It’s “love at first bite” with this homemade graham cracker crust recipe from scratch.
The graham cracker dough needs to chill overnight, so plan accordingly.
HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKERS
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup milk
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Bring out your baking sheets.
Sift the first 4 ingredients together and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter (or margarine), brown sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Beginning with the dry ingredients, alternate adding the flour mixture with the milk. Cover tightly and chill dough overnight.
Divide the dough into 4 sections. Cover your rolling pin, dough and surface well with flour. Roll the dough out thinly one section at a time Cut the dough into rectangles or any shape you want using cookie cutters.
Place on ungreased baking sheet. To look like a graham cracker, mark a line down the center and prick with a fork. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you like. Bake for 13-15 minutes and cool on wire racks.
Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
BEST GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST RECIPE
If you buy store-bought graham crackers, one of those sections is roughly 1-1/2 cups. Double the recipe for a 9×13 inch pan…
1-1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup white sugar
6 TBS butter, melted
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees. You will need an 8″ or 9″ pie plate.
In a gallon resealable bag, crush the graham crackers with a rolling pin or a large can of tomatoes (or whatever you have in the pantry).
Add the remaining ingredients, seal and mix well. Press into a pie plate. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until light brown. Cool and fill.
For a different twist instead of using a graham cracker crust recipe, use the following:
VANILLA NUT PIE CRUST RECIPE
I recommend this with cream pies. Again, don’t over bake the crust. This recipe makes a nine-inch deep dish pie.
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 tablespoons white sugar
2/3 cup walnut pieces
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You will need one buttered, nine-inch deep-dish pie pan either a light-colored or glass pan.
Crush the vanilla wafers. Place the crushed wafers in a deep-dish pan. Place the nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse just long enough to chop the nuts finely, not into a paste. Scrape the nuts into the pie pan. Add the sugar. Stir to combine.
Add the melted butter and combine well. Press the mixture into the buttered pie pan making certain that the crust is evenly thick.
Bake for 8 minutes or until it just starts to brown on the edges. Do not over bake. A light-colored or glass pan will absorb less heat than a dark one and help ensure against over baking.
The easy way to crush graham crackers, vanilla wafers and cookies is to place a handful in a resealable bag and roll over them with a rolling pin to crush them. When crushed, empty the bag into a measuring cup and repeat the process until you have the desired amount of crumbs.