Honey Graham Crackers

Our granddaughter, Evangeline, loves graham crackers. As a matter of fact, they were the first “cookie” she had at our house. She would watch me get them from the box in the bottom drawer in the kitchen, and eventually, she would go and get one on her own:).

I have been wanting to make homemade graham crackers for a while now. My DIL Missy asked me the other day if I had a recipe for graham crackers. She got a message from a friend that lives in France, and she can’t buy them where she lives. This was pretty much the kick in the pants I needed to make these yummy crackers.

There are a LOT of recipes out there for these crispy treats. They are traditionally made with Graham flour, but it’s very difficult to find, so I made mine with King Arthur whole wheat flour. I am very happy with this recipe, and I know you will be happy too!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups wheat flour (314 grams)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113 grams)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (170 grams)
1/4 cup whole milk (61 grams)
1/3 cup honey (110 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Line 2 baking sheets with silicone pads or parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture starts to look like coarse sand.
Mix the milk, honey and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup until combined.
With your mixer on low speed, slowly add the liquid mixture until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half and flatten each piece into a round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Before you start rolling the dough, heat the oven to 350°F.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator (leave the other dough disc in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it) and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10″X10″ square (approximately). Keep moving the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface. Add flour, a little at a time, as needed. I like to roll the dough very thin. This helps the cracker keep it’s iconic “snap!”.

Cut your crackers into desired shape. I made a rectangle template with cardboard from an empty cereal box (2 1/2″X5″), and cut the dough with a pizza cutter. You can score a line down the center of each cookie and use a fork to prick holes down each side (see pictures for reference). This isn’t necessary, but I think it adds to their authenticity (plus it makes smaller crackers for little fingers). Each disc will give you 8-10 full size crackers (2 1/2″X5″). *see note below
Carefully transfer the cut dough to prepared baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will help the cracker hold its shape.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until they are lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. The crackers will crisp up as they cool. Enjoy!!