You'll love making graham crackers at home with this recipe. I can't easily find the store-bought boxes where I live, so I've been making these from scratch for a long time. They're crisp, honey-flavored with brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon. The dough can be made ahead and kept refrigerated or frozen. You can roll and cut cookies, make s'mores, or use it as regular dough for bars and pies.
SAVE THIS RECIPE
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case, the force behind finding how to make graham crackers from scratch. Not only because I wanted to have a good recipe, but also because they're unavailable here, and there are so many packets I can bring back when I travel.
They have sort of a flattened honeycomb appearance and a wonderful crunch. Classic s'mores with this recipe are so good!
The flavor is achieved through whole wheat flour (graham flour), brown sugar, cinnamon and honey. Don't overdo the last two, or you'll get an intense spiced flavor resembling a Biscoff cookie. Not that it's a bad thing, but we want to make graham crackers.
The other best part is that you can make cookies, s'mores bars, use it as pie dough to make pies with graham crust or substitute the shortbread crust in some recipes, like caramel millionaire bars, something I do occasionally.
It's one of the best aromas your kitchen can hope to envelop you in: that cinnamon, holiday, cookie smell that makes you stand still and breathe deeply.
Testing notes
Paula's baking tips that make a difference.
Don't overdo the cinnamon or honey, or they will be too spiced, with a flavor resembling more of a Biscoff cookie than a graham cracker.
Make sure the dough is rolled somewhat thin. Thicker pieces will not dry and crisp well, and might brown too much as they will take longer to bake.
Do a test bake! I always recommend this the first time making a recipe. It's easy with cookie dough, as you can bake a few and see how it goes, adjusting if necessary for future bakes. Don't overbake them. They will continue to bake and crisp up as they cool down.
If you want to make perfectly shaped cookies, use a ruler to measure the dough and score cookies of the same size. Do the same when making the dimples. I tend to skip this as I use the dough for pies and bars, grind the cookies for crumb crusts or serve them at family or casual gatherings.
Graham cracker ingredients
Quantities are listed in the recipe card toward the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands I use.
Whole wheat flour: this is non-negotiable. It's the graham part of the crackers. It's the old-fashioned type of flour used decades ago, hence the name. Look for a finely milled one, so you get the best texture.
Brown sugar and honey: together they give the characteristic flavor.
Ground cinnamon: another must-have ingredient. Use your favorite one. The flavor of this spice will affect the overall flavor of the cookie.
How to make graham cracker dough
The dough is crumbly at first, but when you start to roll it, it becomes rather sticky and too malleable to work with.
So, I recommend having the counter space and utensils ready and working as fast as possible while the dough is as cold as possible.
Roll cold dough
Do it in two parts or three.
Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. It's the easiest way, as the dough is sticky.
Roll and cut
Cut the uneven edges with a kitchen knife or a pizza wheel. Then gather, chill and roll the scraps.
Score and dimple
The easiest way is to score the dough, marking the rectangles but not separating them. Make the dimples with the end of a brochette stick. Mine are irregular, as is the bottom of the dough, and I don't care at all.
Place the paper with the dough directly on the cookie sheet to bake it.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
If you want to make perfect cookies, use a ruler to measure the dough and score cookies of the same size. Do the same when making the dimples.
Homemade S'mores
They hold up beautifully if you want to make traditional s'mores.
Another idea is to use the dough as a crust, line a tart pan, bake it and then spread a layer of chocolate ganache and marshmallows on top. Place it in the broiler for a few minutes or use a hand torch to toast the marshmallows.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my disclosure policy.
Old-Fashioned Graham Crackers (honey-sweet)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, superfine
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Beat the soft 1 cup unsalted butter with ¾ cup light brown sugar for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Use a large bowl and an electric mixer or the stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add 2 tablespoons honey and beat until completely incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 parts and mix on the lowest speed or with a spatula. Barely incorporate the first part and add the second. We don't want to overmix the dough after adding the flour, but it's easier to integrate if we add it in two parts.
- Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cold and firm enough to roll.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and work with one at a time, keeping the other one wrapped in the refrigerator.
- Place the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper that fit in the baking sheet you'll be using. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to ⅛ - ¼ inch thickness. Try to make it as much of a rectangle or square as possible. With a large kitchen knife or pizza wheel, cut the uneven edges and remove the scraps.
- Cut rectangles but don't separate them. Pick with the flat end of a brochette stick to create three dotted lines with four dots each. Transfer to the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) while the dough is in the fridge.
