Homemade graham crackers

Every summer, s’mores are the must-have dessert, and homemade marshmallows have become trendy in recent years, but I believe more attention must be paid to the crackers themselves – the bookends of a good s’more. After all, boxed graham crackers are not something I’d buy to eat on their own – so why sandwich them with chocolate and marshmallows? Compare homemade cookies to any packaged variety and you’ll get an idea of the difference between homemade graham crackers and the ones you pick up at the store. They are so totally worth the effort of making yourself.

It’s a simple dough to make – rolled thin between sheets of parchment, it bakes into crunchy, snappy cookies that taste just like a good, buttery graham cracker crust. I’d love to do something with these and lemon curd – perhaps the cookies with a sweet, lemony dip? Or use them for s’mores, or eat them straight-up – or crumble and use them in a graham cracker pie crust. Next on my to-do list: press the dough into a pie plate and bake it for a real, substantial graham cracker crust.

Homemade Graham Crackers

Adapted from Crosbys.com

1 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Crosby’s fancy molasses

1 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat germ or oat bran

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy; beat in the molasses, milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed or stir by hand until you have a soft dough. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each piece out between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/8-inch thin. Move the rectangle to a baking sheet, peel off the top layer of parchment, cut into squares or rectangles and freeze until firm.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Remove from freezer, prick all over with a fork and bake for 10 minutes, until golden. If you like, separate the crackers and bake for a few more minutes. Makes lots.

* This post was generously sponsored by Crosby’s Molasses – though I chose to make this recipe and the words and thoughts are my own. Thanks, Crosby’s!