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These Animal Crackers are so simple and delicious, you’ll want to bake them for your kids every week! And I have a hunch that they’ll bring you right back to your childhood as well.
One of the first store-bought treats I recall my mom giving my brother and me were those adorable Barnum’s Animal Crackers in the old fashioned circus box. I used to love getting all dressed up, draped in a smocked dress with my big feet clad in black patent leather shoes, and clomp around the house holding the white string handle attached to the top of the box and act like it was a purse.
Animal crackers are synonymous with kids. Little ones just love these imaginative treats and I’d bet you have your own fond childhood memories of eating them….and with good reason. Animal crackers are fun, scrumptious and many moms generally keep them on hand to keep everyone happy. If your kids are like mine, any food in the shape of an animal is usually a hit, and the first time I made these crackers for my son and daughter, there was a lot of excitement about which animal they each were going to pick first.
I have such a special place in my heart for those crunchy animal shaped cookies and wanted to share them with my kids, but with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup I was determined to figure out how to make a homemade version that was just as delectable.
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In coming up with this recipe I bought a bunch of boxed brands to see what they were made from and to try replicating the texture and flavor of the best ones. Most animal crackers are made with mace, which is a lovely spice, but not one most people have in their pantry. I substituted allspice in mine and they turned out perfectly. The same goes for lemon extract. You probably don’t have it on hand, but you can use your vanilla extract for a similar cookie.
Whether you’re making these for a birthday party, school snack or a holiday party, these Animal Crackers will bring out the kid in everyone.
Photo by Maren Caruso
Animal Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or mace
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse to combine.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg and pulse until the dough forms into a ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out animal shapes.
- Place cut outs on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
That should read 1/2 Tsp cinammon…
I made these last night and they are yummy! I made the vanilla version as I didn’t have lemon extract. I also added 12 Tsp cinammon and some raisins. The kids loved them 🙂
Hmmm I’m not totally sure. The honey would probably change the consistency of the dough. If you want to try it I would start with 3/8 cup of honey instead of the 1/2 cup of sugar. Usually when using honey as a replacement you have to reduce other liquids, and there aren’t really any other liquids in this recipe. I would also add the honey while adding the vanilla extract instead of in the first step. If you try this and the dough is too wet or sticky try adding a touch more flour. Happy experimenting!
Could honey be used in place of the sugar?
[…] made some animal crackers withthis receipe. The first time I made them I followed the recipe exactly but this time I substituted some of the […]
How would you substitute agave for the sugar? Would it just be 1/2 cup as well and do you have to turn the temperature down on the oven? Would the cookies be the right consistency/hold together still? Thanks!
thanks for the egg replacement information – I always wonder how the recipe changes when switching out the egg!
Just made these with number shapes! We’re vegan, so I omitted the egg and used ground flaxseed instead. (1 tsp ground flaxseed, 3 tbsp water, use a hand mixer to beat until a bit thickened and frothy). These were sure yummy!!! Thanks so much.
LOVED them! can’t wait to buy lemon extract now ( I used vanilla). soooo easy for my 3 year old to make – he had a great time!! thanks!
I’m gonna use them for halloween cookies!
I was just given an entire ABC/123 cookie cutter set. I think this will be their inaugural use!! 🙂
We made them lastnite my little girl loved em!!!
I’m also curious about how many cookies these will make and if they can be frozen. If they can would it be before or after they are baked? And how long do they last after being baked?
My 2 1/2 year old little guy and I just made these! They are so yummy! It made it even more special that we could do these together. I measured everything and he was able to dump it all into the food processor. He LOVED hitting the pulse button! I rolled while he pressed in his favorite Halloween shapes! It made a TON of perfect little cookies for my little fella! Thanks for this great recipe!
I can’t wait to try these!!
I’d also love to see a salerno butter cookie re-make…you know the ones that were flower shaped and had a hold in the middle to stick your finger in??
or vanilla wafers!!??
Lemon extract! No wonder animal crackers taste so lemony and delicious. I’ve always wondered why they taste like lemon, and now I know!