I find homemade, wholesome versions of classic packaged foods to be quite charming. For example, a homemade Hostess cupcake or homemade macaroni and cheese always delights. Along these lines, I was struck by a random craving for graham crackers last week and set off to see if there was a recipe out there. It was with complete delight that I found a version on 101coobooks from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (Hardcover) and a take on the same recipe from JenJen of Milk and Cookies. As Heidi so aptly describes, these homemade graham crackers taste just like the real thing – only better: they are buttery and full of honey and vanilla and have just the right texture and crisp.

I was surprised that the recipe did not contain any graham flour that I figured was the reason for its name. Apparently that was originally the case, but the modern day recipe has departed from the original version developed in 1822 in Bound Brook, New Jersey, by Presbyterian minister Reverend Sylvester Graham. The original cracker was conceived as a health food and contained graham flour and considerably less sweeteners than the cookie we know of. In fact, Reverend Graham was the founder of an entire diet known as the Graham Diet that was meant to suppress “unhealthy carnal urges”, of which “Graham Bread” (as it was then known) played a part. For more information, read here.

Back to the sinful variety. The recipe is very straightforward and is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone with whom you share the end result. Be warned, however, it requires a bit of patience. While there’s very little active time, the dough must be chilled twice and the hand-scoring of a line down the middle and pricking of the decorative dots that are so clearly associated with a graham cracker take time. It’s definitely worth the effort, however.

I tried the recipe twice. The first time I followed the baking instructions precisely (and dipped the finished cookie in tempered semi-sweet chocolate to coat half). I rolled the dough a little too thick considering the surprising amount it rose in the oven and also found the 4 x 4.5 inch size to be a little too big. The second time, I used a 3x3 square cookie cutter and took care to roll the dough as thinly as possible. The result was a crisper, more manageable cookie. Watch the baking time – the thin ones cook slightly faster than the 25 minutes called for in the recipe.

I of course had to make a few s’mores – who can eat a graham cracker without the fixins’? (although I promise, plain is just as good!)

Graham Crackers (from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (Villard, 2000) reprinted from 101cookbooks.
Yield: 10 large crackers (or 24 smaller crackers if you follow my method for cutting the crackers described above)

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover (CC note: this is an important element: use high-quality honey)
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.

Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers. Posted by Sabra Labels: dessert, graham cracker, la brea bakery, s'mores R said...

This tasted as good (or even better) than it looks -- no joke -- this is as sinful as it gets -- but it was worth every last calorie!!

January 22, 2008 2:03 PM I can't believe how adorable graham crackers can be!! This sounds like a great recipe - and one I need to try sometime to practice being patient!

January 22, 2008 4:32 PM Katia said...

They are beautiful and I'm sure tasty as well. This is the first Grahan carcker recipe I've come across, I shall give it a try.

As always the photos are a delight!

January 22, 2008 5:00 PM Annemarie said...

I do love graham crackers but they're not as common in the UK as the US. I will happily give these a go. Thanks for the history of the Rev Graham - who knew!

January 22, 2008 5:06 PM Brilynn said...

Wow! Would I ever love one of those right now!

January 22, 2008 5:23 PM Peabody said...

Hmmm, I have only ever made Graham crackers with Graham flour. They lood wonderful.

January 22, 2008 6:25 PM JEP said...

January 22, 2008 8:44 PM Lori said...

Those s'mores look SO delicious!

January 22, 2008 10:38 PM jenjen said...

Wow they look amazing! Heidi's recipe is great and yours looks like a divine interpretation. Great job and love the photos!

January 23, 2008 1:22 AM canarygirl said...

Oh my...my kids are going to love you (not to mention that I already do! lol) I can't wait to make these!!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and your beautiful photos. :)

January 23, 2008 1:49 AM Catchall Fan in Brooklyn said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
January 23, 2008 9:44 AM Patricia Scarpin said...

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe - we don't have Graham crackers here in Brazil, now I can make some!

January 23, 2008 11:19 AM amy said...

This graham cracker was absolutely delicious. It was wonderfully crisp and had luxuriously well-balanced flavors. Very tasty indeed. Your photo is beautiful and tantalizing!

January 23, 2008 12:52 PM skrockodile said...

Thanks everyone for your comments! This is one of my very favorite new recipes and I don't even love making cookies! Let me know how it goes if you try it out.

January 23, 2008 2:28 PM specialK said...

The recipe looks wonderful.
What about adding chocolate bits or raisins?

January 23, 2008 3:47 PM catchall fan in brooklyn said...

Absolutely charming, whimsical, lovely. I love the textures in the photo. Need I propose a camping outing to taste some of these?

January 24, 2008 5:01 PM Great fun to make these crackers. Just lovely, makes me want to try.

January 26, 2008 8:19 AM eatme_delicious said...

What a gorgeous smore! I really want to try making my own graham crackers now. I think I've seen other recipes that use graham flour. Maybe I'll just try out both kinds!

January 29, 2008 2:20 AM Piggy said...

I have this recipe from Nancy Silverton's book but I've never thought of trying it until I see how lovely the crackers are in your post. Great pic!

February 15, 2008 11:47 PM Megan said...

We do alot of camping and eat alot of s'mores. I cant wait to try these and take them camping for some gourmet s'mores.

March 04, 2008 1:24 PM Deborah Dowd said...

I have never thought of making my own graham crackers! I am with Megan- we camp a lot, and this will kick our s'mores another notch!

March 04, 2008 8:21 PM Congratulations on your Feb 2008 DMBLGIT win!!

March 09, 2008 7:58 PM Kristen said...

Congrats to you on your most well deserved DMBLGIT award! These look amazing.

March 11, 2008 12:05 AM I don't get it...TWO TABLESPOONS of vanilla? I keep seeing reprints of this recipe with many praising it but I've never seen that much vanilla used in a recipe with the rest of the proportions. Are you sure it isn't 2 teaspoons?

May 03, 2011 5:56 PM Sabra said...

I guess you will have to try it? It's wonderful. Enjoy.
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