The flavors of gingerbread are one of my favorite parts about the holiday season—there’s just something magical about molasses and spice. And while I’ll never turn down a sugary gingerbread cookie, I was interested to see if I could create a more savory snack. After all, I’d just experimented with gingerbread croutons, and those were so good I ate them straight from the cooling rack.
I knew I wanted something bite-size that I could snack on throughout the day, which got me thinking about my favorite childhood snacks. While I don't eat Teddy Grahams too often anymore, I used to love them as a kid—especially the chocolate ones.
Using Teddy Grahams as my inspiration, I decided to create a whole-wheat gingerbread version—subbing molasses for honey, amping up the spices, and cutting mini gingerbread men from the dough. Making them from scratch eliminates the laundry list of additives you'll find in the store-bought kind, which is why I'm a big fan of making snacks at home.
Straight from the oven, these will be a slightly soft and chewy, but as they cool they will firm up a bit. Because they aren't overly sweet, they can act as a snack that doesn’t feel like dessert. Dip ‘em in peanut butter or even pair them with cheese—they’d be a fun addition to any holiday platter!! You can also find the recipe on Cooking Light's Simmer & Boil.
Whole-Wheat Gingerbread Grahams
Makes 45-60 grahams, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 2 1/2 tbsp. molasses
- 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the unsalted butter, molasses, and water. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until a soft dough forms. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour or so.
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out about 1/4 inch thick. Use a small cookie cutter to cut shapes of your choice, combining and re-rolling scraps as necessary.
Place the cut-outs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly puffed and the bottoms are golden-brown.
Let cool completely, then pile in a dish to serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container.