The Cookie I Can’t Resist

I am a total cookie monster. While I will always say yes to a chocolate chip cookie, my ultimate weakness are graham crackers. My husband and I chatted about how his grandmother would use them to make ice cream sandwiches. My grandmother would serve them with frosting. Make these with those you love, and develop your own traditions.

The History of Graham Crackers

Originally, graham crackers were created as a “health” food. Sylvester Graham, a minister, created them with whole wheat flour. He felt eating whole grains helped people avoid certain diseases. (Including “societal” diseases. So weird.) While true that whole grains DO improve health, he was off on a few things.

Apparently graham crackers are truly a United States phenomenon. In the UK, the closest to a graham cracker is their “digestive biscuit.” Supposedly, our graham crackers are a bit more sweet that digestive biscuits. However, they also use ground digestive biscuits to make pie crusts, so that’s close enough in my book!

What is Teff Flour and What Else Can I Use?

The first time I made the dough for these gluten free graham crackers, I used buckwheat. At that time, I used them for my gluten free mallomars recipe. However, I felt the cracker needed a deeper flavor, so I used Bob’s Red Mill Teff Flour. It added the perfect deepened flavor I sought out.

Teff, a very fine grain, grows primarily in Africa. While we are most familiar with the dark brown variety, it also grows in white and red varities. Teff is the primary ingredient in authentic ethiopian injera, a flat bread popular in Ethiopian cuisine. Just be careful ordering it at a restaurant, as they often add wheat to their recipe.

If you can’t find teff flour, you can use buckwheat flour instead. Brown rice flour may work as well. Alternately, you could use gluten free all purpose flour for all the flour in the recipe, and try using molasses instead of honey. The first time I made these last summer, I used teff AND molasses, and it was a bit much. I think if you used all purpose flour and molasses, it should be about the right depth of flavor.

Can These Be Made Dairy Free?

I always try to think of the top 8 allergens when making a recipe. As written, this recipe contains no gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts or  nuts. Definitely no fish or shellfish. However, this recipe contains dairy, as it contains butter.

However, the trick becomes swapping out the butter. You could try using something like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Vegan Butter. (I’ve tried neither.) Bojon Gourmet recommended Miyoko’s, and Sarah Bakes Gluten Free uses Earth Balance. So pick your fave.

S’mores and More

These gluten free graham crackers create the perfect snack any time of day. However, should you want to take it to the next level, use them for S’mores or any other type of treat. While standard chocolate bars are a favorite, I tried Reese’s thins, and now my husband believes all S’mores should be made this way.

You can also turn these gluten free graham crackers into crumbs for all sorts of desserts. Make my Gluten Free S’mores Bars, or this Single Serve Gluten Free Cheesecake. As spring inches closer, this Lemon-Blueberry Icebox Cake from Iowa Girl Eats would be a perfect use for my graham crackers. And don’t forget the traditional Eclair Cake recipe, using pudding, graham crackers and a rich chocolate topping!

Recipe

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Gluten Free Graham Crackers

Course Recipes

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, 3 Pounds
• Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat Flour, Gluten Free, 22 oz
• Maskal Teff Brown Teff Flour, 14 Ounce

Ingredients

• 2 c gluten free flour I used Cup 4 Cup
• 1/4 cup gluten free teff flour You can also use buckwheat flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 7 tbsp cold butter cubed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp ice cold water may need 4 tbsp

Instructions

• In a food processor, combine flours, brown sugar, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Give it a few pulses to combine ingredients. 
• Next, add cubed cold butter to processor and pulse until mixture starts to look sandy. You want most of the butter to be processed into the dough, but a few unprocessed bits are okay. 
• Next, add vanilla and honey. Pulse to combine. Then add ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time until dough begins to form. If you use a different flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill you may need to add another tablespoon of water. 
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth. Wrap in saran wrap (or put in container with lid) and refrigerate overnight, or at least 2-3 hours. 
• Remove dough from fridge and allow to rest about 10 minutes to allow to warm, slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough so that it measures 1/8 of an inch in depth. Cut out into 2 x 2 squares, and use a fork to pierce a pattern in the dough, if desired. 
• Place cut out squares on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and chill for 30 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. After dough has chilled, bake graham crackers for 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Bake longer for a crunchier graham cracker.
• Allow graham crackers to completely cool. Place graham crackers on a cooling rack, on top of the parchment paper.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy a gluten free graham cracker? Do you top yours or use them plain? If you use graham cracker crumbs to make a pie crust, what’s your favorite filling? Share in the comments below! 

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Scalloped Potatoes Vs Au Gratin Potatoes

Crunchy bits and cheese. Technically, these are the two major differences between scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes. By definition, scalloped potatoes contain neither. However, people often interchange the two. For example, my friend Amanda at Eat At Our Table calls her family’s version Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, even though it contains cheese and crackers. As long as it tastes great, who cares what it’s called!

Regardless of what you call this dish, choose the correct bakeware. I chose to use my ceramic Staub 2 qt gratin dish. Ceramic bakeware holds heat well, and can be placed under the broiler, unlike glass bakeware. It can go from oven to table, then from fridge to microwave with no issues. Can’t do that with a metal pan!

What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?

