Make Your Own Graham Crackers!

These really do taste like graham crackers! Except better, you know, in that "didn't come from a package" way. This is the second project in the "make your own s'mores" kit!

You can read about the Gourmet S'more Kit here and find the marshmallow recipe here .

So here's what you need to make a batch!!

• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 7 tablespoons butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen (I didn't freeze the butter. It seemed like a hassle. The graham crackers turned out fine with doing it.) (I know, I'm such a rebel....)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons milk, full-fat is best (isn't that always the case?!)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

You have to get out your food processor. I'm sorry.

So, first, put the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of the processor, making sure to first attach the blade. Then pulse it a few times to combine.

Then, add the butter cubes, and process until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs:

Now, you're going to mix the honey, milk, and vanilla together and pour it into the dough and pulse it a few times until it combines and comes together. The dough will be very sticky. Then you're going to take a big piece of saran wrap and flour it a little, then take the dough and sort of make it into a rectangle- wrapping it in the saran wrap (like pie crust). I had a little failure with making a rectangle, mine was more of a circle. I tend to be lame with stuff like that. So I just made some graham crackers that were odd shapes. Which didn't matter one little bit to the male-types that live here. So, if you can't make a rectangle, don't feel bad. It will all work out.

Now, stick it in the fridge for at least two hours.

.....then go for a run. Or don't. But you might want to. Because then you can eat more s'mores. Just sayin'.

Ok, so after two or more hours, you're going to take the dough out and cut it in half. Put the second half back in the fridge and put the first half on a floured board so you can roll it out! Roll it into a 13x9ish shape.

Then, you wanna spray Pam on some cookie sheets. You're going to have to put the cookie sheets in the fridge after you cut out the graham crackers, so make sure there's room. I didn't make enough room, and a bottle of salad dressing fell on one of the cookie sheets and messed up some of the graham crackers, and I was not pleased. So I yelled at Nicholas, who was asking if they were ready yet. See?! MAKE SURE THERE IS ROOM! You don't want to be like me and yell at your kids for no reason!!!!

Anyhow, now you want to cut them into squares. (I used my pizza cutter, but I am sure you can use a knife too!) You can re-roll the scraps of dough too if you want to. (That is if your kids haven't stolen the dough and eaten it) Then put the squares onto the greased cookie sheets and pop them into the fridge for about a half hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Then take them out and use a skewer or a tooth pick to make the little holes and the line down the center.

Now bake them for 15-25 minutes, depending on how hot your oven bakes. What I found is that they get crunchier the longer you leave them in, but watch them so that they don't burn. I didn't want mine too crispy/crumbly, because I wanted them to stay intact when the s'more was eaten. I baked them for 20 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack to cool! :)



I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen 

Now you have your marshmallows, and your graham crackers, for PETE'S SAKE make a s'more!! You have to! It's the rule!!

And then go for another run.

It's a vicious cycle I tell you.......

DINNER TONIGHT:

Chinese Chicken Salad

Yeast Rolls (if you haven't made these yet... MAKE THEM!)

Watermelon and Strawberries