Graham Crackers (and Dandies!)
I always have trouble finding vegan graham crackers at the store. Nearly every single brand has honey in them. The one version that doesn’t is full of icky ingredients.
When I got my Dandies in the mail, I knew I had to make my own graham crackers once and for all. The recipe turned out really good. I’d like to perfect the texture a little (ideally, I’d actually like them to be more crumbly than they are), but the flavor is nice and mellow, and it really highlights the sweet, nutty taste of whole wheat without being overly sugary. If you like your graham crackers really sweet, add a bit more sugar than I call for.
Graham crackers are traditionally made with graham flour, named after Sylvester Graham, a really interesting (if slightly crazy) health nut from the 19th century. He promoted the vegetarian diet (yay!) to cure, among other things, sexual desires (I did say he was slightly crazy).
Graham flour is whole wheat flour. What makes it different from standard whole wheat is the ratio of endosperm to bran to germ. Sylvester Graham ground these parts of the wheat berry separately to preserve texture and then re-combined them in a specific proportion. You can find graham flour in some stores and online, or you can make your own. Wikipedia says “one cup of graham flour is approximately equivalent to 84 g (~2/3 cup) white flour, 15 g (slightly less than 1/3 cup) wheat bran, and 2.5 g (1.5 teaspoons) wheat germ.”
Or you can do what I did and just use stoneground flour and call it a day.
Actually, you can use whatever flour you like for these. I used stoneground flour because it has little flecks of bran in it, which adds some lovely texture to the crackers. I really recommend using at least some form of whole wheat, because it gives the graham crackers their traditional nutty flavor. Oh yeah, and it’s healthier. And rest assured it won’t mess with your libido. Sorry Sylvester.
Graham crackers are tasty, but they aren’t the sexiest food in the world. S’mores, on the other hand? Sexy. I made these with Chicago Soydairy’s latest vegan treat, Dandies vegan marshmallows. They are awesome! It’s my understanding that they’re being sold online, but sell out FAST. So if you see them available, scoop them up! They taste great, and they’re gelatin free, and they roast up just like the non-vegan version. Perfect for s’mores.
How about a little video before the recipe? Don’t forget all my videos are HD, so you can watch them full-screen!
Making Graham Crackers on Vimeo.
Graham Crackers
Makes at least 24 3×3″ Crackers
2 1/2 Cups Graham Flour or Stoneground Flour or Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar (or a little more sugar mixed with water)
3/4 Cup Water
Mix the all the dry ingredients together. Cream together Earth Balance and sugar. Add vanilla and agave and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add a little of the flour and a little of the water to the earth balance/sugar mixture and combine. Continue adding in flour and water, a little at a time, until all flour and water is added. Work the dough with your hands until everything is evenly combined.
Divide dough in half and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325º F. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that measures approximately 11″x15″. Trim edges. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares or rectangles (I cut mine into 3′x3′ squares). Prick the squares with a fork.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 325º F or until the crackers are turning golden brown around the edges. You can sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the crackers during the last 10 minutes of baking if you like.
Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. See the video above for visual directions.
For S’mores
Place the crackers in multiples of two on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to broil. Add chocolate to one cracker and vegan marshmallows to another until all the crackers are topped. Broil for less than 1 minute, watching constantly, until the marshmallows are golden and melty and the chocolate has softened.
Remove from oven, assemble the s’more, and eat! The graham crackers are also great plain, or topped with cream cheese frosting.
I just got my Vegan Dandies in the mail! They are the most delicious vegan marshmallows ever!
I am going to make these graham cracker’s tonight and then enjoy some vegan s’mores with some delicious Belgian Dark Chocolate, the dandies, and this awesome graham cracker recipe.
Thanks for the recipe!
the recipes looks delicious, and it would be a great snack for my girls. I was curious what was the board you were using to roll out the dough? Seems versatile, you rolled everything out, cut it, and baked it all on the same board/cookie sheet?
I thought you may be interested to know you can make fantastic vegan marshmallows at homemade.
My recipe uses agar agar and soy protein isolate which most commercial brands use too. The soy protein isolate makes a fluffy mix into which the jell mixture is beaten.
Follow the link below to be taken to my recipe
http://www.meatandeggfree.com/agar-marshmallows.html
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this recipe. I have the same problem finding vegan graham crackers.
Oh my! These look fab! I went and bought sweet and sara’s vegan marshmellows just to make smores! I know my son will love these. And the video is always a cute add.
After weeks of contemplation, I’m going to dive in and make these. One question: can I use whole wheat PASTRY flour, or will I regret that decision?
Thanks!
Wow, you made your own graham crackers! I am so impressed. I just found your blog and your photos and recipes are fabulous!
vegan marshmallows that look like marshmallows!? wait whhhaaaa!?!!
Hi! I just made these and let me just say that they turned out so well! I didn’t change a thing.
The only thing I can say is try to get your dough as even a thickness as possible from the center through to the edges when you are rolling it out. This allows all of the crackers to bake up evenly. You might also consider rotating your pan 180 degrees halfway through cooking time if you know that you have a hot spot in your oven.
Happy Baking!
SweetKaroline
these look amazing AND surprisingly free of any food that i cannot eat (stupid food intolerances).
thanks for posting the recipe!
what a great video! i loved it.
It seems so yummy!
Uh… This sounds really stupid, but what have you got against honey? Of course I know it is an animal product but it’s extremely environmentally friendly and bees have their freedom. If they weren’t happy they could leave the hive for a knew one. And I see you have nothing against sugar, plus eating local honey can help with hay fever allergies. So, even as a vegan (in every other way), I see no environmental, animal rights, or health reason to avoid honey. I’m not arguing, don’t get me wrong! I just don’t understand.
I tried making these…and failed :P
They turned out hard and flavourless – I ended up throwing them out. It was probably just me; I was still recovering from my wisdom tooth removal and probably overmixed them. Oh well ;)
So I made these exactly as you described, and my graham crackers taste nothing like the store bought graham crackers I ate growing up. More like a bland allusion of them. I’m thinking you need molasses. I’m not a hater though: your photos and videos are gorgeous. The only reason I’m so disappointed is because your recipes are usually so good!
these look fantastic, i love graham crakers cant wait to make them
Wow, those are lovely! I’m so excited by the prospect of vegan marshmallows, too!!! Have you ever tried making your own vegan marshmallows? I’ve come across a few recipes for marshmallows, and have been considering replacing the gelatin with a vegan substitute, but will have to try…
Just found you’re blog, it’s beautiful, and delicious. And I love the Blow!
The Dandies have icky ingreds in them too…corn syrup and corn starch? They are NOT part of the non-GMO project either:(