DIY Graham Crackers

There are few things I consider myself good at doing, but among them is cooking. So when I was helping out my daughter’s class and saw her teacher lean over and say,“I know which snack you want, Lola!” as she gave her a pile of graham crackers from a cardboard box, I thought: (1) “Why does that woman know my daughter’s snack preferences better than me?” and (2) “I will make them better!” (I’m good at being competitive, too.) Graham crackers’ flavor traditionally comes from graham flour, yet the supermarket crackers contain mostly all-purpose. This added one more goal; I would bring the graham back to the cracker. —Sarah Wilson, America’s Test Kitchen

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Makes 48 crackers

Make today, enjoy immediately

1 1/2 cups (8 1/4 ounces) graham flour
3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Process graham flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 seconds. Add water, molasses, and vanilla and process until dough comes together, about 20 seconds.

2. Divide dough into quarters. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap), roll dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper into 11 by 8-inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick. Remove top piece of parchment and trim dough into tidy 10 by 7 1/2-inch rectangle with knife, and then score rectangle of dough into twelve 2 1/2-inch squares. Prick each square several times with fork.

3. Slide 2 pieces of rolled-out and scored dough, still on parchment, onto separate baking sheets. Bake crackers until golden brown and edges are firm, about 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Slide baked crackers, still on parchment, onto wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of rolled-out dough.

4. Transfer cooled crackers, still on parchment, to cutting board and carefully cut apart along scored lines. Graham crackers can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

To Make Cinnamon Graham Crackers: Increase amount of cinnamon in dough to 1/2 teaspoon. Toss 1/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, then sprinkle mixture over scored crackers just before baking.