Maple Walnut Graham Crackers

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely ground walnuts
• 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 kosher teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes and frozen for 10 minutes
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple extract, optional
• Granulated sugar for sprinkling, optional

Directions

1. Add the flour, ground walnuts, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt to a food processor, then pulse until everything is evenly mixed. Drop in the butter and pulse again until the mixture looks like damp sand.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup, milk, vanilla extract, and maple extract, if you are using it. Pour that into the flour mixture and pulse only until the dough gathers together. It will be very soft and sticky. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, then shape it as well as you can into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Flour your counter and rolling pin generously. Cut the dough in half, and put one half back in the refrigerator. Roll the remaining dough into a long, thin rectangle, adding more flour as needed because it will be soft and sticky. Square off the edges, then cut the dough into 4x2-inch rectangles and move them to a prepared baking sheet. Gather and reroll the scraps, then cut out more rectangles. You should end up with 12 to 14 total. With the tines of a fork, prick 5 rows of holes down the middle of each cracker. Crimp the edges, then sprinkle with granulated sugar, if using. Repeat the same process with the chilled half of the dough.
4. Move the baking sheets to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the crackers for about 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the crackers feel slightly firm, rotating the baking sheets partway through baking. Let the graham crackers cool completely on a rack, then place them in an airtight container. They will keep for about 1 week.