This homemade graham cracker recipe couldn’t be any easier or more satisfying. The graham flour (aka whole wheat flour) gives these crackers their nutty flavor. I sweeten them with both brown sugar and honey. It is everything we love about our childhood memories of this cracker/cookie, but they are fresh and even better. This recipe will give you more than you need for a single cheesecake, but once people smell them baking they can’t keep their fingers off the extras!
Makes about 48 2 1/2-inch homemade graham cracker squares (this will greatly depend on how thin you roll the dough)
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4.5 ounces) graham flour (whole wheat)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (2 ounces) brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth and well combined, scraping down the bowl to make sure the butter is not stuck to the sides.
Spread the graham cracker dough onto a piece of parchment or a silpat.
Lay another piece of parchment or wax paper over the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin, until about an 1/8-inch thick. The thinner you get it the crisper the crackers and quicker they will bake.
Peel off the top parchment and transfer the bottom parchment with dough onto a cookie sheet.
Bake for about 8 minutes and then turn the cookie sheet around and bake for another 5-8 minutes. (If you want them to break into even squares, then score the dough with a fork midway through baking.) The crackers should be golden brown.
Cool on a rack. Once the cracker is cool you can break up into pieces. As you can see I just left it up to chance and didn’t score my dough, since I intend to pulverize them anyway!
If making the crackers into a crust then grind them up in a food processor. Use what you need for the crust and freeze the rest.
As always, looks great!! May I ask what weights of the flours you are using? 😀 Sorry, me and my OCD-self can’t simply measure things. 😀
Hi KN,
Thanks for asking, I had meant to include the weight!
Enjoy, Zoë
Thanks, Zoë!
Hi KN,
My pleasure!
Zoë
I was wondering if I could sub the honey with Brown Sugar. My baby is not yet 1, and he is not supposed to have honey yet . . .
Hi Ina,
Yes, you can substitute brown sugar for the honey. It will have a wonderful flavor.
Enjoy!
Zoë
If the goal is to make graham cracker crust isn’t there a way to make pie crust without making the crackers first?
more butter, more sugar, less liquid? add some nuts?
Hi kathleen,
I think you are really on to something! 🙂 You could make the dough but you’d want it to be more tender, like a tart dough. The way that a traditional graham cracker bakes up it wouldn’t have the right texture if you didn’t break it up.
I’d try making a tart dough with graham flour.
Thanks for the idea!
Zoë