Let’s get cooking. First things, first, my husband was right. In selecting potatoes for this dish, I first used russet potatoes. Which work fine. However, he recommended white potatoes. Lemme say after multiple attempts, his suggestion of white potatoes worked better. How he knows all this stuff, I don’t know. He needs to go on Jeopardy.

Secondly, after three attempts at these gluten free au gratin potatoes, I decided my idea of soaking the potatoes was not ideal. This washes off the additional starch in the potato, which we want! It is key to making a richer sauce as the potatoes cook. Finally, while some suggest using a food processor or mandalin, I slice my potatoes by hand. Just try to keep them as uniform and thin as possible.

Ratio of Cream to Cheese to Potatoes

The first time I attempted these gluten free au gratin potatoes, I tried to copy the sauce from Schar’s macaroni and cheese recipe. They start a roux with their crushed Table Crackers. Yeah, that doesn’t work here. Many recipes suggest using milk and flour. However, I wanted to keep this as simple as possible. Therefore, I went with the heavy cream + cheese method.

I consulted many cream based recipes. After looking at Once Upon a Chef’s recipe for Potatoes Au Gratin, I settled on a simple ratio. For every 8 oz of potato, I use 1/2 cup of cream and 1/4 cup of cheese. Extrapolate that to 2 lbs of potatoes, and you get 2 cups of cream and a cup of cheese. (If you’re not a fan of dairy, this recipe isn’t for you.)

Gluten Free Saltine Crackers

As mentioned previously, the difference between gluten free scalloped potatoes and gluten free au gratin potatoes is the presence of cheese or a crunchy topping. Since I’m an over achiever, I did both! In groups, I often see people asking about a good replacement for saltine crackers. Without fail, I always mention Schar Table Crackers.

Therefore, I chose to highlight them in this dish. I mean, these crackers taste amazing on their own. It’s a good thing they come in individual packs of 6 crackers. Otherwise, I might eat the whole package in one setting! However, they work great in casseroles and anything needing a bit of crunch.

What To Serve with Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes

I chose to make this dish after a handful of people on my Facebook page said Easter isn’t Easter without potatoes. But what to serve with it? We don’t eat pork, so ham was right out. Therefore, I made Iowa Girl Eats’ Perfect Roast Chicken. Being spring, I lean towards making Brussels sprouts, even though they’re not in the picture.

Other people mentioned rolls, therefore I made gluten free crescent rolls. Many mentioned deviled eggs, but my husband won’t touch those with a ten foot pole. Since I don’t want to eat them all myself, I passed. For dessert, I remade my mother in law’s Easter cake, filled with homemade lemon curd. You should too.

Live Simply – Delegate

Can I be honest? I made the rolls, chicken, lemon curd, frosted the cake, and  potatoes all in one day. AND I HURT. My feet hurt. My back hurt. I don’t know how people do all this in one day! For certain, holiday meals are not for the faint of heart. Pace yourself friends – this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Definitely make a written plan, and time your dishes accordingly. Make what you can the day ahead. Think through what oven space you have to work with. Suggest others help by bringing dishes to round things out. I think Aunt Esther can safely bring Jello. Uncle Bob can bring the olives and pickles. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALL!

Need Dairy Free, Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes?

As mentioned, my recipe contains lots of milk and cheese. If you need a dairy free version, I recommend The Pretty Bee’s version of Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes. Looking for that cheesy flavor? Try this Creamy Vegan Potato Au Gratin from Allergylicious.

Recipe

Print

Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes

Equipment

• Schär Shop – Table Crackers
• Hamilton Beach Food Processor 10 Cups
• Staub Ceramic Baking Dish Set, 3pc, Dark Blue

Ingredients

For the base

• 2 lbs white potatoes 8 medium
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the topping

• 3 tbsp butter melted
• 9 Schar table crackers crushed
• 3/4 c shredded Gouda or Swiss cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Wash and peel potatoes, and slice as thin as possible. Cut to uniform width, using a mandolin if necessary. 
• Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. (You will do 4 layers, so use a quarter of what you have.) Sprinkle the top of the potatoes with salt and pepper (You choose how much. I’d say no more than a 1/4 tsp of salt and an 1/8 tsp of pepper per layer. I did not measure it when i made them.)
• Then top the potatoes with 1/2 cup of cream and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. I used Cheddar, but you can use something else if you wish. 
• Repeat for three more layers until all ingredients are used up. 
• Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. 
• While potatoes are baking, crush 9 Schar table crackers, and mix with the 3 tbsp melted butter and 3/4 c shredded Gouda cheese. (If you’re not a big fan of a crunchy topping, you can reduce it to 6 crackers (crushed), 2 tbsp melted butter, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.) 
• After the first 30 minutes of baking, remove casserole from oven, and remove foil. Sprinkle coating on top and return to oven. Bake for another 30-45 minutes, until potatoes are cooked to desired tenderness. (I cooked mine for 30 minutes more, but you might like yours more tender than I do.) 
• Serve hot. I served 6 with this 2 quart casserole dish. 

**Schar sponsored this post by compensating me for my time and talents. In addition, Staub sent me the gratin dish featured in this recipe, free of charge. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no extra expense to you. Thank you for your continued support!**

Originally Published April 2019

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