Graham Cracker and Frosting Sandwiches
This is a favorite easy treat from my childhood— graham crackers with frosting! You can make them extra special with homemade graham crackers, or keep it simple and use store-bought graham crackers.
One of my favorite treats in my school lunch bag growing up was graham crackers and frosting sandwiched together. I was just as excited to eat these sandwich cookies in high school as I was in grade school. And if I’m being completely honest, I still love them as an adult!
My mom would make them whenever we had leftover frosting from another baking project, and the tradition lives on. Heck, sometimes I even plan to have extra frosting just so I can make a few of these. (And then I hide them from the kids so I don’t have to share.)
You don’t really need a recipe
This recipe is almost a non-recipe, as you can use store-bought graham crackers and any frosting you like. Here I’ve just put together my homemade honey graham crackers and my favorite whipped vanilla buttercream frosting. Two winner recipes all on their own, but when you put them together— so fun and delicious!
Homemade graham crackers make it extra special
If you’ve never made homemade graham crackers, it’s a fun baking project to try at least once! They’re not difficult to make but do require some chilling, rolling and cutting.
They’re made with a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour for a bit of nuttiness, and flavored with butter, both honey and brown sugar, cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. They’re not too sweet, but still a little cookie-like. And they’re honestly so much more delicious than the ones you get at the store.
Whether you make your own graham crackers or not, consider this your reminder to make some graham cracker and frosting sandwiches asap. Go ahead, embrace your inner child. You know you want to!
Storage suggestions (if you can wait)
These cracker sandwiches are delicious right away, but I almost prefer them after they’ve sat for a while. The frosting softens the graham crackers so they’re more cake-like. Put them in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge. The fridge solidifies the frosting so they’re more solid. Lots of tasty options!
More nostalgic treats
- Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies
- Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Here’s your recipe
Graham Cracker and Frosting Sandwiches
Ingredients
Graham Crackers:
- 1 ½ cups (170 grams) whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup (113 grams) salted butter , at room temperature
- â…“ cup (70 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- â…“ cup (112 grams) honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 grams) heavy cream
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 4 cups (455 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (226 grams) salted butter , at room temperature
- â…› teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (56 grams) heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Food coloring , optional
- Sprinkles for decorating , optional
Instructions
To make the graham crackers:
- In a bowl combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, honey and vanilla until pale and creamy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternating with the heavy cream. Scrape down the bowl between each addition.
- Divide the dough in two and shape into 2 rectangular disks. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to several days.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough out at a time into a rectangle about â…›-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or pastry wheel to cut the dough into roughly 3-inch squares. You may want to use a ruler (I did).
- Place the squares onto the prepared sheet pan ¼ inch apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. Bake until edges just begin to turn brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Graham crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks.
To make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, mix all of the ingredients on low speed until it starts to come together.
- Increase speed to high and beat for 3-4 minutes until frosting is fluffy, pausing once or twice to scrape the bowl down. If adding food coloring, mix in now until smooth.
- Use frosting as desired to cover cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc.
- Store frosting at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to several months.
To assemble cookie sandwiches:
- Spread vanilla frosting on a graham cracker and top with another cracker. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Store sandwiches in an air-tight container for several days. (I like to store mine in the fridge so the frosting is somewhat solid and doesn’t squish out while you eat it.)
I am going to make no heat s’mores chocolate frosting and marshmallow fluff as an added bonus going to add peanut butter chips.Â
Sounds amazing!
Can I make these a day ahead.
Absolutely!
As a child my mother always put leftover frosting between graham crackers – traveled well in lunch bags. Thanks for the deja vu moment!
My mom did it too with mini m & m s when those came out or sprinkles. They were a great snack. Also, she flavored the vanilla cream with a light taste of lemons or key limes. Growing up in Florida, those are very available and a great childhood snack.
When I was a kid, I loved eating graham crackers and frosting sandwiched together! My husband thought it was the strangest thing when I told him about it, so I wondered if it was just a thing with my family. Glad to see someone else loves it! I can’t imagine how tasty it would be with homemade graham crackers!