When I saw this recipe for Graham crackers on Smitten Kitchen, I was fascinated for I had never seen a graham cracker recipe before (or more appropriately, never looked for one)! Luckily, I knew what Honey Maid Grahams tasted like for I had tried them a few months ago and knew what to expect. Turns out, these crackers were better than the boxed version! Nothing beats fresh, out of the oven goodies, right? I had them warm just by itself, but I bet it’d be so good with some whipped cream. They were a little more dense and a little more chewy, but very satisfying!
Every recipe for cheesecake calls for a Graham cracker base and because of the unavailability of graham crackers here I’ve had to use locally available digestive biscuits. Now i know I won’t have to and the next time I make cheesecake I’m going to make these homemade grahams and really live up to the term “baked from scratch!”
Graham Crackers
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares
1 cup / 176g dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp / 6g baking soda
3/4 tsp / 4g kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tbsp / 3 1/2 ounces / 100g unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup / 114g mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tbsp 77g milk, full-fat is best
2 tbsp / 27g pure vanilla extract
Topping (optional, I skipped this because the crackers themselves were sweet enough for me)
3 tbsp / 43g granulated sugar
1 tsp / 5g ground cinnamon
- Combine together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.(Alternately, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender).
- In a small bowl or a Pyrex jug, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
- Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it and chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
- Divide the dough into two halves. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8th inch thick.
- Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, score the dough every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. As you can see, I just rolled with the flow without any precise measurements. Lift with a metal scraper gently, the dough is sticky.
- Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping, if you’re using. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough as well as the remaining scraps of dough.
- Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.