Paleo Graham Crackers

This is a recipe that I came up with one day while trying to think of more kid friendly snacks to have around our house.  I did a little research on graham cracker recipes and adapted from there and they turned out pretty good.  Our boys LOVED them.  Our littlest dude (18mo) scarfed these down and kept asking for more.  (He doesn't talk much, but he knows how to sign and say "more".  Kid doesn't mess around when it comes to food!) 

Since I went with a fairly typical graham cracker recipe, there is a bit more work than just mixing it up and tossing it in the oven.  Okay, well not that much really, just some chilling time in the fridge.  I tried several different variations of shapes, chilling times, baking times, etc.  It seems to me the only really important thing is the baking time, which will probably vary a little depending on the oven.  So, as usual, just play around with it and see what works for you.

Paleo Graham Crackers

3 1/2 cups almond meal (almond flour would work as well)
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
7 Tbsp coconut oil (chilled)
2 Tbsp vanilla
5 Tbsp coconut milk
1/2 cup honey

Combine almond meal, baking soda, and cinnamon in bowl or food processor.  Add in coconut oil and combine until you reach a coarse meal.  In a separate bowl, whisk together vanilla, coconut milk and honey.  Add to the almond meal mixture and combine well.

Drop dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, form into a ball or rectangle (it will be pretty sticky) and wrap completely.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours or until firm.

Now, there are a couple of ways that you can do this next part.  I found that the first way worked best for me, but the second worked as well.

1. Once dough is firm, roll out about a quarter of the dough onto parchment paper or a silpat mat (I use one of these all the time and love it).  It will be sticky, so you you may use a piece of parchment paper on top while you roll.  When your dough is about 1/4 inch thick, cut with a pizza cutter into squares.
2. Roll the dough into ping pong size balls and flatten into circles.  Place on baking sheet.
**You can also use cookie cutters (roll the dough onto the parchment paper first), but the dough is pretty sticky and hard to pull up around the shapes.  I tried it, but ditched it pretty quick.  A lot of work for something that was probably not going to be appreciated by my hungry boys.  I might consider doing it for a party or something though.

Okay, once you've got everything on the baking sheets, bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-25 minutes, until slightly brown.  I know that's a big range, but it really will depend on your oven and the shape you make.  Watch the first batch and then you will have a good idea of what works best for you.  Also, if you've been working with your dough very long, you'll want to chill what you have on your cookie sheet before you bake them.

Cool completely.  When you first take them out of the oven, they may be a little soft, but they should firm up once they've had a chance to cool.  Store in an airtight container.