Homemade Graham Wafer Crackers or Cookies on Christmas 2016 baking list for cheese platters and kiddie visits: delicious, travel well, and great shelf life. Flavour and texture will vary depending upon coarseness of whole wheat flour and spices used.
Course
Cracker
Cuisine
Canadian
Prep Time10minutes
Cook Time14minutes
Total Time24minutes
Servings24large or 90 miniature cookies
AuthorValerie Lugonja
Ingredients
1 ¼cupflour
1cupwhole wheat flour
½teaspooncinnamon
½teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
¾cupunsalted butter, slightly firm
1/3cupbrown sugar, lightly packed
3tablespoonsgranulated sugar
2tablespoonshoney
1large egg
1teaspoonvanilla
Instructions
Instructions for the Dough
Combine first 5 dry ingredients; stir or sift together and set aside
Whisk butter with electric mixer until softened; add both sugars, continuing to beat until just combined
Add honey, vanilla and egg; mixing to combine into a lovely batter
Fold 1/3 of pre-measured dry ingredients into wet ingredients until completely incorporated; repeat with next 2 portions of dry ingredients
Place onto a very lightly floured surface; weigh dough, divide into two equal portions shaping each into a square and wrap in plastic wrap
Refrigerate
Instructions for the Dough with the Thermomix
Weigh and combine first 5 dry ingredients; stir or sift together and set aside
Weigh butter into TM bowl; mix to soften for 30 seconds, speed 3.5
Weigh in sugars; bring together until incorporated with butter for 30 seconds at speed 4
Weigh in honey, vanilla and add egg; mix to combine for 30 seconds at speed 4
Add 1/2 of pre-measured and weighed dry ingredients into TM bowl; combine for 10 seconds at speed 2 to 4
Add remaining 1/2 of dry ingredients; combine for 10 seconds at speed 2 to 4 until ingredients begin to clump together
Remove from TM bowl onto very lightly floured surface; weigh dough, divide into two equal portions shaping each into a square and wrap in plastic wrap
Refrigerate
Instructions for Rolling the Dough and Cutting the Cookies
Preheat oven to 350F; prepare 3 parchment lined cookie sheets
Lightly dust work surface with flour (I like to use a rolling mat); add sleeve to rolling pin
Roll out on disc of dough, keeping it floured lightly underneath, to 1/8 inch; cut into desired shapes and bake until a little puffy and golden around sides (my small cracker-cookies took 7 minutes each)
OR roll into an 8 inch square 1/16 inch thick; trim one inch from all 4 sides with a decorative pastry cutter to have a 7 inch square remaining (reserve trimmings)
Divide dough into 9 even squares with pastry cutter; place on parchment-covered cookie sheet 2 inches apart
Repeat with the second square
Re-rolling the trimmings should yield 3 more squares for a total of 12; bake 13-14 minutes, rotating in oven after 8 minutes for even browning until a little puffy and golden around edges and on bottom
Rest on cookie sheet for 2 minutes; transfer to wire rack for proper cooling
Seal in air-tight container; travel well and have a long shelf life
Instructions for Rolling and Cutting Large Traditional Graham Crackers
Carefully roll dough into 12x24 inch rectangle; using either a pizza or pastry cutter, measure and cut out 2x4 inch crackers
Move each to parchment covered cookie sheet; carefully indent mid-point of each with side of offset spatula (to look like old-fashioned ones in the box) for easy breaking in half, once baked
Dock both sides with a fork; bake
Recipe Notes
When fresh from the oven, biscuits will be soft, but after setting and reaching room temperature, they will be crisp.