what's baking: homemade graham crackers.

i'm so sick of feeding my kiddos that junk from the grocery store. of course we do have the option of buying all organic but who really can afford that?! i mean, i buy what i can but really what's better than making it yourself and know exactly what's going into it? here's a very kid friendly snack they'll love...well if your kiddos are anything like mine and loooove food!


ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose, un-bleached flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes then chilled in the freezer

1/3 cup honey (i used unfiltered, raw)

5 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract


topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar or *cane sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon 

combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. mix on low to incorporate. add the butter and mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 

in a small bowl whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. and to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough starts to come together. it might look crumbly and soft at this point so work it with your hands and form into a ball. Let sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm or if your impatient like me, let sit in the freezer for about 10. meanwhile prepare the topping by mixing together the cinnamon and sugar. 

divide the dough in half and roll out unto a lightly floured surface into a long rectangle, about an 1/8″ thick. Flour as necessary to keep from sticking. trim the edges to make the rectangle 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. i ended up cutting mine in half again to make a smaller cracker.

make a vertical line down the middle of each cracker being very careful not to cut through the dough. using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows in each half. 

transfer to a lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. sprinkle lightly with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. you will want them to be slightly firm to the touch. keep and eye on them as you don't want them to burn.

let stand on a cooling rack and enjoy!