I am pleased to announce that crumbly graham cracker crusts are no longer going to be a problem I have to deal with. I have always been frustrated by how the traditional graham cracker crust turned out for me.It made perfect sense to me... I mean, really: crushed up graham crackers, sugar, and butter... there's no glue in there! What is supposed to hold it all together?
Fortunately, the cure is simple and wonderful. If you add one single egg yolk to the mixture, you end up with a perfect graham cracker crust that holds it's own once baked.
Perfect Graham Cracker Crust
Yield: enough for one pie/tart shell
1 pouch graham crackers (there are usually three pouches per box, 9 full sized crackers per pouch)
4 TBS melted and cooled butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
dash cinnamon
Grind the graham crackers into a fine meal. A food processor is easiest, but you can also use a rolling pin and a plastic bag. Then add the remaining ingredients into the mixture and be sure everything is well incorporated. Press into whichever mold or tart shell you choose and bake in a 400 degree F oven until the crust is gently golden, between 8 and 12 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your shell.
Question...You say to use a pouch of graham crackers. Are you aware that Nabisco only puts 9 crackers in the pouch now? So are we using 9 or 11 crackers? And I have to admit the egg yolk threw me, but I totally understand using it. And no matter how many crackers I use I will try it with the egg yolk.
ReplyDeleteI was totally not aware that some brands are shorting the pouch! I suppose it shouldn't surprise me... seems like everything these days are being made cheaper. OK. Point break. I just went to my pantry and got out my box of HoneyMaid graham crackers. Their pouches also only have 9 crackers! I guess my recipe uses 9 crackers. Huh. Thanks for pointing out that there may be differences out there between brands!
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