushy graham cracker!
The recipe was also used on an episode of Sweet Dreams. I’ve copied it below with my (minor) alterations, but the original can be found here.
Homemade Graham Crackers
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a food processor, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds or so. Add the honey, molasses, water, and vanilla. Mix until the dough startes to come together in a ball, another 30 seconds. Scrape dough out of the mixer.
Between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper, roll the dough 1/8-inch thick. Chill for at least 1 hour, until firm (I chilled for several hours).
Preheat oven to 350F. Retrieve dough and roll it a bit more if it is not yet 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Arrange the crackers on parchment lined baking sheets. With a toothpick, prick several holes in each cracker.
Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan.
Yield: 48 crackers
Note: If you cut the dough through but leave the squares together, you can break them up after they’re baked, just like a store-bought graham!
Ana Apr 22
These sound really good. As a way to lose weight and eat right, I’m trying to stay away from packaged foods because of the saturated fat content. If you only eat what you bake you’ll eat less right? Sometimes I wish I had more time to do all the dishes, cookies, etc., that I want to do.
I’ll bookmark these to make one of these days. They must be much better tasting than the commercial variety.
Alice Apr 22
Wow, graham crackers, what a neat idea! They look great, too!
ejm Apr 22
What a great idea to make your own graham crackers, Nic!
-Elizabeth
Jennifer Apr 22
I never would have thought to make graham crackers in a million years. Great idea!
Zarah Maria Apr 22
Fantastic idea Nic! Yum, s’mores, I really have to try making my own - soon… This is definetly bookmarked!
sarah Apr 22
s’mores….how aboslutely perfect!
Nic Apr 22
Ana and Zarah - I’m glad you guys are bookmarking this. They’re tasty! And, Ana, I truly do think that you’ll eat less and better when you mostly eat things that you make. Even if you’re having cookies, you know exactly what went into them. Not to mention the fun of baking!
Alice, Elizabeth and Jennifer - The first time I saw a recipe for graham crackers I sort of slapped my head and wondered why it have never occured to me to make them! Some foods are so often produced comercially, I think we forget that someone made them in a kitchen to begin with.
Sarah - S’mores are my favorite. Crispy, chocolately, marshmallowy. How can you go wrong?
Cathy Apr 22
Nic - your graham crackers are beautiful and I’ll bet they’re delicious too! I love the idea of making something from scratch that you normally think of as store-bought. Hope to try this recipe sometime soon!
molly Apr 23
Excellent idea, I love graham crackers but homemade ones must blow the store bought away. They look perfect.
Lynn Apr 23
Wow, I can’t believe you made your own graham cracker! I bet they are so much more flavorful than store bought ones. And they look beautiful too!
Nic Apr 23
Cathy, Molly and Lynn - Thank you guys so much for the compliments. The original recipe said to cut the crackers in little squares, but I liked the idea of marking them so that they would snap into neat pieces like store bought. They’re a childhood throwback and I love ‘em!
Anonymous Apr 24
I happened upon your blog today and enjoyed my visit. The homemade graham crackers look great. I plan to try these today with my four-year old. He loves to cook with me and will get a kick out of making our own graham crackers.
Scott
http://scotthutcheson.typepad.com
Jessica Apr 24
I combined this recipe with the Top Secret Recipes version of Honey Maid graham crackers. My crackers weren’t puffy, and they were soft. But the flavor was infinitely better. I don’t think I’ll ever buy graham crackers again, as they have lots of trans fat.
Nic Apr 24
Scott - I’m sure your son will enjoy making them as much as eating them!
Jessica - I’m glad they turned out so well. I might suggest baking them longer next time, as mine kept crisp in an airtight container for about a week (before they were all eaten!) and I think that they’ll last better if they’re crisp. Plus crispy ones make the best s’mores
Stephanie Apr 25
My little one could eat us out of house and home with his graham cracker habit; this is a much better way to go.
They look fantastic!
JourneyGirl Apr 26
These were my brother and I’s favorites growing up - Mom used to serve them to us like cereal, sloshed with milk. When we lived in England (in the 80s), she couldn’t get the Honey Maid kind, so we’d get them as treats in our Easter baskets.
I tell you all of this because I am *so* excited to have a version I can make myself, now available where ever I go. Guess what my lil bro’s getting for his birthday on May 7?
Thanks Nic!
~Sarah
Nic Apr 26
Stephanie - Thanks! You may want to keep them on the soft side, depending on how little your little one is. Or you can zap them in the microwave for a few seconds, since if you’re not careful to roll them thinly, they may turn out quite crisp.
Sarah - Oh, your brother will be so excited! What a wonderful birthday present!
michaela! Mar 5
mmmm..
i’ve got a batch chilling right now! Based on how good the dough(?) is I bet these are going to be super tasty.
I just came across your blog today and am a certified addict!
hereandthere123 May 1
Hi Nic,
Just wanted to let you know I made my own version of these using Agave Nectar. I’ve posted it to my site at http://hereandthere123.blogspot.com.
Thanks for all your great recipes.
deb
Anonymous May 2
Me and some friends were looking for a fantastic graham cracker recipe. They sound great!
—YUM—
Rach Jun 12
My family just ate these as smores with homemade marshmallows, and my kids had a great time making them with me. Can you substitute shortening for butter? And can the dough be frozen to use later? How would that work? Thanks for some great recipes!
Nic Jun 12
Rach - Glad you liked them. Yes, you can freeze the dough, though the baking time might have to be increased by a minute or so. They should be baked cold if the dough is frozen.
I would not substitute shortening for butter in this recipe.
Cara Jul 27
We made these tonight, and they are really yummy, although they did not make 48 crackers if you cut them to “normal” graham cracker size. They are especially good as S’Mores. You won’t believe the difference fresh graham crackers make in s’mores.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…….
Anonymous Jul 27
I made these with Cara (above) and loved them! We used a flour that was a mix of wheat and white, and it worked great. We also forgot to follow the instructions, and so didn’t really mix things together in a strategic order, but it didn’t seem to matter.
I think we got less than 48 grahams because we didn’t roll them thin enough. But they taste great thick and make the most substantial s’mores you will ever eat.
Great recipe!
** Sandi
AkaRound Peg Feb 7
The recipe worked out great. My fussy 5 year old liked it so much and I am now off to bake a second batch.
Love your blog.
Jessica Feb 28
Is it possible to substitute for the honey? If so, with what? I’d like to make these for my 11 m/o son, but peds say honey is a no-no - even in baked goods - under 1 year of age. Thanks!