Recipe: D.I.Y. Graham Cracker Crust

Graham cracker crusts are considered much more foolproof than the elusively flaky pastry crust. There is no longstanding debate over lard versus shortening versus butter, or what temperature your marble pastry board should be. No - graham cracker crusts are much more egalitarian, and we like easy crusts this time of year.

Also, they smack of healthy eating, even though all the butter that goes into a graham cracker crust is really something to see. They have a nutty, buttery crunch that goes with so many holiday pies and desserts. See our easy directions here for baking your own.

Storebought graham cracker crusts are too fine and gritty for our taste; we like to leave our crackers a little chunkier for more crunchy texture. Also, storebought ones are loaded with preservatives. Find hearty, homestyle crackers like Trader Joe's cinnamon grahams, or Mi-Del honey grahams for great flavor and texture.

D.I.Y. Graham Cracker Crust
1 9-inch pie crust

About 12 full-size graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup water

Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs - they should yield about 1 1/2 -2 cups. This is very easily done in the food processor, too. Measure out 2 cups of the crumbs. If you have any crumbs left over, just put in the freezer for use some other time.

Melt the butter and stir into the crumbs. Add the water. Press into a 9-inch pie pan. Use a paper towel to dab up any excess butter that's oozing out.

If you're using the crust for a no-bake recipe, pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 375ºF. If you're using it for a baked recipe, like pumpkin pie, there's no need to pre-bake. Fill and bake as directed in your pie recipe.

You can also make these ahead and freeze, sealed in a plastic bag or under foil.

Comments (3)

Making your own is also your opportunity to do a couple of other fun things:

(a) Add spices to complement the planned pie.

(b) Substitute any other sort of hard cookie for the graham crackers. (Note to self: Must actually make lemon custard pie with gingersnap crust, not just fantasize about it.)

(c) Substitute a savory cracker for the crust and do a cheesecake that incorporates a savory cheese. (One of the Mrs. Appleyard cookbooks from the 1970s does a cheesecake with cheddar, but I'm sure there are other variants out there.)

There is a cheap brand of gingersnap that oddly enough does not have hydrogenated oils as an ingredient. That makes a great crust and I add butter and a dab of brown sugar. Cheesecake, the favorite breakfast of the household teenage athletes.

I was surprised how good this crust was. I have never added water to a graham cracker crust before. It made the perfect amount. A lot of times the recipe for graham cracker crust doesn't yield enough. This did! One thing I might like is just a little bit of sugar in the recipe. That's probably just me though. Everyone was so loving the pie I made with this crust. (Cherry cream pie)