Graham Cracker and Frosting Sandwiches
This is a favorite from my childhood— graham crackers + frosting!
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, my love for them has not waned in adulthood.
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.
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 this treat extra special, though I must confess that 97% of the time I just use graham crackers from the box.
So go ahead, embrace your inner child. You know you want to!
Graham Cracker and Frosting Sandwiches
Ingredients
Graham Crackers:
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (170 grams)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (113 grams)
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar (70 grams)
- 1/3 cup honey (112 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (125 ml)
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 4 cups powdered sugar , sifted (1 lb, 455 grams)
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (226 grams)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 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 350F/175C. 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 1/8-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 1/4 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.)
Notes
- For a quick shortcut, use store-bought graham crackers.
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!
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.
Can I make these a day ahead.
Absolutely!
I am going to make no heat s’mores chocolate frosting and marshmallow fluff as an added bonus going to add peanut butter chips.
Sounds amazing!