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Animal Crackers

October 12, 2011

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.

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.

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Animal Crackers

  • Prep Time:30 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes,
  • Total Time: 45 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon 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

Preparation

  1. 1. Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
  2. 2. Add the butter and pulse to combine.
  3. 3. Add the vanilla extract and egg and pulse until the dough forms into a ball.
  4. 4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  5. 5. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  6. 6. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out animal shapes.
  7. 7. Place cut outs on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.
  8. 8. Bake for 15 minutes.
  9. 9. Cool and serve.
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Comments






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  1. Lisa Wagner

    June 17, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    Reply

    Does anyone have a good source for the animal shape cutouts?

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  3. Julia

    June 9, 2013 at 11:41 am

    Reply

    Just made them with my toddler… they’re delicious!

  4. Ambika

    May 23, 2013 at 1:28 pm

    Reply

    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,

    • Andrea

      June 17, 2013 at 2:48 pm

      Reply

      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?

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  6. srdaniel

    February 16, 2013 at 6:36 pm

    Reply

    How do you store these: Refrigerator or counter? How long should they last?

    • catherine

      February 18, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      Reply

      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!

  7. Steph

    January 19, 2013 at 8:39 pm

    Reply

    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.

    • Steph

      January 19, 2013 at 8:42 pm

      Reply

      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.

  8. Ruth

    September 5, 2012 at 8:14 am

    Reply

    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…

  9. Amy

    August 8, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    Reply

    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!

  10. Anne

    July 19, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    Reply

    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.

    • Kim

      July 27, 2012 at 5:10 pm

      Reply

      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!

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  13. MamaTick

    May 21, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    Reply

    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!

  14. Jane

    February 1, 2012 at 9:24 am

    Reply

    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 :-)

    • Jane

      February 1, 2012 at 9:25 am

      Reply

      That should read 1/2 Tsp cinammon…

  15. Jennifer

    January 29, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    Reply

    Could honey be used in place of the sugar?

    • catherine

      January 30, 2012 at 12:36 pm

      Reply

      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!

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  17. Lauren

    October 29, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    Reply

    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!

  18. Tabitha

    October 24, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    Reply

    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.

  19. Lori

    October 18, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    Reply

    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!

  20. CCMom

    October 17, 2011 at 11:54 am

    Reply

    I’m gonna use them for halloween cookies!

  21. Emily

    October 16, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    Reply

    I was just given an entire ABC/123 cookie cutter set. I think this will be their inaugural use!! :)

  22. Paulina

    October 16, 2011 at 4:37 am

    Reply

    We made them lastnite my little girl loved em!!!

  23. Marlena

    October 15, 2011 at 11:07 am

    Reply

    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?

  24. vmeyn4

    October 14, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Reply

    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!

  25. holly

    October 12, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    Reply

    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!!??

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