Crunchy Graham Cracker Crust Recipes

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. If desired, set aside 3 tablespoons of mixture for topping pie. Press remaining mixture firmly into bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Brush surface with beaten egg yolk.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST I

Steps:

• Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and cinnamon until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for about 1 hour.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Steps:

• If you're starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. You can also place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a little arm muscle and a rolling pin.
• Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
• Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tip: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. If making a pie, run a spoon around the bottom "corner" where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust⁠-this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you cut slices.
• For a baked dessert, pre-bake this crust per your filling recipe's directions. I usually pre-bake for 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C). For a no-bake dessert, cool the crust completely before using, unless your filling's recipe instructs otherwise.

CRUNCHY GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients until well blended.
• Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.
• Bake 8 min. or until lightly browned; cool completely.

CRISPY WHOLE WHEAT GRAHAM CRACKERS

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Combine sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, golden syrup, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then increase to medium and beat until somewhat light, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add whole wheat flour, and mix to form a soft dough.
• Scrape dough onto a work surface and knead gently to form a ball. Divide in half. Use immediately or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week; soften for 30 minutes at room temperature, then knead on a bare work surface until pliable and smooth.
• Roll and bake the dough:
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F. Generously flour a large sheet of parchment and place one portion of dough in the center. Pat into a 5-by-6-inch rectangle, sprinkle with flour, flip, and dust again. Working from the center out and adding more flour as needed, roll the dough until roughly 15-by-11 inches and very thin. Slide onto an aluminum baking sheet and brush away excess flour. Repeat with remaining dough.
• For grocery store look-alikes, score each sheet of dough into twelve 2 1/4-by-4 3/4-inch rectangles and dock with a bamboo skewer or the narrow end of a chopstick (a strictly cosmetic procedure). Otherwise, leave the dough uncut.
• Bake until crackers are tawny brown and firm, though your fingertip may leave a faint indentation, about 20 minutes. Immediately cut along the pre-scored lines with a knife, or cut into free-form shapes using a pizza wheel. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheets. Enjoy scrap pieces as a snack, or pulverize into crumbs. The grahams can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks at room temperature or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Mix it up!
• Chocolate: My mom used to sandwich chocolate graham crackers with peanut butter for an after-school snack, a combo I re-create by reducing the whole wheat flour to 10 ounces (21/4 cups), sifted with 1 ounce (1/3 cup) natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder. To retain their deep cocoa color, roll the dough in sifted cocoa powder. Serve with generous smears of peanut butter and a tall glass of milk.
• Cinnamon Sugar: We rarely had sugar-coated grahams in our pantry when I was a kid, but they were always at my best friend's house, and seemed all the more special for their rarity. For the dough, increase the cinnamon to ½ teaspoon. Before docking, dust each sheet of dough with a half batch of Cinnamon Sugar (page 44), or any Sugar Sprinkle (page 46). Otherwise, dock and bake as directed. After the crackers cool, gently tap each against the baking sheet to knock off any excess sugar.
• Coconut (vegan): Replace the butter with 5 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) virgin coconut oil (solid but creamy-about 70°F) and add 1 teaspoon pure coconut extract along with the vanilla.
• Gingerbread: This variation has all the spicy complexity of a Christmas cookie, with the unique flavor and crunch of a classic graham. Make the dough with sorghum or unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap) and increase the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon. Along with the sugar, add 1 tablespoon orange zest, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, and a few cracks of black pepper.
• Graham Cracker Crumb Crust: Combine 9 ounces (2 cups) finely ground graham cracker crumbs with 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter. Scatter into a 9-by-1 1/4-inch glass or ceramic pie plate and press into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides. Bake at 350°F until firm, about 18 minutes. Cool to room temperature for immediate use in your favorite recipe, or wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Gluten-Free: Replace the whole wheat flour with 6 ounces (11/4 cups) white rice flour, 4 ounces (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) oat flour, and 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) kinako.

FROZEN BANANA DESSERT

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter, mix until well combined
• Press almost 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto bottom of the prepared 9x9 inch dish by lightly greasing the edges of the dish with cooking spray, set in the freezer to firm while making filling
• Place bananas and lemon juice in a blender and pulse until mixture is pureed, set aside
• In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy
• In separate bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form
• Add cream cheese mixture into beaten heavy cream mix on low speed just to combine
• Add condensed milk, vanilla extract and mashed bananas and beat until combined
• Spread the filling over chilled crust and sprinkle with remaining graham cracker crumbs
• Freeze at last 6 hours or overnight

CRISPY GLUTEN-FREE GRAHAM CRACKERS (VEGAN)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, molasses, and melted coconut oil until well combined and smooth.
• Add in the oat flour, arrowroot starch, and ground flax seeds and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated. Your dough should not feel too tacky (sticking to your hands) or too dry (crumbly), but should hold its form. If the dough appears too dry, it likely just needs more mixing. If it feels sticky, it needs more oat flour.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cutting board or countertop. Place dough in the center and then place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough. Working from the center out, roll the dough into a large rectangle (~10 x 12 inches) about 1/16-inch thick. Rolling to this thickness makes these crackers crispy (our preferred texture) rather than soft. If you have any difficulty rolling the dough, place it in the fridge to chill for 10-20 minutes and then try again.
• Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into 2-inch x 3-inch rectangles (keep in mind they will expand slightly during baking). Then use a metal spatula lightly floured with oat flour to transfer to a baking sheet. If you have a hard time transferring or handling, pop in the refrigerator to chill for 5-10 minutes. Space crackers ~1 inch apart to allow for spreading.
• Continue rolling out and cutting remaining dough until you have used it all up. Prick each graham cracker twice with a fork. Recipe as written makes ~15 crackers (will vary based on how thinly they are rolled and whether modifying batch size).
• Bake for 10-14 minutes or until slightly firm and darker in color. Watch closely near the end to avoid burning.
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet, then gently transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy plain, make s'mores, or try our graham cracker crust!
• Once completely cooled, crackers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days at room temperature, 7-10 days in the fridge, or 1-2 months in the freezer. Dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month and rolled/baked after defrosting in the fridge overnight.

TOP 20 GRAHAM CRACKER DESSERT COLLECTION

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a delicious Graham Cracker dessert in 30 minutes or less!