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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.
Does anyone have a good source for the animal shape cutouts?
[…] Recipe adapted from Weelicious […]
Just made them with my toddler… they’re delicious!
Ambika,
In most recipies you can replace butter with coconut oil (a direct 1 to 1 ratio) I use it in a lot of my cooking…but since the butter has to be cold to give the right consistency I’m not sure how well that would work? Maybe if you chilled the oil first?
Hi Catherine,
I am a huge fan of weelicious & thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes 🙂 My li’l one is lactose intolerant and I try to substitute butter whenever its possible. So can we use earth balance vegan spread or crisco (not really healthy, i know!) instead of butter in this as well as the other cookies recipes you have posted.
Thanks,
[…] adapted from this recipe […]
I store them on the counter and they last about five days! You can also freeze them before or after baking for up to 3 months!
How do you store these: Refrigerator or counter? How long should they last?
Forgot to mention that I subbed 1/2 cup of almond flour -again to improve nutritional value. I have a very finicky wee one so have to use every opportunity to boost the nutrients.
Great recipe. Very easy. I made these with ww flour and added a bit of bran for extra fibre. Used brown sugar instead of white and I used orange rind and cinnamon as it was what I had on hand. These turned out perfectly and my wee one loves them.
New favorite cracker recipe! Made them w/ the 5-yr old. Used wheat germ instead of oats (b/c I’d just used the last of the oats for granola bars!) and it turned out great. Definitely dust the rolling surface and pin with flour, so it doesn’t stick. We have the same set of mini-cookie cutters, and it makes a LOT. Although it would have made more had we not snitched so much of the cookie dough…
Just made these with my 3 year old and we had a blast. They came out great! I used a good amount of flour on my surface and on the rolling pin and that kept the dough from sticking. I can’t wait to make these again, it makes A LOT!
I just rolled out mine too and it was also very sticky, I couldn’t even get it onto the cookie sheet without it looking like a blob. I just re-rolled the dough and put it back in the fridge for a little bit, hoping then I can just cut out the shapes really fast before they get too sticky again. I live in AZ so I’m sure the hot weather isn’t helping!
Just placed a batch in the oven. I’m so excited about them but had problems with the dough. The minute I rolled the dough it turned to mush and I had the hardest time getting them onto the cookie sheet. They were very sticky. I’m sure they will still taste just as good.
[…] but with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup I was determined to figure out how to make a homemade version that was just as […]
The rule of thumb for substituting honey for sugar is use half honey. The recipe calls for 1/2 c sugar, you would use 1/4 c honey and then cut back on the other liquids by a quarter. I am going to try them w/ honey and I will let you know!