Homemade Graham Crackers
When planning out a trip to the Catskills, I knew I wanted to devote an evening by the fire making s’mores and gazing at the stars. Instead of using the boxed graham crackers like always, this time I decided to make graham crackers from scratch. Yes, more work, but the extra effort is always worth it.
At first I wasn’t sure how they would turn out because graham crackers have a pretty distinct taste and crunch, but these grahams were delightful. They are flavorful and taste like a graham cracker, but one that is richer and fresher. Plus, when you make your own graham crackers, you can make them any shape you’d like. I went with shooting stars, stars, and moon shapes – it is July 4th, after all!
A few tips: it’s important to keep the graham cracker dough as cold as possible. Once the dough starts warming up, it gets soft and becomes more difficult to work with. Gently poke the dough with a fork once the crackers are on the tray. Then, before popping the tray of crackers in the oven, place it in the freezer for five minutes to let the dough get cold again.
Making s’mores next to a campfire is one of the most delicious ways to spend time in nature. These homemade graham crackers elevate that experience and make it an even more involved activity than just piecing three ingredients together.
Smores J
Smores I
Homemade Graham Crackers
Serves: 32+ crackers, depending on the shapes | Cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients
1½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cup whole wheat graham flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons molasses
1/3 cup milk
Method
Combine the all-purpose flour, graham flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.
Combine the butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until combined and smooth.
Add molasses into the butter mixture until incorporated.
Add in the flour mixture. The dough should be crumbly at this point. Add milk until combined and smooth.
Form the dough into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to one hour.
Unwrap the dough from the plastic on a lightly floured surface. Pound out the dough until a bit flatter with a rolling pin, and then roll out the dough to 1/8" thick. Make sure the dough, pin, and surface are well-floured, or that you use parchment paper when rolling out the dough. As soon as the dough temperature starts to drop, it gets sticky to work with.
Cut desired shapes into the dough and place on a parchment-lined baking tray. With a fork, poke holes (in any design!) on the surface of the dough. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let the crackers cool, and as it cools you'll feel the cracker harden and crisp. Enjoy with peanut butter or chocolate and a roasted 'mallow!
© A Dash of Cinema
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P.S. Another yummy summer dessert, also related to baseball.