[Recipe] Graham Cracker Crust

It is not possible to purchase pre-made graham cracker crusts in Ecuador, which leads us to learn how to make our own.  In the process, I discovered that mine taste one heck of a lot better than those store-bought ones, so I am glad to have been forced into this.

Since graham crackers are unknown here, we use honey bran cookies instead.  A friend suggested belVita brand, and they work very well, though it is likely that other brands would also work.  The list of ingredients is pretty short:

  • Graham cracker or Honey bran cookies — 8 to 10 of them, totalling around 2 cups crushed
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 10+ tsp melted butter

You can put the crackers into a zip lock bag and use a rolling pin, or (for smoother and finer texture) use a food blender.  If using a blender, mix the full cookies, cinnamon and sugar and mix until smooth.  If using a roller pin, crush the crackers first, then transfer to a bowl and mix in the cinnamon and sugar.

Once that is mixed, add the melted butter and mix completely.  The resulting mix should hold a rough ball shape when compressed.  If not, then add more butter or water (only a tablespoon of water at a time until it is the right consistency — you don’t want it too wet).

Press into the pie mold, flattening the bottom and up the sides.

If your pie recipe wants a cooked crust, then bake at 350 deg for 10 minutes.  Do not overcook, or it will dry out and taste like cardboard.

If your pie calls for an uncooked shell (such as the Key Lime pie recipe coming next to the blog), then chill in the fridge for one hour before adding pie filling.

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