Homemade Graham Crackers

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Summertime is around the corner and that means bon fires and s’mores. The problem is that prepackaged graham crackers are full of artificial flavors and preservatives. They taste okay, but once you try homemade graham crackers, there’s no comparison! These little cookies are crunchy, buttery, sweet and satisfying. They’re delicious even without the marshmallow and chocolate!

Homemade S’mores

The first time I made homemade graham crackers was last October for Fall Fun Day. I wanted to make our s’mores totally from scratch. I made homemade peanut butter cups based off of my Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles recipe and homemade marshmallows (those were a flop), and of course the graham crackers. Even though we had to go with store-bought marshmallows, the s’mores were way more rich and decadent than anything we’d had before.

However, graham crackers are good for so much more than s’mores. I use them most often to make cheesecake crusts. Yes, it would be a lot easier to buy a box of graham crackers instead, but homemade is always more delicious and less processed. The most delicious food takes a little extra effort!

How to Make Homemade Graham Crackers

Making homemade graham crackers is really quite simple. I based this recipe off of one in the Joy of Cooking Cookbook with a few changes. All you need is whole wheat flour, butter, sugar, molasses, baking soda, salt, honey, cinnamon, and cinnamon extract.

Making the Dough

Using a stand mixer and paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, molasses, cinnamon extract, and honey together on medium speed. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Be sure to periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure it all gets incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Remove the other bowl from the stand mixer and gently fold in the dry ingredients. Once the dough comes together, knead it by hand to form a ball. Divide it in two pieces.

Forming the Homemade Graham Crackers

Take one piece of dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle, a quarter of an inch thick. Use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to trim the edges and cut the sheet of dough into crackers about two inches by three and half inches. Do not separate them yet. Poke each cracker a couple times with a fork. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Pick up the dough using the edges of the parchment paper and set it on a baking sheet. Stack the other piece of dough on top and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the 30 minutes, separate the sheets of dough onto two baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate the pans and switch with oven racks they are on halfway through. It is also a good idea to check them after 10 minutes to make sure the edges aren’t getting too dark.

When the homemade graham crackers are done, remove them from the oven and let cool for two or three minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. When they are totally cool, break the crackers apart using the cut lines from earlier. Serve with s’mores, grind them up to make a delicious graham cracker crust, or enjoy them fresh off the pan!

If you love homemade graham crackers, try these:

• Unforgettable Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Spiced Banana Rum Cookies
• Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Andes Candies Cookies
• Piña Colada Cookies