Homemade Graham Crackers

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  JBody is outside with the kids and I am inside preparing a yummy treat for the family.  Well part of a yummy treat.  There is no wind and the sun is out, so JBody and the kids have decided they want to have a fire in the backyard in the fire pit.  So what do you do with a fire pit?  Roast marshmallows for S'mores of course.  However, with Dimples eating solids now we are all out of graham crackers.  No worries...Pinterest came through once again I was able to find a recipe for homemade graham crackers.  The original recipe is from Our Best Bites.  However, I had to modify it by using Agave Nectar instead of honey because Dimples isn't a year yet.  The substitution worked wonderfully. 

I love making things homemade.  Not only do the kids enjoy fresh home baked goodies, but I know exactly what is going into them. 

 

I take no credit for the following recipe.  In fact I encourage you to head over to Our Best Bites to check out the original recipe and to see all the other wonderful recipes they have posted. 

 

Homemade Graham CrackersRecipe lightly adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (measured by lightly spooning the flour into the measuring cups and leveling with a flat surface), plus more for working
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar (you can use dark if you prefer a richer flavor)
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Instructions:
Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, and agave. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture. Beat until combined.
Lightly flour a work surface (a silicone rolling mat or wax or parchment paper work great because you can transfer the dough directly into the fridge) and turn the dough onto the floured surface. Roll the dough out until it’s 1/8″ (you may need to work in 2 batches). Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut the dough with your favorite cookie cutters or a fluted pastry wheel (in my case a pizza cutter) and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze for another 10-15 minutes or until the dough is very firm. If desired, use a fork to prick the dough to ensure even baking. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until very lightly brown around the edges (it can be a little tricky to tell), being careful not to overbake. Makes about 2 dozen graham crackers, although it really varies on how thick your dough ends up and how large you cut the graham crackers.

My Tips
*agave substitutes nicely in this recipe.  Just sub for same measurements.
**This recipe doubles nicely.  Just takes a while. 
***WATCH CAREFULLY.  I ended up baking my crackers for 9 mins. 

****I stopped worrying about pretty crackers and cut my rolled dough with the pizza cutter.  I then placed the whole sheet into the freezer and then broke them apart before baking.  This was a lot faster. 

Can't wait to try these with the kids when we make S'mores this evening.

***UPDATE*** 

The crackers held up nicely for S'mores.  Doble told me that I should make them all the time for S'mores and that they make the best ones ever.  SUCCESS!