Baking Basics:
Graham Cracker Crust

Baking Basics is a series on Slumber & Scones all about some of my favorite repeat ingredients that can easily be made at home. See all Baking Basics posts under Guides. 

A graham cracker crust is the foundation on which you can build a multitude of delicious and decadent desserts. Master this easy element, which can be baked or chilled depending on the use, and you’ll be halfway to something super tasty in no time.

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What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for a simple homemade graham cracker crust at your grocery store:

• Pantry: Graham crackers, Brown sugar
• Fridge: Butter
• Equipment: 8×8 baking dish or 9-inch round casserole, springform pan or pie pan, Parchment paper (optional), Disposable square pans or round pans (optional)

How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust

There are many methods you can use to crush graham crackers for a crust. A mallet can be fun, or a rolling pin. Manually crushing the graham crackers this way can give you a more rustic look, with a few larger pieces throughout. After crushing, transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl.

Or if you want your graham cracker crust to be as easy as possible, let your appliances do the hard work for you. Snap the graham crackers in half and place them into the bowl of your food processor. Use high power to crush the crackers until you have fine crumbles and no large chunks remain.

Next, add the brown sugar into the bowl. If you are using the food processor, just a couple quick pulses will help distribute the sugar throughout. Otherwise, a whisk will do the job just as well.

Add the butter next. It should be melted, but let it cool slightly so it’s not too hot to handle. You can put it right into the food processor, and mix everything together on low speed until you have a uniform crust.

If you’re mixing by hand, add the melted butter into your bowl. If it’s too warm, you can start with a spoon, but I think using your hands is more effective here. To check if the mixture is ready, pinch some between your fingers, and see if it holds together.

Grab whatever pan you’d like to use, and if you want, you can line it with parchment paper to make serving easier later. This recipe makes enough to cover the bottom of an 8×8 square pan or a 9-inch round pan. If you’d also like some crust on the sides, I suggest making a double batch.

Dump and scrape out the food processor or bowl into your pan.  Press the crust into the bottom (and sides) of the pan using the bottom of a measuring cup. Then decide if you want to bake or chill your crust. Baking will give it a nice golden color, and works well when the filling will be baked. Chill the crust for a no-bake dessert or if holding ice cream.

Either way, it takes only ten minutes. Then you can follow the instructions on your filling or simply experiment to continue on with your pie, tart, or cheesecake.

If you’re an advance planner, you can make these crusts ahead of time. Once cooled after baking or frozen, cover the top of the pan with foil and freeze for up to a few months. Use from frozen or let it thaw in the fridge.

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How to Use Graham Cracker Crust

There are so many uses for a graham cracker crust. If you keep the ingredients on hand or a few pre-made in the freezer, you’ll be able to make so many delicious dishes:

• Mix up your favorite flavor of instant pudding, fill and chill for a super easy treat.
• Add some cocoa powder and salt to make strawberry balsamic tartlets or the crust for a peanut butter pie.
• Combine cream cheese and sugar for a filling and top with fresh fruit and berries.
• Replace graham crackers with vanilla wafer cookies to make a caramel apple no-bake cheesecake or Oreos for a peanut butter cup cheesecake.
• Mix a quarter cup of finely chopped nuts into the crust for extra texture and flavor.
• Fill with homemade lemon curd and top with a simple whipped cream.
• Coat with a layer of chocolate ganache and fill with your favorite custard.
• Press into mini tart pans and add scoops of strawberry or coffee ice cream.

Or use your graham cracker crust in one of these decadent dessert recipes:

Special Equipment

• 8×8 baking dish or 9-inch round casserole, springform pan or pie pan
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Disposable square pans or round pans (optional)