Making Crumbs

I always keep a supply of bread crumbs in the pantry.  Anything from Italian seasoned to Panko to plain.  I also keep graham cracker crumbs on hand.  But there are times I want something different.  I like to change my sweet crumbs from graham to maybe a cookie.  And as I've found, there are very few variations of cookie crumbs on the market.  Solution - make your own but how many cookies do you need to make a cup?

To make 1 cup of cracker or cookie crumbs you'll need 28 saltine crackers, 14 graham cracker squares, 22 vanilla wafers, 19 chocolate wafers, 15 gingersnaps, or 24 rich, round crackers.  Now, I like to play around with so this may still not be enough cookie/cracker counts for me so here is what I'm.  I have a small notebook that I call "My Crumb Calculator."  In this little book I add more cookie/cracker counts as I come up with them.  

Making your crumbs is really easy.  You simply process them to a fine consistency in a blender or food processor.  Or you can place them in a heavy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.  If you use this method, leave one end of the bag open a little so the air can escape during the rolling.  To create your own count of the number of cookies/crackers needed for a cup, put 4 or 5 in your blender or bag, crush them and place them in a measuring cup.  Don't forget to write down the number needed to make your cup as well as the type of cookie/cracker used.  If you're using those small cheese cracker squares or even the fish shape, instead of counting them, start by pouring them into a measuring cup before crushing.  After crushing pour into a measuring cup to see how much this created.  Just remember, if 1 cup uncrushed created 3/4 cup of crushed, try crushing just 1/2 cup to see if that won't complete your 1 cup of crushed.

This is not only a fun way to add new tastes to old dishes, it's also economical.