52 cookies :: week 23 :: graham crackers

Graham Crackers
via Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks

Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

2 1/2 C plus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams)
7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 c mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tbsp milk, full-fat is best
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Topping
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp 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 on and off on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1" thick. Wrap, then chill it until firm, overnight.

Prepare the topping, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8" thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2" to make 4 crackers.

Place the crackers on silpat-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 mins in the fridge or 15 to 20 mins in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.



K: Ok dokey. My review is ... I prefer these cookies as s'mores. Thank you. They are too little just as a plain old graham cracker. So have it as s'mores!

E: Mmm,mmmm,mmmmm. These cookies are awesome! What they really need is chocolate and a fluffy marshmallow (not a hard or dry marshmallow - a fluffy one!) to make s'mores. that would be perfect.

D: How appropriate, Gram Cracker's in town!
Well these cookies are f-u-n. A touch of cinnamon and a light crystallized sugar crust. Is that molasses I smell? Great shape for dunking, begging for a scoop of ice cream. And fantastic with a glass of red.

Gram Cracker aka my mom: From the warm sweet fragrance to the first bite... nutty flavour and crispy crunch. A graham cracker with true pizazz.