sweet essentials: graham cracker crust

How To Make sweet essentials: graham cracker crust

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  Step 1
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 2
  Graham Crackers There are a lot of different brands of graham crackers out there in the wide world, and you can even purchase bags of pre-ground crackers. The purpose of this crust is to help balance the flavors of the filling. So, if you have a really sweet filling, you might want to cut back on the sugar and honey; however, if your filling is really tart, like a lemon pie, you might want to increase them a bit. It is all about balance.
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  Step 3
  The Sugar & Honey I prefer coconut sugar because it carries a deeper, robust sweetness, plus it is considered healthier for you than processed granular sugars. Whatever type you choose, if you decide to go with coconut, use a bit less. As for the honey, I love the taste of clover honey, and always try to get a brand that is harvested from local bees. Eating honey harvested from local bees can be beneficial for your health. Local, raw honey contains pollen and other natural compounds that may help reduce allergy symptoms and offer other potential health benefits.
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  Step 4
  The Butter I almost always use unsalted sweet butter when baking, and the main reason is that it allows me to control the sodium in the recipe. For example, I use Kerrygold butter, salted and unsalted. It is from Ireland, where their cows are not given hormones to stimulate milk production, like here in the United States. But their salted version of butter contains 800g of sodium per stick. Land O’ Lakes butter has 720g per stick, and Organic Valley has 600g per stick. So, when you are baking, and the recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt, if you are also using salted butter, you are probably adding too much sodium. In a baking recipe, unless it specifically calls for using “salted” butter, it almost certainly assumes you are using the unsalted version.
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  Step 5
  Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
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  Step 6
  Place graham crackers, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and grind until ground into crumbs.
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  Step 7
  Do not grind it into a powder, just small crumbs.
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  Step 8
  Place the ground graham crackers into a bowl, then add the melted butter and honey, then use a fork to combine ingredients until fully incorporated.
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  Step 9
  Pour mixture into pie plate or springform pan.
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  Step 10
  Tamp down into the bottom of the pan and press up the sides.
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  Step 11
  Use your fingers to pack crumbs into the sides of the pie pan.
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  Step 12
  To pre-bake the crust, place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350f/175c. Then add the crust and bake for about 12 – 15 minutes. Allow to cool before adding the filling.
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  Step 13
  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Step 14
  Serve as a dessert, or just by itself.
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  Step 15
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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  Step 16
  Namaste’
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