Maple Graham Crackers

We absolutely love maple syrup season! We look forward to it all year long! Tapping the trees, boiling the sap, and making really yummy things to eat with the syrup! More about that in another post!

To celebrate maple syrup season we are going to share some of our favorite maple recipes and books! We also are going to be reading and learning about Canada. It's seemed the only appropriate choice given the big, red, maple leaf on the Canadian flag.

Before we dive into our studies we need a snack. We made maple flavored graham crackers in the shape of a maple leaf.

You will need :
2 cups of flour + a little more for keeping your surface floured
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
5 TBS. of cold butter cut into chunks
1/3 cup of maple syrup (you can also use 1/3 cup of honey if you don't have any syrup)
1/2 cup of canola oil
2 tsp. of vanilla
1 1/2 TBS. of cinnamon

You will be baking these crackers at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine your flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter. On low to medium speed mix till it looks like crumbs.

Then add the syrup, oil, and vanilla. Mix it together till it forms like a moist graham cracker crumble. Like this....

At this stage I can mold it in my hands. Remove your bowl from the mixer and begin to work the dough with your hands. You should form a nice ball like this.....

If your dough seems too warm (butter softened too much from the warmth of your hands) put it in the frig for 10-15 minutes or so.

Flour your work surface. Time to roll out the dough....

You might have to sprinkle a little flour on the surface of the dough so your rolling pin doesn't stick to it.

Once your dough is rolled out to about an 1/8 of an inch thin, you can cut out your shapes.

I like to use a mini leaf cutter for bite sized crackers or I go the traditional route too.

Cut out rectangular shapes with a butter knife. Take a skewer and lay it across the middle. Press lightly to form an indentation. Then poke your holes in the top with the end of the skewer.

This is if you want to get a little bit more fancy...

Cut out your leaf shape. Take the end of the skewer and very lightly press it into the dough to form the veins on the leaf.

I chose a larger leaf cutter for this because doing this to all those tiny leaves would take waaay too long!

Now it's time to get cozy on the couch and read! Here is what we have selected:

M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet by Mike Ulmer

Exploring Countries: Canada by Colleen Sexton

Country Explorers Canada by Janice Hamilton

At Grandpa's Sugarbush by Margaret Carney and Janet Wilson

Sugar on Snow by Nan Parson Rossiter

Maple Syrup Season by Ann Purmell

Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall

Sugaring by Jessie Haas