Homemade Graham Crackers
- April 22, 2005
- Cookies, Recipes
- 42 comments
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. These grahams use both honey and molasses, so the flavor of molasses isn’t overwhelming and the cookies have a nice sweetness. The cookies turned out to be amazingly tender and delicious – much more irresistible than a box of store-bought crackers, to say the least. The recipe only calls for a small amount of graham or rye flour, but you can actually substitute whole wheat flour in their place if you don’t have either of these specialty flours in your kitchen. I tried both ways and the whole wheat grahams turned out to be just as delicious as the others with a crisp and slightly flaky texture to them.
I whipped them up in the food processor in no time. The dough was incredibly easy to roll out and it could be balled up and rerolled to use up any scraps. The only change I would really make to the original recipe is to roll the crackers out thinner than the 1/4 inch called for, since I they didn’t get quite as crispy as I liked at that thickness. Instead, I aimed for 1/8 inch when rolling them out. The crackers ended up rising just the right amount in the oven – but feel free to shoot for a thicker cookie if you want something heartier.
These crackers can be eaten as-is, used in a batch of s’mores or ground up into graham cracker crumbs for a pie crust. In fact, you could even try using a whole sheet of this dough as a pie crust, too, if you don’t mind doing a little experimenting. After this, it might be difficult to go back to store-bought.
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!
42 Comments
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.
Wow, graham crackers, what a neat idea! They look great, too!
What a great idea to make your own graham crackers, Nic!
-Elizabeth
I never would have thought to make graham crackers in a million years. Great idea!
Fantastic idea Nic! Yum, s’mores, I really have to try making my own – soon… This is definetly bookmarked!
s’mores….how aboslutely perfect!
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?
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!
Excellent idea, I love graham crackers but homemade ones must blow the store bought away. They look perfect.
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!
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!
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
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.
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
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!
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
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!
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!
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
Me and some friends were looking for a fantastic graham cracker recipe. They sound great!
—YUM—
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!
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.
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…….
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
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.
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!
I want to make them for my Grandson He loves graham crackers Wish me luck.
Love this recipe! They turned out great. Love that they’re mostly whole wheat. I did not use a food processor-just mixed in a bowl and used fork to combine butter. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for every other informative website. The place else may just I get that type of information written in such an ideal means? I’ve a mission that I’m simply now operating on, and I have been on the glance out for such info.
Thanks so much for posting this recipe!! I have been looking all over for one that had the texture of the store bought kind. For some reason I really like it. I tried two other recipes…one was more like a gingersnap…and the other was more like a teddy graham cookie…then I stumbled across your site. They are soooo yummy and super easy to make.
These were amazing, and I had everything in my house to make them! Well, I didn’t have molasses, but I just substituted more honey, and it worked perfectly. Thanks!
These are amazing. We love them. Thank you!