My dad is the kind of person who likes to have a little bed time snack. Usually what happens is this: just before the ten o’clock news comes on, he’ll get up and leave the room. Meanwhile, we hear the rustling of a cardboard box and plastic bag opening. Then the sound of a lid being unscrewed. Next, the refrigerator door opens, liquid is poured into a glass, and the door is shut. Shortly afterward, dad will walk back into the room where we sit in front of the television with two peanut butter covered graham crackers and a big glass of milk. (He varies this sometimes, having toast instead of the graham crackers.)
Since I’ve been home with my parents, I’ve been thinking about making homemade graham crackers. I was curious about how easy (or difficult) it would be and how much they would taste like the ones my dad enjoys. Plus, I like knowing what’s in my food…
I tried two different recipes- Martha Stewart’s and Smitten Kitchen’s. As far as flavor is concerned, both were verrrrry tasty. Martha’s recipe uses wheat germ, which adds a nice texture. However, I found the dough to be difficult to work with because it was slightly dry. SK’s recipe was simpler to follow and the texture of the dough was very easy to work with. Not too dry, not too wet. Perfect. The only adaptation I made was adding some Vietnamese cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
*Tip: When you roll out your crackers and cut them into your desired shape, save the scraps! You can bake them off and use them for cheesecake crust or other recipes using graham cracker crumbs.
The true test here was whether or not my dad liked them. I’ll be honest and say that they don’t taste like the boxed variety that you buy from the grocery store shelves. They have a more vibrant flavor and a cookie-like texture that make them, as my dad said, “addicting”.
So, they passed the ultimate Dad Test! I highly recommend trying one or both of these recipes to see which you prefer.
Now that I have all of these graham crackers, I’m wondering what I can do with them. What would you suggest? Aside from the usual s’mores or cheesecake crust (already doing that!). I’d love to hear your suggestions!
