Rich flavors of honey and cinnamon come together in a crust that is perfectly crisp and oh-so-simple to make. This may just be my favorite pie or tart crust ever.

This might be a weird current event to start with, but plastic is on my mind. For three years now, my students do their research paper on current world issues. Last year, so many students did something connected to plastic pollution that I felt convicted and made more of an effort to reduce my use of plastic. Sure, I’d been trying for years. But reusable water bottles and making my own skincare products (more for acne than the environment) was basically the extent of my serious effort.

Now, I opt for reusable food baggies (because having kids somehow requires SO MANY ziploc bags!). I’ve also switched to bar soap and am making my way to shampoo and conditioner bars. It’s not much, but it’s less plastic than I was using before.

Guys, there are a lot of plastic-free options out there. I know you like your favorite products, but please know that less than 10% of plastic has ever actually been recycled.

That’s why we have a giant garbage patch the size of Texas floating in the Pacific. Please, please, please. Try to find a way to eliminate even just one source of plastic in your life. Just one thing.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

Honey Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust

This crust.

It’s my new favorite crust for all the things. It’s crazy easy and crazy good.

And it was an experiment.

I was making a tart with all honey. Not because I’m anti-sugar. I just thought honey was a nice touch for my fall-themed dessert. So I tried using honey in my graham cracker crust. Then I decided it needed a little brown sugar. And obviously some cinnamon.

It was surprising how good this crust turned out to be. It was my favorite part of the dessert I made it for. For sure a keeper that you’ll be seeing again.

How to make a honey cinnamon graham cracker crust

It couldn’t be easier. You pulse graham crackers, a little brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon in a food processor or blender until finely ground.

Melt honey and butter together.

Mix everything together in a bowl (unlike how I suggest pulsing it all together in my plain graham cracker crust—this one can get chewy with the honey). Then turn out into a pie or tart pan.

Using a flat bottomed cup or measuring cup (I think 1/3 to 1/2 cup is the perfect size), press the crust into the bottom and sides.

Be sure to rotate as you go and press lightly at first to help evenly distribute the crust before pressing it firmly into place. Use your fingers to help get the edges firmly pressed in.

Fill as desired and enjoy!

Tips for this recipe

Mix the wet with the dry by hand

I usually just blend it all in my food processor to save on dishes. But this crust was part of a pie with the theme of “try that again.” So after ruining my first crust by mixing it all in the processor, I realized the honey needs some extra mixing, which means extra pulsing, which means a gummy crust. Take the extra 60 seconds and mix the graham crumbs with the honey butter in a bowl. Trust me, it’s better this way.

Chill before filling

You could probably get away with skipping this step. But it tends to be best that you chill it for a bit (or freeze it) to help it set up before you add any filling. That way, your crust won’t become loose and crumble into the filling.

Alternatively, if you’re going with a baked filling, the directions walk you through that.

Use plain grahams

I liked that I could control the flavor by using plain honey grahams. In fact, I went with Annie’s Organic Graham Crackers so my daughter could eat the leftover crackers without me feeling guilty. You could use cinnamon graham crackers, but they’re significantly sweeter and I can’t vouch for how they’ll taste.

You might also like

Honey Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust

total time: 5-10 minutes

Servings: one 9” pie or 10” tart crust

Ingredients:

12 full graham crackers, plain (one cracker has 4 rectangles)

2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons (42 grams) honey (any kind)

Instructions:

In a food processor or blender, grind graham crackers, brown sugar, and cinnamon until evenly and finely ground. You should have about 1 ⅔ cup cracker-sugar grinds.

Melt butter and honey together over low heat. (Note: you could do 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons (63 grams) honey, but it may not have the same crunch as a classic graham cracker crust.)

In a bowl, combine the honey butter and graham flour. Stir until combined.

Pour into a pie or tart pan. Using a flat bottomed cup or measuring cup (I think 1/3 to 1/2 cup is the perfect size), press the crust into the bottom and sides. Be sure to rotate as you go and press lightly at first to help evenly distribute the crust before pressing it firmly into place. Use your fingers to help get the edges firmly pressed in.

Chill for 1-2 hours before filling (or freeze for 20-30 minutes). Or, if you are making a baked pie, blind bake it by lining with foil then filling with pie weights or dried beans and baking 5-10 minutes at 350.

Enjoy! For no-bake pies, this can be made 2-3 days in advance if you wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil and keep it in the fridge. For baked pies, follow the same steps then blind bake it the day you are filling it. Once filled, it will last 3-5 days in the fridge.