Graham crackers have been a pantry staple in my house since I was a child. My grandmother loved them, so they were always on the shelf along with her ginger snaps. She was a bit greedy about her ginger snaps, but often shared the graham crackers. My own grandchildren now love them when making s’mores, and many a pie has begun with a crust of these sweet crackers.
Graham Flour
Graham flour is a type of whole wheat that is coarsely milled retaining both the germ and bran. Popular in traditional New England cooking, it was revered as a great health food; actually, they were right about this, since a whole grain with all bits intact are the most nutritious. Graham was one part of ‘thirded flour’ used in many breads along with cornmeal and rye, which grew much better in this climate than wheat. Thirded flour was the base for Boston Brown Bread, a favorite still in these parts.
Let’s shake them up!
I started with a basic recipe for homemade graham crackers my mother found in The Joy of Cooking. I only remember making them with her once, but who knows, memory does play tricks. I made them not long ago for the grandkids, but this time a little livelier flavor was in order, a bit of heat, especially since today is the Fourth of July and who doesn’t need more firecrackers?
Graham crackers the Vermont way
While graham flour has become a bit difficult to find, I did secure some lovely organic, full-grain at the health food store. If you can’t find it, use a coarse whole wheat flour as a substitute. We’re in Vermont, so I swapped out maple syrup for the honey, and maple sugar for the brown sugar. Let’s not forget the maple extract. Vegan butter stepped in for the dairy, and the white flour was replaced with white whole wheat.
A little heat as well and some smoke
Here’s where it gets interesting – I added ½ tsp. of cayenne pepper and about 15 grinds of fresh pepper and these humble crackers were completely transformed. Top with some sweet smoked paprika, and you have a completely different experience, a delightful sweet, nutty cracker with a lovely lingering warmth.
No sticking
As with other crackers I’ve made, I rolled the dough out on parchment paper, cut out the crackers, left the joined, and cooked them right on the same parchment. When cool, they separate easily, and it all worked like a dream.
Fun to make, good to share
Did I mention these were fun to make? Tasty too, with a lovely maple flavor, some heat, and a touch of smoke from the paprika. They are my new favorite! And I gladly share with everyone, especially the grandchildren.
Maple Graham Fire Crackers
- 1 cup graham flour
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 15 grinds of fresh black pepper
- ½ tsp. non-aluminum baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 stick vegan or dairy butter, softened
- 1/3 cup packed maple sugar
- 3 tbsp. dark amber maple syrup
- 1 tsp. maple or vanilla extract
- Smoked paprika flakes
Mix all the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl with a hand-mixer (this was easier and I wanted to think of my mom, but you can use the stand mixer if you like), combine the butter, sugar, syrup, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, then sift in the dry ingredients.
Combine until it all comes mostly together, then turn out onto a lightly floured board. Gently knead together for a few moments, then once combined cut into two.
Form each half into a rectangle, place on the parchment, cover with another sheet of parchment, and roll out to about 7 X 10 to get the right thickness. Cut into desired size. I chose rather small, the width of my ruler because cutting them was a breeze!
Dock with a fork to keep them from puffing in the oven, but keep them all intact, don’t separate them. Repeat with the second sheet. Sprinkle them both with the smoked paprika flakes, then pop both trays in the freezer to rest for a half hour and firm up. Don’t skip this step.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and bake for 14 minutes, rotating and swapping around the trays at the seven-minute mark.
When ready, let rest in the pan for a few minutes, then use a thin spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Once cool, the crackers will easily come apart.
While the political scene is a contentious mess right now, and we seem terribly divided as a nation,Independence Day is a good time to stop and think about the blessings of our Democracy, and our long-fought freedom from an oppressive King. It is also a good time to read our Declaration of Independence.
Happy Fourth of July to all!
Copyright 2024– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
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Sounds great!!
Thanks Judith! They were really good and fun to make.
Happy 4th my friend. Such clever crackers. Thanks for the idea.
Thanks Bernie! They were really tasty! Have a wonderful day!
YUM! Happy 4th, D! 🎆 🇺🇸 🎇
Happy Fourth!
Amazing!!!
Thanks! They are so good!
This is a great recipe to make for grandkids. It reminds me of snack time in kindergarten, with graham crackers and milk.
Yes! And these are just sweet enough to call them cookies!
Wow, impressive! Happy 4th Dorothy!
Jenna
Happy Fourth to you too!
They’re beautiful!
Thanks! I was pleased with the flavors!
What a great idea, I’m a fan! A little sweet heat sounds perfect with your graham crackers!
I’m definitely going to be making these again and again!
This 4th does require some adjustments and for me that includes turning off the news. 🙂 These crackers look great, and I’m sure they are delicious. I’d have to leave the ‘heat’ out because my digestive system doesn’t play well with it as I ‘mature.’ 🙂 Happy 4th of July!🇺🇸
Happy Fourth to you too Judy!
I haven’t watched the news for days, on blackout right now in order to keep sane.
And there I was thinking you had used some exotic chili pepper! They sound lovely, and are really cute!
Thanks! Just pantry cayenne and smoked paprika flakes!
What a great idea Dorothy. Happy Independence Day to you!
Thank you!
What a wonderful way to add to the celebrations of the day. Hope your July 4th was a very happy one!
It was pretty low-key this year, everyone scattered to various events, but we had a lovely cookout. Thank you!
Very good idea to make graham crackers at home!
It was fun, and very tasty!
I have to try this recipe, for sure, Dorothy. You are correct about graham flour being difficult to find. I may have to use your suggested substitute. Thank you!
Good luck, and the whole wheat will be fine if that is all you can find.
Besides looking delicious these crackers have everything I like in them. Thanks for the recipe.
Hope you enjoy them Ally!
Sounds fun and interesting! I’ll bet you could assign all manner of flavors to homemade graham crackers and have the most exciting s’mores in town!
These were fun to make Terrie! The maple and the heat were great. The kids think they are cookies!
Oooh…graham crackers! I’m so tempted b/c these look delicious
They have become a new favorite!
Not sure why I didn’t see this post on my Reader, but I’m glad to discover it!
These look so tasty, and I love the fact they are bite-size. I’ll check about Graham flour, as I want to make them asap! 🙂
They were fun to make, really tasty too, and I too love the little size!
These look so yummy! I’ve been wanting to try making my own graham crackers and you are inspiring me to do that! 🙂
They are really tasty! Let me know how you like them!
These would be gone in a minute!
The kids think they are cookies!