Today: Gluten free graham crackers… and Peeps.

If the Easter Bunny left you with a heap of Peeps, I’ve got a plan for you.  It involves making gluten free graham crackers (that’s the only hard part, and it’s really not that hard… I mean, I was able to do it), committing Peepicide in your microwave and consuming 14,000 calories in the span of mere seconds.  You with me?

Gluten free graham crackers

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of brown rice flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 5 tbs cold, unsalted butter
• 6 tbs almond milk
• 3 tbs agave nectar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly dusted with brown rice flour
• Using a food processor or stand mixer, combine dry ingredients
• Add butter, mixing until no large pieces are visible
• Add almond milk and agave nectar and mix until dough is formed
• Move dough to baking sheet and form into a rectangle and sprinkle lightly with additional brown rice flour
• Add a second sheet of parchment paper on top of dough and roll out until the dough is approximately 1/4 inch thick (you may need to trim excess dough from the edges of the pan)
• Remove the top sheet of parchment and score dough (I used a butter knife, but a pastry wheel or pizza cutter would likely work better), making graham cracker squares
• Prick the dough all over with a fork or toothpick
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned
• Remove the graham crackers and transfer to a wire rack to cool, parchment and all
• Once the crackers have cooled completely, break along scored lines

Notes: I adapted this recipe from glutenfreebaking.com.  I am sure you could play around with which gluten free flour  and milk you use, and substitute honey for agave nectar.  The dough is a bit dry, but it might make a good pie crust with the addition of some oil.

I found these tasty graham crackers to be less sweet than the graham crackers of my childhood (and non-gluten allergic adulthood), but in a good way.  Plus, Peeps are straight up sugar, so it all balances out in the end.  Sort of.  I melted a Peep in the microwave and sandwiched it, along with a bit of chocolate, between two grahams.  I recommend you do the same, but with one caveat:

There is a fine line between melty, gooey Peep and full on exploded Peep, so keep an eye on your microwave.  You have been warned.

I hope you enjoyed a very happy Easter.  We hit the road with Clark the Easter Frenchie (click the link for a video of him sitting in a basket, wearing rabbit ears, chomping on a carrot…) and spent a lovely, sugary day with our Peeps families.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Early morning Easter WOD at CrossFit Southie
• Peeps on Facebook = hilarious
• Smart idea: a trash can composter

Are you a salty or sweets person?