HONEY CINNAMON GRAHAM CRACKERS

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

After Christmas this year I wanted gluten-free grahams or shortbreads for a Lithuanian cooking demo I was giving. Below is the recipe for my own gluten-free version of honey cinnamon graham crackers.

Gluten-Free Honey Cinnamon Graham Crackers 

Ingredients:

• ¾ c (3oz) my gluten-free flour mix – see below
• ¼ c (1oz)  almond meal/flour – Trader Joe’s at $5/lb, Costco 3 lbs for $12, Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur $10-12/lb.  All labeled gluten free.
• ½ tsp (3ml) xanthan gum
• ¼-1/2 tsp salt – decide on how much you want after first time of baking
• 1+1/2 tsp (8ml) gf baking powder
• ¾ tsp cinnamon – or more after first baking (2 tsp of ground ginger for ginger snaps.)
• 2 oz (60 ml)  half a stick of really soft butter – (Earth Balance instead of butter, coconut oil has so little flavor for this cookie, but up to you)
• 2 tbsp (30ml) honey or 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp corn syrup if honey flavor is too strong.
• 1 tsp (5ml) gf vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp (1+1/4 oz, 45 ml)  light brown sugar – 4 tbsp (1/4 c, 60 ml)  was too sweet for me, so I reduced light brown sugar but kept honey for flavor and liquid content in making dough.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Always mix dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, almond, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, cinnamon) together first and whisk or stir to get rid of any lumps.

2. Beat really soft butter, honey, vanilla and light brown sugar together until light and creamy. 1-2 minutes.

3. Add dry ingredients and slowly mix until it becomes a soft dough that is only scoopable not rollable.

4. I used a #60, 1 tbsp scoop (mine is pampered chef-Home Goods often carry stainless steel scoops at good price) to evenly scoop out dough onto lined baking sheet.  Don’t use black pan. Don’t have dough over flowing in scoop. Place scoops of dough at least 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Sprinkle scoops of dough with sugar. Use the bottom of a glass or similar flat surface (decorative cookie mold might also leave a nice impression) to flatten scoops to a little over 2” across. I used the white plastic food pusher tube insert from my food processor. If your kitchen is very warm you will have to ‘peel’ dough off glass. They will spread to about 2+1/2” on baking.

5. Place in preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes to start.  I cooked mine for 15 minutes total and they were just starting to over brown and taste burnt.  They will still be softly firm to the touch as they crisp up on cooling, they will have barely changed color due to cinnamon coloring dough.  Lift up a cookie to see if base is over browned and therefore nasty tasting. You will have to adjust times according to your oven, the pan -stoneware tends not to burn on the bottom, and size of scoop. Grahams that I flattened cool to crisp, if you don’t flatten they are chewier.

Store in air tight tin.

My Gluten-Free Flour Mix

• ½ cup potato starch or arrowroot starch for those with nightshade problems
• ¼ c tapioca starch – note there is a difference in tapioca starch from different brands
• 2 tbsp amaranth or millet flour: Bob’s Red Mill (millet is roughly one third the price of amaranth, is not so nutritious, but is more readily available.)
• 2 tbsp sorghum flour: Bob’s Red Mill