- Bake directly from the fridge for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly colored and dry on top. Let cool for 5 minutes and use the knife or pizza wheel to cut over the lines again. The cookies will separate. Cool them completely on a wire rack.
- Store in airtight tins or cookie jars, as they soften pretty quickly at room temperature. If this happens, refrigerate them.
Liz Berg says
Oh, I may need to make these with homemade marshmallows and have a s'mores party!!! Love that you compared two recipes...a true foodie!!!!
Deb says
Making homemade Graham's have been on my "to do" list forever! I am in envy of your baking project with a cookie in each hand! Reading your post was a joy!
Lisa Crunkhorn says
Ohh, awesome, Paula. We don't get Graham crackers here in the UK nor the graham flour. Our version is a digestive biscuit which is pretty much very similar (made with whole wheat flour, if I remember correctly.
I just found a recipe that calls for chocolate graham crackers. We can't get chocolate digestive biscuits here (only chocolate covered) so adapting one of these recipes sounds like the the go-to for me.
Thanks for sharing.
-Lisa.
Sweet 2 Eat Baking
Angie's Recipes says
Love this post, Paula. I love graham crackers and I would love to try both recipes. Thank you for sharing the experimental results.
Kate@Diethood says
How cool! Making your own graham crackers!! And you didn't just make one...oh no, you went for two! You ARE Martha Stewart, aren't you?? Hiding behind a blog and all... ;-D
Lisa says
I made graham crackers for a Daring Baker's challenge a few years ago..but I can't recall if I liked them or not. Will have to go back and read lol Both versions look fantastic..and much better than mine!
Cake Duchess says
A really cool post, Paula. I couldn't wait to hear your verdict and was leaning towards MS as the winner. I think I have to try both and decide for myself!:)
yummychunklet says
How fun! Homemade is always better.
Natalie G says
Very cool that these are homemade! I totally gotta try this out.
Laura Dembowski says
I really am surprised that you don't have graham crackers there. I thought they'd be a world wide staple. I made my own awhile ago and was very unimpressed. Perhaps I just tried the wrong recipe. I should have known to try Martha's. I love all of her recipes.
mividaenundulce says
I always wanted to make graham cookies, but of course, there is no graham flour here in Peru. But I was very surprised looking that no one of the recipes use it, both replaces the graham flour with a mix of flours...that's great...I should try.
Medeja says
Oh I was reading everything hoping to get that answer which is better, now I am still not sure.. 🙂 If I would have to choose which one to make would be too hard, I would have to make both too 😀
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Paula,
LOVE this!! Of course we want a final verdict! I love that you did this. . yes, here in the US, as you can imagine, you can find graham crackers at seriously every grocery and most convenience stores. . but I LOVE that you made homemade crackers (even though you had to b/c they are non-existent there). I am definitely making these. . we go thru so many boxes of graham crackers here, I would love to make them myself! Maybe I'll start with Nancy's!
e / dig in says
we don't have 'graham cookies' here in australia either. i think most cooks here making a cheesecake crust would use a store-bought plain biscuit that is hard and flavourless.
i must admit i thought 'graham' cookies were a brand name and until you pointed it out, i'd never heard of graham flour. so i just googled it!
it makes me wonder if my wholemeal choc wheaties are similar? (mine has no spice or honey/sweetness, except for the choc topping, which you could leave off). here's mine for your consideration:http://www.diginhobart.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/chocolate-wheatie-biscuits.html
paula, as always, thanks for a great post that has taught me some things.
Guru Uru says
When in doubt make both right? Your homemade crackers either way are a hit 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Holly @ abakershouse.com says
I am so impressed that you tried both! I think the each look lovely and would be welcome in my kitchen any day. I will keep your post in mind when I get around to making these at home. Pinning it for later.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Graham crackers are abundant where I live but I also know without a doubt (and without ever having made them myself!) that homemade are better just because homemade is always better! I can't get over how perfect your cookies look, Paula. I love that you made two and did a direct comparison. It's so helpful reading posts like this when I'm searching for a recipe to try because I hate wasting time, energy and money making something that doesn't turn out.
Cher Rockwell says
Graham flour can be tricky to find over here as well - it's hit or miss. But I do love my graham cracker - graham crackers in milk is one of my favorite "sick foods".
Chef Mireille says
not that I've gone out of my way to look for it, but I don't think I've ever seen graham flour either. so it's not like it's common here - most people are probably buying the packaged graham crackers - even confirmed foodies & bloggers like me!
Shelby | Diabetic Foodie says
I've never even considered making my own graham crackers. Thanks for putting it in my brain!