When you are the queen of icebox cakes, you wear a gown of whipped cream and sit upon the Graham cracker throne. It's a nice place to be—a little sticky, though ultimately very chill. But wait a second, what are these things, anyway? Graham crackers? The base for icebox cakes, main ingredient for cheesecake crusts across the land, the bookends of s'mores, the crust for this awesome tart and don't forget the crumble topping on that ice cream—where the hell did they come from?
Sylvester Graham, sort of a Colonial Dr. Oz whose portrait is captured for all of eternity (even on throw pillows) in a tragic crossed-eye pose, was a health nut in high socks. Dude was obsessed with stone-ground, unbolted (not sifted, therefore super coarse) flour, and the general philosophy that what you eat affects your livelihood and probability for disease/sin. He was first and foremost a preacher and a great speaker, so, like Dr. Oz, his words caught on. He spurred a small movement when he wrote his Treatise on Bread and Bread-Making (1837), which mentioned stuff about how commercial bakers are suspect and you should bake your bread at home. I'll gloss over the part where he rants about how only wives and mothers should bake bread, and you can also read more about his theory of repressing evil sexual urges with wheat flour here. But yeah, he's the star of the show.
Later in the century, Graham flour (a coarser whole wheat flour, essentially) became thing because of him, and varying recipes for Graham crackers starting popping up, though most are just flour + water. In the wonderful Feeding America archive, I found one in The Woman Suffrage Cookbook from circa 1886 that calls for only cream, milk, and flour. You knead the dough for 20 minutes, roll thin, cut into squares or rounds, and bake for 20 minutes. Pack them in a stone jar, she notes. Sounds...bland if you ask me.
Then we've got Dr. Trall, a superfan of Graham, who sold Dr. Trall's Famous Graham Crackers, made since 1865, by mail order "for Dyspeptics and Invalids"—fun! While placing your order, you could also throw in a box or two of Laxative Biscuits if the spirit wasn't moving you. People weren't buying these crackers because they were delicious, but in 1898, the National Biscuit Company (which became Nabisco in 1971) was the first to manufacture the crackers on a huge scale, with a more palatable recipe. Soon they were made with shortening, molasses, and sugar. It wasn't until 1934 that Nabisco released their Honey Maid Graham Crackers, the ones we know and love and let dissolve in the mouths of toddlers today.
Poor fanatical Sylvester, if only he knew the sugary treats his tasteless bread have evolved into. Oh well! Let's bake with them.
Strawberry Lime Tart with Graham Crust
Pie crust is generally a thing I avoid at all costs for confidence reasons (I'll get there eventually!), so I'm all about the galette AKA lazy pie. Even when you mess it up it looks "rustic" and therefore "perfect." I can live with that standard, definitely. The crust is just soooo much easier than dealing with all of that cold butter and whatever a lattice is. You crush 7 Graham crackers, measure out a cup, and then mix them with salt, flour, sugar, melted butter, and an egg to keep things all stuck together when baked. The Graham crackers add a nutty flavor, a subtle sweetness, and their sandy texture makes the crust a little more tender. They also give it the color of reclaimed wood (=mega rustic). The filling—strawberries, sugar, lime zest—is even easier, so why are you still reading this??
I'm so enamored by this surprisingly easy recipe I wrote about it in the small hopes of changing the world (casual). So I didn't change the world! But I repeat: make this recipe, crumble graham crackers on top, bookmark recipe to make again later.
BA's Best Cheesecake is perfect in every way. The crust is Graham crackers, sugar, salt, and butter. Make it.
Can you tell this is a Thanksgiving recipe? The sweater sort of gives it away. I made this pumpkin spice latte-inspired icebox cake no less than three times last holiday season. Every single iteration, my guests ate the whole thing because they have no shame and sweater season is forgiving. The Graham crackers get coated with espresso, a layer of mascarpone whipped cream, and doctored up pumpkin filling. It's CRAZY.