You can call this part two of a three part series of posts. Yesterday, I shared with you a Roasted Marshmallow Ice Cream and today, these homemade Graham Crackers. Can you guess where I'm going with this yet? 😉 If not, you'll find out tomorrow!
This recipe is unbelievable and I only wish I found it earlier. Making your own homemade graham crackers is extremely easy and they taste much better than the store-bought boxed kind. You can also control the thickness and sweetness of the cracker. Here, they are pictured more like cookies because of how I used them (again, you'll find out tomorrow.) And, honestly, I think I'll always make them a little bit thicker, like cookies, because they are just so good and satisfying this way.
Judah chowed down on the extras that I didn't use. I'm excited to make more and keep them stashed away for his snack time. I wonder, when he's a little older, if he will love spreading chocolate frosting on his graham crackers as much as I did? As you can see, pictured above, I still love this idea...although I used a chocolate ganache rather than canned frosting. 🙂
Graham Crackers
Yield: 48 2-inch squares
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and frozen
1/3 cup honey
5 tablespoons milk, full-fat preferred
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is the consistency of coarse meal.
Whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture and pulse again a few times until the dough barely comes together. It will be soft and somewhat sticky. Lightly dust a large piece of plastic wrap with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing together the 3 tablespoons sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl or shaker; set aside.
Once the dough is firm, remove from plastic wrap and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Flour the rolling pin as necessary. Cut into 2-inch squares and place on lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar topping then chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Using a toothpick, or the blunt end of a wooden skewer, prick the dough to form three dotted rows. Bake the crackers/cookies for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Bake for a shorter time if desiring more of a cookie texture. Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar after baking, if desired.
Source: Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen, original recipe from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
