The flavor of Chai! It does wonders to my senses and brings back memories of studying like a crazy person in the local Starbucks while attending LSU. I was a staple at Starbucks, I am pretty sure they might still remember me if I walked in and ordered a chocolate chip cookie (duh?) and a Venti Chai Latte. It was my thing, my signature drink and God bless him, my husband to this day remembers to bring me one in the fall when he is near a Starbucks.
In honor of the cooler weather (Note: I didn’t say colder- that just doesn’t happen here in South Texas during the fall) I wanted to do a slight twist on my favorite cold weather drink of choice and make it into a dessert. This is no typical dessert. The strong aromatic flavors of the spices and the rich sweetness of chocolate make for the perfect flavor to graham crackers. Not only are these graham crackers but they are gluten free graham crackers if you so chose (by substituting the All-Purpose flour with homemade Cup4Cup mix) .Typically I am the dessert lover in the house. If I make a cake, I usually have 3/4 of it, a pie- hubs will maybe have a slice or two but graham crackers.. For some reason graham crackers speak to both my boys and my man. Of course kids love these crunchy bars but for adults I think they remind us of being a child and it just warms our heart and might I say satisfies our stomach:)
These Chocolate Chai Graham Crackers will make the perfect ending to a comforting hearty soup or simply drop them off at a friends’ house this fall and bring someone unexpected JOY!
I now hold you personally responsible to make this dessert:)
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour or same amount using Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour Mix (Click Here for my Homemade Version)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional cocoa powder for flouring surface
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Chai Spice Mix:
- 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flours, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, chai mix and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined. Add butter and pulse, scraping down sides as necessary until pea-sized chunks remain, 1 to 2 minutes.
- In a medium bowl whisk together honey, milk, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stream mixture into the food processor while running; dough should come together in a ball after a minute or two. Divide dough into two balls, flatten into large disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is slightly firm, about 30 minutes.
- On a large surface lightly floured with cocoa powder roll dough out to ⅛” thick. Using your cutter of choice, cut out rounds or rectangles and transfer to parchment lined baking sheets. Prick cookies with a fork and bake for 8-10 minutes or until dry to the touch. Halfway through baking remove cookies from oven and sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. When cookies are done remove from baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Now don’t these sound wonderful! I too love the taste of chai. Although I am not really into gluten-free baking per se, I often use almond flour. It’s a product I was first introduced to many years ago in pastry school. Almond flour, along with hazelnut flour, has been a pantry staple for me since the 70’s. I have got to make these. I bet we’ll gobble them up. Thanks!
Wow not only do these sound amazingly delish they’re gorgeous as well!
Oh Jessica, you are tempting me with the chocolate today I see lol. I absolutely love this. Of course I’d add some ice cream along with these crackers probably but you didn’t hear that from me lol. Great recipe as always
Oh these look awesome and I think they are high on my list to make this week!!
I’ve wanted to make graham crackers for ages and these look like the perfect place to start. 🙂
Jessica – now this is cool. I mean really cool – chocolate and chai together? Genius!
Besides being great for munching, I bet these would make a lovely crumb pie crust!! YUM.
Wow! These crackers look just lovely!
I remember Starbucks from when we visited the UK – sadly we don’t have one here yet… I know, we are in the dark ages.
Your graham crackers look heavenly!
Have a beautiful day Belle.
🙂 Mandy xo
I have two words for these – gorgeous & amazing. Love your presentation with the kitchen twine.
Sam
Graham crackers totally remind me of being a kid. They were a special treat at Grandma’s house and sometimes at home. I remember on vacations we would take hikes and PB&J graham cracker sandwiches were always packed. They still make me smile. And your homemade versions are just too cute for words! What a clever idea. Love the top photo too. The string tied around is so cute!
Gorgeous and delicious!! Love it!
Ooh chocolate chai sounds like such a great flavor combination! And your photos are gorgeous!
I have been seen these crackers a lot all these years and I am wondering about their taste. I want to see if there is anything similar here in Greece. Your version with chocolate has increased my curiosity even more!
I don’t usually think of graham crackers as a snack all on their own…but these are so flavorful that they totally are!!
Oh wow! These looks wonderful and so perfectly made! Love these!
This recipe reminds me of the Graham Crackers I used to eat out of a box when I was a child (those brown honey-colored ones). We used to make S’mores with them. I’ve always wondered how Graham Crackers got that crispy crunchy texture- I’ll have to try your recipe and find out!
Oh my God!, this is going to be my favorite graham cracker.
chai spices and cocoa? mm..they sound wonderful and i love the shapes of these cookies as how you made them!
Those chocolate and chai flavoured crackers look perfect, Jess.
p.s the link to your gf mix doesn’t work..I think there’s an extra http at the end.
I recently discovered the CHAI Latte at Starbucks and I started a love affiar with cardamom as a result. Graham crackers were also a favorite childhood treat for me. i could eat an entire box :-). Interesting, combination of flavors in your graham crackers…….Delightful! A very grown-up version of a classic treat. Love it.
Velva
These crackers sure look beautiful Jessica, I do enjoy the flavours of chai but have not thought to pair them with chocolate. I usually don’t make cake unless we have people over or it goes directly to the neighbours or freezer depending on what I have coming up.
Oh how I love those Chai spices!
Homemade graham crackers? Your kids are SUPER lucky! Well I especially love the “chai” part in this recipe… besides homemade, it’s impossible to make anything with Chai… I really like these crackers!!
I really have to make these for my brother-in-law. They are beautiful and look so yum. Just pinned!