Ah, July! The most patriotic of all months in the United States of America. And while fireworks are dazzling, pools are refreshing and lazy summer nights are relaxing, it’s the selection of summer snacks that gets us the most excited. Summertime is truly magical as a kid growing up, and as we wade further into adulting with each passing season, the nostalgia is real this time of year. Below you’re going to see some easy kid-friendly favorites from our childhood that take us back to simpler times and still taste great. And the best part? We’ve tweaked these recipes using our sneaky little flour, packed with fiber, so that as you enjoy a bite of Americana, you’ll be taking in fewer net carbs without sacrificing the flavors that you can now share with your own kiddos. There’s one ingredient that helps tie these three nostalgic, fool-proof recipes together: the classic graham cracker, which you can bake yourself with the help of our tasty homemade graham cracker recipe! 

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Enjoy :)

Equally sweet and tart, this fragrant key lime pie blends the rich crumb of the graham cracker crust with a light, zesty filling for a delicious midsummer night's dessert. The key to getting the crust set correctly is to smush the graham cracker crumbs into the side of your baking dish first, then the bottom. That, combined with the initial bake of the crust is what will provide structure to this key lime pie. The creamy, decadent consistency of the filling, once cooled, will land somewhere between an ice cream and a sorbet and goes down so silky smooth in a big spoonful topped with homemade whipped cream topping. Decorate with an additional zesting of lime on top, right before serving, to add an extra zing of citrus.

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“You’re killing me, Smalls!” This iconic line from The Sandlot comes from, arguably, the greatest movie scene featuring a s’more of all time. And good news for you, just like the Sandlot kids, you don’t even need a bonfire to roast your ‘mallows. To make this quintessentially summer dessert, the messy, crunchy, ooey gooey chocolatey king of summer treats, all you’ll need is your homemade graham crackers, marshmallows, a chocolate bar and an oven. Instead of roasting your marshmallows over an open flame, you’ll assemble your oven baked s’mores on a baking sheet and let the oven heat up your marshmallow and melt the chocolate. After a quick three minutes or so, you’ll pull out the open faced s’more and cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf. Kind of messy, but good! 

These fudgy, creamy peanut butter chocolate no-bakes are made with just five ingredients and do not require an oven! Perfect for prepping and taste testing with little helpers, these thick and velvety no-bake bars rely on the graham cracker crumbs to add structure and texture to this otherwise gooey, peanut butter-y concoction. The world of no-bake treats is as big as the imagination. If you’re looking to start a new tradition this Fourth of July, this high fiber and ridiculously easy no-bake peanut butter chocolate bar recipe is an easy win for the whole family, neighborhood and beyond – basically anybody lucky enough to be in the vicinity to try these rich, decadent summer treats! The prep time is under ten minutes and the cooling time is about two hours, so plan accordingly.

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Toasty, crunchy, cinnamon-y, and golden brown, these homemade graham crackers are every bit as tasty as store bought, but with a high fiber twist that delivers a healthy dose of gut health to boot. Made with pantry staples you’ve likely already got on hand, these grahams are the perfect not-a-cracker but not-a-cookie middle ground that we love using as the foundation for all the delicious summer desserts mentioned above! Even down to the snappable scoring lines and characteristic dots lining each individual section, these graham crackers are doable, tasty and sure to be the unexpected highlight of this summer’s snack season.

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So there we have it: three delicious, inspired-by-childhood, graham cracker-powered remakes of your favorite summer desserts. We won’t even tell your kids that these are loaded with fiber! And if you do, they won’t care because they taste just as flavorful with Flourish as they do with your traditional all purpose flour, but with the added benefit of better digestive health and improved immunity. And that is something worth setting off the fireworks for.

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Happy summer from your Flourish family!

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