Homemade Graham Crackers

Well, it's kind of snowing again... like tiny, soft balls of snow that aren't quite hail... but hey, it's cloudy, and a great excuse for me to do NOTHING. Which I very much need today. Although later I will have to go to the store... sigh... I mentioned on Monday I was meeting with a personal trainer. I loved her, got a great workout, but boy, am I paying for it!! I had no idea it was possible to make every single muscle in your legs sore at the same time! I'm hobbling around like an old lady...with broken legs. I tried to stretch them out yesterday by walking to pick Stephen up from school, and Bracken was seriously annoyed at my glacial pace. Well fine, dog, I'll just leave you home next time!! Stephen said "Wow, Mom, I can totally tell that your legs hurt quite a lot... you're kind of waddling!" ('Quite' is his new favorite word) Well, no pain, no gain, right?? I will type this up for you, and return to my chair, to hopefully stay stationary for the foreseeable future... Thank goodness for Netflix and a mellow little Joe!

Homemade Graham Crackers (inspired by Brown-Eyed Baker)
Printable Recipe

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse flaked) salt
2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla
3 tablespoons golden syrup (or honey)

Whisk flours, baking soda and salt together, and set aside.

Beat butter and sugars together till fluffy. Add vanilla and honey and beat till smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix together on a slower speed, till it comes together in a soft dough. (It will be a little crumbly)

Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and press into a square, about 8 inches square (ish). Wrap tightly,  and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

When you're ready to bake, pull the dough out to warm a bit. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Gently roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Make sure you sprinkle with flour whenever it gets sticky. This dough is a bit tricky, and tries to crumble on you, so whenever it cracks just stick it back together.  Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into squares, or use cookie cutters. (I used a tiny square tupperware, the stars didn't work out) 

I don't have a thin metal spatula, so I used a butter knife and slid it carefully under each cut-out to release from the counter. Carefully place them on the lined baking pan, about 3/4-1 inch apart, and poke a few holes to make sure they bake flat. Squish together scraps and roll out again, as many times as needed, making sure to sprinkle with more flour whenever needed. 

Bake the cookies for 5-6 minutes, then rotate cookie sheets. Bake for 5-6 more minutes, until the cookies are dark golden brown. Let cool completely before removing from pan. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

I have to be honest, these aren't really graham crackers. They're too delicious. They're like the graham cracker's glamorous older cousin. More like a crispy graham cookie!

The dark brown sugar gives them a deeper, richer flavor (plus the golden syrup, of course!! I couldn't help but add it.) and they're buttery, and crunchy, and sooo scrumptious. I was going to dust them with cinnamon sugar before baking, and forgot, but honestly, they don't need it!! I can't even imagine the awesomeness of making s'mores with these...

Or a cheesecake crust with these crumbled in it! I don't know if I could bear to crumble them...

Want to be especially decadent?? Cover them with chocolate!! Oh yeah, completely awesome. The salty, buttery graham cookie in sweet, rich chocolate... Needless to say, these are Joe's favorites. I just melted some chocolate in the microwave, 1 minute to start, stir, then repeat, 30 seconds at a time. Dip with a fork, tap on the edge of the bowl, lay them on some parchment, and wait to harden. Ta-dah!

Shared at Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits