Cinnamon-Graham Pumpkin Cookies or Crackers.

Graham flavored goodies remind me of being a kid. All cozy and happy, munching on crispy, wafer-thin graham crackers after school. Maybe some peanut butter and jam smashed between two golden, crispy layers. Crumbs everywhere. And not a care in the world. What crumbs? Who cares. These crackers are amaze. Munch munch crunch.

All that carefree happiness squeezed into one flavor: graham. Well actually, graham flour. This cozy fall cookie recipe reminds me to get crumbs everywhere (and not worry about the mess.) Today my one base dough recipe squeezed out three yummy versions..

One..

Two..

Three.. Those same cookies, but with walnuts and using unchilled dough to get more "spread" factor...

Graham Flour. I (finally) realized that graham flour is not just what "graham crackers" are made out of. It is not just a flavor, but actually a specific type of flour. News to me! I thought graham crackers were just cinna-spiced, sweet, crispy squares that made "graham" a flavor. Nope, graham flour is a real thing all on its own. No crackers needed.

Graham flour is made from 100% Whole Grain Hard Red Spring Wheat. Processing: "graham flour is made by grinding the entire wheat berry including the bran." Bob's Red Mill: "Graham Flour is coarsely stone ground whole wheat flour made from U.S. #1 dark northern spring wheat." You can buy graham flour at most health food stores. I know Whole Foods will carry the Bob's Red Mill brand.

So last week I bought some graham flour to experiment with. I found that even though it has a very fine, powdery consistency, it is quite heavy and absorbs a generous amount of moisture. Graham flour is a hearty, rustic flour that gets its unique flavor from the whole grain processing.

Cookies. Or Crackers. I was thrilled when my experiment to smash the cookie dough and bake it actually worked to make graham crackers. They are a bit on the tender, moist side. Bake a bit longer or at a higher temp to boost the crispness.

These Cinnamon Graham Pumpkin Cookies are soft and pumpkin-infused with a hearty, rustic cinnamon-graham texture. Warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, accents of vanilla bean, molasses and either walnuts or dark chocolate chips folded in. These vegan cookies are subtly sweetened using coconut sugar, which has a dreamy caramel flavor. Coconut sugar --> try it! (It was on sale at Whole Foods last week!)

Cookie Inspiration? My fave little cafe here in LA, Urth Caffe has a vegan chocolate chip cookie that tastes like it has some graham flour accents. I loved the combo of graham and chocolate chip so here is my pumpkin-spice spin.

These cookies, I found, are perfect for dunking! Perfect paired with chilled almond milk or a warm mug of coffee, tea or hot cocoa. Or a hot pumpkin mug. Warm up a mug, prep for afternoon tea time or add a plump cookie to your evening cocoa mug.

Totally dunkable!..

Cinnamon Graham Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
vegan, makes 12-14 cookies

1 cup graham flour
⅓ cup spelt flour (or white flour)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (or try ginger powder)
1 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoon melted virgin coconut oil
1 cup pumpkin puree, unsweetened
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
fold in: ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, vegan or raw walnuts or another add-in

* The molasses adds a very important accent flavor, but if you do not have any you could substitute with brown rice syrup, dark agave or grade B maple syrup if needed.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine flours, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
3. Fold in the sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, oil, almond milk, molasses, vinegar. Fold until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. You have two options here. 1) Place the dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up a bit so that you can easily roll into tight dough balls. These cookies will not spread as much in the oven - like the chocolate chip cookies in the photos. 2) Slightly chill the dough in the freezer for just 1-3 minutes to firm up enough to easily roll loose dough balls. This fresh dough should be a bit fluffier than chilled dough, producing a fluffier, more spread cookie - like the walnut version in the photos. Troubleshooting: If your cookies do not rise or spread enough you may want to add 1-2 tablespoon almond milk to loosen the dough a bit. Also make sure you are using fresh baking soda and powder. Add a few more pinches of each to ensure more rise and fluff.
5. Roll dough into balls and place on well-greased baking sheet. I used a coconut oil spray.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will firm up significantly after they cool a bit. They will be very delicate when first done. Larger cookies may need a few more minutes (12-15), and smaller cookies 8-10 minutes.

Crackers --> Moist Cinna-Pumpkin Graham Crackers: To make this recipe into crackers simply fully chill and roll out the dough on a floured surface to ⅛" thick. Place thic dough on a well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until edges crisp and brown - usually about ten minutes. For crispier crackers, bake at 415 degrees. If you are having trouble rolling out the dough, add another few pinches of graham flour. Another tip: these crackers are a bit crumbly, so boost the binding factor by adding in 1Tbsp of ground flax seeds or 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten if you'd like. Crackers from cookie dough!