S’more-in-a-Box

My MMBR (main Monday Box recipient) has just finished his freshman year in college and will be home in 2 weeks. I came up with S’more-in-a- Box as a special treat for his study week, the final Monday Box of this school year.  I am so excited about this idea.  You can send do-it-yourself s’mores, no microwave or campfire necessary. No worrying that the chocolate will melt in the mail. S’more-in a box can be made the easier  (and perhaps more sane) way  by including your favorite brand of store bought graham crackers, or it can be created with more time invested, and a sense of adventure, by making your own. Throw in a jar of Nutella (or other chocolate butter) and a container of marshmallow fluff and the MBR has all of the ingredients needed for a sticky sweet snack.

While I was baking, my mother called. I told her  that I was testing recipes for graham crackers. After a significant pause she enquired, “Why graham crackers?”  She wasn’t asking what I was planning to do with my graham crackers. She wanted to know why I would spend time making graham crackers when there were plenty of perfectly fine ones lining the cookie aisle at the supermarket. If you live somewhere where packaged graham crackers are readily available, then there probably isn’t much of a reason to bake them at home other than because you can. And it is fun to know how. And because the Keebler elves don’t add your personal touch of TLC.

Graham crackers are the perfect mailing cookie. They are sturdy and stay fresh for many weeks. I am going to share two graham cracker recipes with you. Though they are different in ingredients, texture , and flavor, they are both really good. We couldn’t come up with a consensus on which was better, so you can choose the one that appeals to you.

The  first recipe is adapted from Nancy Silverton’s, Pastries from the La Brea Bakery.  I really like the  cinnamon flavor and the crisp texture of these cookies. What sent me looking for a different recipe was that they were way too much effort as written. Also, the dough was sticky, requiring lots of extra flour while rolling out, and it was a real pain to try to scoop up the cut out crackers to place them on the baking sheet. The second recipe, from Alice Medrich’s, Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies,is very different.  It is made with whole wheat graham flour and oat flour (instead of all-purpose) and includes easy preparation directions. I like the whole grain taste and tender texture created by the oat flour. I re-made recipe #1 with preparation methods from recipe #2. And we have a keeper….or two.  Both recipes are now equally easy to prepare, however, the all-purpose flour recipe now calls for chilling the dough for 24-48 hours which eliminates the need for tons of extra flour and makes it so much easier to work with.

There are two different baking methods which produce different edges on the graham crackers. If the dough is scored, baked, then cut/broken apart out of the oven, the edges have a cut look. If the cookies are separated before baking, then the edges get rounded. Taste is, of course, the same. Choose the look you like better.

Graham Crackers #1

Adapted from  Pastries from the La Brea Bakery by Nancy Silverton and Smittenkitchen.com

(Printable Recipe) 

Makes about 36  2”x2” crackers

2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1” cubes and frozen

1/3 cup honey

5 tablespoons full-fat milk

2 tablespoons (yes, it really means tablespoons not teaspoons) vanilla extract

Cinnamon-sugar (3 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon)

Day 1

• In a food processor, add the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until combined.
• Add the butter cubes and pulse until crumbly mixture forms.
• In a bowl, mix the honey, milk, and vanilla.
• Add the liquid to the flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse only until the dough comes together. (It will be very soft and sticky)
• Turn out the dough onto a sheet of lightly floured plastic wrap. Pat into a disc, then wrap in the plastic.
• Refrigerate 24-48 hours.

Day 2

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut two sheets of parchment paper to the size of your baking sheet.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, wipe off excess flour, and place between the two sheets of parchment paper.

• Roll out the dough to 1/8” thickness. Remove the top sheet.
• Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar.
• Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife point, score the dough into two inch squares.
• Using a fork or a wooden skewer (blunt end) make 2 rows of 3 holes in each square.
• For a smooth edge to the crackers, use a spatula to place the cut crackers onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 2” apart. For a cut edge, leave the scored dough on the parchment used for rolling out and transfer the parchment onto a baking sheet.
• Bake for 15-25 minutes until lightly browned and slightly firm to the touch.
• If you are using the cut edge method, you can break the crackers apart along the scored lines when they cool or re-cut with the pizza cutter while warm.

Graham Crackers #2

Adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich

(Printable Recipe) 

1 ¾ cups whole wheat graham flour (I used Hodgson  Mills)

½ cup + 1 tablespoon oat flour (or ½ C + 1 T rolled oats ground fine in food processor)

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

• In a food processor add flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pulse to combine.
• Add butter cubes. Pulse until crumbly mixture forms.
• In a bowl mix milk, honey, and vanilla.
• Add the liquid to the flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse  until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm. (about 30 minutes)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut two sheets of parchment paper to the size of your baking sheet.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place between the sheets of parchment.
• Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.
• Remove the top sheet of parchment.
• Sprinkle the dough evenly with cinnamon sugar.
• For a random look, prick the dough all over with a fork. For a more uniform look, prick the dough evenly after cutting into squares.

• Slide the dough, on the parchment, onto a cookie sheet.
• Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into squares. Leave the uneven trimmed edges in place to keep the edges of the cookies from burning.
• Bake for 15-25 minutes, until golden brown with dark brown edges. Slice again and separate while warm or break on scored lines once cooled. 

Packing tips: Cool completely before wrapping or storing. These will keep fresh in an airtight container for 3 or more weeks. To prevent breakage as well as aid freshness, I wrap the bundles of 4 grahams in plastic wrap, then place the bundles in a large zip lock bag for shipping.