Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: With our Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers Recipe, everyone’s favorite afternoon snack is transformed into a toasty, chocolatey, honeyed, crispy delight. In only 45 minutes, your kitchen will smell divine, and you’ll be preparing to bite into the most elevated, mouthwatering Grahams imaginable!

• Luscious flavor, perfect crunch: The layered flavor profile blends nutty, toasty, slightly earthy notes with indulgent cocoa and buttery honey.
• Easy family baking project: You’ll adore this enhanced version of a nostalgic favorite, and it’s the perfect recipe to make as a family. Kids are going to gobble these up, and they’ll appreciate them even more if they help mix, roll out, and prick the dough with a fork.

I’ve heard from the Bold Baking community that Chocolate Graham Crackers are getting harder to find in the grocery store. Happily, you don’t have to rely on what’s stocked in your market to enjoy your favorite snacks! Use our genius recipes for Healthy Granola Bars, Blueberry Fruit Leather, and Easy Homemade Pocky Sticks. Bonus: they contain quality ingredients (with real chocolate and no artificial flavor or high fructose corn syrup) and taste so much better than store-bought!

Table of Contents

• What are Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Can I Make Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers in Advance?
• FAQs
• More Cracker Recipes

What are Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers?

• Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers are mildly sweet snack crackers flavored with cocoa, honey, and butter. The dough is rolled out, cut into rectangular shapes, pricked with a fork to ensure even cooking, and baked.
• Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers have a richer taste than regular Graham crackers. Although their sweetness level is subtle, their deep cocoa flavor satisfies a chocolate craving and makes them perfect for desserts.
• Graham Crackers were first made in the 1800s by Sylvester Graham, an American minister who promoted a healthy, whole-food diet, including a coarsely-ground flour that came to be known as Graham flour that he baked into Graham crackers. This health food gradually evolved into a sweet treat when a chocolate version came out in the late 20th century.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Two baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Spoon
• Rolling pin
• Pizza cutter

Key Ingredients and Why

Powdered sugar

• Powdered sugar, also known as confectioners’ or icing sugar, sweetens the Chocolate Graham Crackers.
• Powdered sugar is made by finely grinding sugar. Its powdery consistency means it mixes well with the dough without being gritty.
• You can make your own powdered sugar easily with our recipe.

Whole wheat flour

• Whole wheat gives the crackers a hearty, slightly nutty flavor that’s similar to Graham flour
• Whole wheat flour is ideal in this recipe because although it has a similar flavor profile to Graham flour, it isn’t as coarse and gives the crackers a crisper consistency.

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour used in conjunction with whole wheat flour yields a smoother dough.
• With a protein content of 9-11%, all-purpose flour gives the right amount of gluten to create a structure that helps crackers keep their shape.

Dutch-processed cocoa

• Dutch-processed cocoa gives the Graham crackers the perfect full and balanced chocolate flavor.
• Dutch-processed cocoa has a mild, smooth chocolate taste because it’s been washed with an alkaline solution to neutralize acidity.  
• The Dutch-processed cocoa gives the crackers a beautiful dark brown color.

Baking powder

• Baking powder (which contains the dry acid cream of tartar) is the leavening agent that’s always used with Dutch-processed cocoa.

Salt

• Salt enhances the cocoa, honey, and toasty whole-wheat flavors in this recipe.

Butter

• The fat in butter gives Chocolate Graham Crackers a delicate texture that’s both tender and crisp. Butter also keeps the crackers from being too dry.
• Butter also gives the crackers a rich, lush flavor.

Honey

• Honey sweetens the Chocolate Graham Crackers.
• Additionally, honey adds a warm floral that is characteristic of Graham crackers.
• Because honey naturally retains moisture, it keeps the crackers from becoming too dry and brittle.

Milk

• Milk binds the ingredients together and makes the dough pliable.
• Milk’s fat and proteins contribute to the crackers’ tender crumb.

How to Make Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• The method for making these crackers is similar to pie crust. Work quickly to keep the butter cold so that your crackers bake up light and crisp.
• These crackers are a very dark chocolate and it can be hard to tell by sight whether they are done baking. Look for the tell-tale sign: They will look dry on the surface. However, smell is a better indicator. Once they begin to smell deeply chocolately, they’re done.
• Use these Graham crackers to make a chocolate cookie crust by following the same method as my regular cookie crust.
• Make chocolate cinnamon Graham crackers by sprinkling a generous amount of cinnamon sugar on the crackers just before baking.
• Use these for oven-baked s’mores: place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, top with chopped chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows, then bake at 350°F (180°C) until the marshmallows are toasted, about 5-10 minutes. (You can even spread a thin layer of salted peanut butter on the crackers before you add the chocolate and marshmallows for a sweet-salty contrast!). Homemade Marshmallow Fluff is delicious spread on these as well!

Can I Make Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers in Advance?

Yes, you can make Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers in advance.

• Make the dough and freeze: Prepare the dough, shape it into a disc, wrap it well in cling film, and put it in a freezer bag for extra protection. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling out, cutting, and baking.
• Make the dough, roll out, and cut, and freeze: Roll out the dough and cut into rectangles as directed in the recipe. Place in an airtight container, separating the layers of crackers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
• Bake the Graham crackers and store at room temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
• Bake the Graham crackers at freeze: Cool Graham crackers completely, wrap well in cling film, and put in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for one to two hours.

How to Store Leftover Chocolate Graham Crackers

• At room temperature: Leftover Chocolate Graham Crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
• In the freezer: Wrap leftover Chocolate Graham Crackers well and place them in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for one to two hours.

FAQs

• Why aren’t these crackers made from Graham flour?
  • Whole wheat flour and Graham flour are very similar. Both are whole-grain wheat flours.
  • Whereas in whole wheat flour, the entire kernel is ground together, with Graham flour, the three parts of the wheat kernel are ground separately and then combined into a coarse mixture.
  • Using whole wheat flour in this recipe gives the same flavor as Graham flour, but yields a smoother dough that’s not as coarse and gritty as crackers made with Graham flour.
• Can I make these gluten-free?
  • You can substitute almond flour in a one-to-one ratio for the wheat flour, but note that the crackers may lack the signature taste and texture of Graham crackers made with whole wheat flour.
  • Almond flour typically requires more egg or binding agent, so the recipe might need to be altered.
  • Here’s a good rule of thumb to follow when substituting a different flour in a recipe: use up to three-quarters of the amount of liquid called for, and then add more if needed to get your dough to the desired consistency.
  • You can also use a 1:1 gluten All-purpose gluten free flour.
• How can I get these to look like traditional Graham crackers?
  • If you want these to look like traditional Graham crackers, try my technique:
    • First, I use my ruler and a knife to cut the dough into even squares.
    • Then using my knife, I draw a line down the center of the cookie.
    • Using a fork, I prick 3 sets of holes on either side of the line.
    • This helps the cookies bake evenly and makes them easy to break in half and snack on once baked

More Cracker Recipes

• Homemade Graham Crackers
• Homemade Cheez-Its with Real Cheddar
• Absolutely Adorable Homemade Animal Crackers
• Buttery Homemade Ritz Crackers
• 4-Ingredient Homemade Goldfish Crackers

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