Graham Cracker Crunch

So my little one loves graham crackers and Avery and JP love making s’mores in the fireplace. So I should make graham crackers instead of buying them, right?

I found a recipe and set out to make them. 

The Recipe:

(adapted from the smitten kitchen blog)

2-1/2c. all purpose flour

1 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

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

1/3 c. honey

5 Tbsp whole milk

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp ground 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 it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm. Meanwhile prepare the topping by mixing the cinnamon and sugar together.

Divide the dough in half and roll out onto a lightly floured surface into a long rectangle, about an 1/8" thick (this is key to getting a cracker crunch). Flour as necessary to keep from sticking. Now the recipe has you rolling the dough into a 8 x 12 inch rectangle and making 3x3 or 4x4 squares, I instead used a cookie cutter.

Make a vertical line down the middle of each cracker being careful not to cut through the dough. I used a toothpick, pressing it in some then removing it. Then using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows on each half.

Transfer to a lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with topping mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I ended up putting them 

Following the recipe I was concerned about the very sticky moist dough I was putting into the fridge to chill. And after the chill time it was still a concern, so next time will call for more flour, like a lot more flour.

This dough is a sticky nightmare in front of me, sticking the counter, the roller, everything!!

But moving past that and adding a lot of flour, I got the dough rolled out and used a lovely flower shape cookie cutter to cut the shapes out. Placed them on the cookie sheet and popped them in the oven. 

15 minutes later they are out on the cooling rack and filling the house with a wonderful smell. I try one of them and there are good, and crunchy.

These will definitely be a must for making smores!!! I hope you all enjoy these as much as my family. 

Homemade Goldfish

So I very interested in making snacks and food in general from scratch for the kiddos and hubby. And my little bit loves goldfish, so I should find a recipe and make my own. After finding two recipes that were simpler but different I decided to give it a try. Through trial and error, I merged the two recipes together to get what I feel is a wonderful end result.

Recipe:

6 ounces (1-1/2 cups coarsely grated) sharp cheddar

4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon table salt

3 - 4 Tablespoons water

Combine all the ingredients, except the water, in a food processor. Continue running the machine adding 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until the dough forms a ball.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. This will make it easier to transfer shapes once they are rolled out.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. This is key to make them into more of a cracker instead of a cookie. 

Form shapes with a cookie cutter, I made one into a fish shape from a strip from an aluminum can. Dipping it in flour here and there to ensure a clean cut. 

Carefully transfer to an ungreased parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

Makes around 100 crackers, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

While the dough is chillin in the fridge I wanted to make my “cracker” cutter. So I got a coke can and using my shears roughly cut a strip about two inches wide and the full radius of the can. Then using a ruler I got a clean “straight” strip of tin, and covered one edge of the strip with brown tape. Wrapping both sides of the edge. Using a general fish shape I bent the tin for form the shape. Once I was happy with the shape then taped the ends, with a slight overlap, together. And there you have it. But you don’t have to make your own, I also used small cookie cutters to create shapes. And you can even use a ruler and pizza cutter to make “cheez its”

The first batch weren’t very crunchy like a cracker, but making the dough thin as suggested and cooking them a for 18 minutes gave them that cracker crunch I was looking for.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe for you little ones or big ones. They are great snack to have on hand around the house or in the car.