graham crackers

The kids wanted something snacky and we were all out of crackers, fruit, you name it.  I didn't want to make them anything really unhealthy, so I thought, why not graham crackers.

Turns out, I might have to keep a stash of them handy on a regular basis.

I found a graham cracker recipe I wanted to try from Pinterest (my time-killing weakness), but ended up altering it a bunch, and I love the results!

This recipe uses a food processor instead of a mixing bowl and spoon, and since everything is mixed while enclosed, there's less mess.  If you want, you can even have a child help push the food processor's buttons.  Even rolling out the dough is relatively mess-free.  The recipe creator had the brilliant idea of rolling out the dough between two pieces of wax paper.  This dough is tacky enough that regular rolling would have involved cups of flour, and changed the texture.

You can use any size of shape cookie cutter you want, I used a two inch circular cutter and ended up with about seventy crackers.  It was difficult to nail down a total cracker count because Jeff and the boys were eating them like they were starving.  These crackers are great, crunchy but soft, sweet but not too sweet.  Of course, being a mom, the real test is how crumbly they are.  These passed the crumb test.  A few crumbs, yes, but only when eaten by a 15 month old shoving the whole thing in his face.

When you roll out the dough separate it into two sections and roll out one at a time.  The dough is going to be tacky and firm, not too sticky.

These don't spread much at all, but force of habit made them spread them out.

Note: My graham crackers might be darker than yours because the honey I used in the recipe was chocolate infused and is a very dark brown color.

The crackers might look a little soft when the oven timer goes off, but do not overcook them.  They firm up quicker once they've cooled and set.

Let the crackers cool completely, then store in an airtight container in a dry cool place.

Don't be afraid to roll these a little thin.  They are sturdy enough that I haven't had any break yet.

Graham Cracker
makes about 70 2 1/2" crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup flax seed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed (1 stick)
• 1/4 cup honey (I used chocolate infused honey)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a food processor mix both flours, flax seed, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.
2. Cube the butter while still cold and pulse until it until it looks like coarse sand.
3. Add in the honey, water, and vanilla and mix until fully smooth and combined.
4. In two batches roll the dough out between two pieces of wax paper until thin (about 1/4").  Cut into shapes using a knife (standard graham squares) or cookie cutters.  Continue to roll out dough until all gone.  
5. Place the dough shapes onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Cool completely.