January 28, 2013

One of my favorite chocolate cookies isn't really a cookie at all. It's a cracker: the chocolate graham cracker. Yup, those crisp, not-too sweet treats from childhood, are my favorite chocolate "cookie." 

For delicious crackers, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure success:

• Use cold fat (butter or dairy-free shortening). Like pie crust or biscuits, crackers are best when made with cold fat. The tiny pieces of cold fat release steam during baking helping to leaven the crackers.
• Roll the dough into a thin sheet. Thin dough = crisp crackers. Thick dough yields a more shortbread-type cookie than a crisp graham cracker.
• Dock and score the dough before baking. After rolling the dough into a large, thin sheet, score it with a pizza wheel and dock (prick) it all over with a fork before baking. Once the crackers are baked, it's easy to snap them apart along the score-lines. Sometimes they even pull apart during baking.

Allergy-free Modifications: This recipe is naturally free of most common allergens. It does, however, contain dairy. To make the crackers dairy-free, replace the butter with shortening and the milk with a dairy-free alternative.