Next Post
Spicy Chickpea and Cheese Stuffed Zucchini.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Tuesday’s require something fun, enter these Homemade Animal Crackers. Lightly sweetened baked animal crackers with sweet honey, vanilla, and hints of cinnamon throughout. Each mini animal cracker is dipped into a berry-colored glaze for a fun (natural) finish and a snack that takes us all back to being a kid again. There’s nothing not to love about these crackers. Perfect for both a Tuesday afternoon or a weekend baking project. Or even just when you need a deliciously sweet and incredibly fun cracker to snack on.
Aren’t these so sweet? Almost dainty like, right? They’re probably the most fun cracker to both bake up and eat. I love the fact that these take me back to being 10 years old with not a care in the world…other than what was on the agenda for my summer. Sounds so nice, right?
These crackers take you back to that carefree mindset. Not only that but they’re so darn delicious. Sweet, but not overly sugary, soft, but with a little cracker-like crunch. Then finished with the sweetest, all-natural, no die berry-filled glazed.
Summer cracker perfection. I could not love these animals more.
Truth is that I’ve been wanting to try my hand at homemade animal crackers for years. Every time I thought about baking them though, I never had the right cookie cutter. I finally bought this cute cookie cutter set and last weekend Asher and I made homemade animal crackers. It took us an entire Sunday, BUT it was the perfect summer baking project to keep her laughing, snacking, and having fun.
I could not think of a better way to spend a stormy summer weekend day than baking animal crackers with my favorite little sister. Asher’s been bored out of her mind since school got out. So she’s been spending time with me at the studio lending a helping hand in the kitchen. As mentioned in Sunday’s favorites post, she’s actually been a huge help, but these crackers were all about having fun. It was the perfect easy baking project that Asher could mostly do all on her own.
So, if you have young kids that are bored this summer, bake these crackers with them. They’re easy, so fun to create, and even better to enjoy once baked and frosted.
So, what exactly is an animal cracker made up of?
Honestly, it’s just a simple glazed sugar cookie. Nothing fancy, but yet we all love them so much. I wanted to make these crackers more of a snack and less of an all-out dessert. So I used only a touch of brown sugar and a squeeze of honey. I won’t go as far as saying these are health food. But when compared to the store-bought variety, these crackers are much healthier…and so much better tasting too.
Meaning, these crackers have flavor and texture!! YESS.
The dough is a simple sugar cookie dough, but it’s flavored throughout with honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Not classic in an animal cracker, but you guys, trust me, these flavors are GOOD. They take boring tasting animals crackers to DELICIOUS and ADDICTING. So add the flavors.
Now, once you have the dough made, roll it out and cut into your favorite animal shapes. Again, I used this cookie cutter set, but you can use whatever your heart (or you kids) desire. Just be sure to keep the shapes all similar in size so that they bake up evenly together. Our favorite animals were the elephants and dolphins, but we really wish we would’ve had a lion.
For the glaze, I knew I wanted to color it, but I also knew I wanted to steer clear of food coloring. It’s always something that has freaked me out a bit, because like, what on earth is it really, you know?
Instead of food coloring, I ended up using in-season berries to color the glaze, and it turned out SO CUTE. In love with the dainty pink, purple, and grey/blue colors we got using the juice from strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
Not only did the berries color the glaze, but they added a very subtle berry flavor. Both Asher and I found the berry glaze to be the perfect balance to the cinnamony crackers.
If sprinkles are your thing, top with your favorites. They do add a cute factor, but personally, we much prefer our crackers au naturel.
Highly recommend baking these crackers if you need to destress. Or if you need to entertain your kids. Or if you just need to feel 10 years old again and enjoy some animal crackers and re-runs of Friends.
Either which way, just make these soon. They do take a few minutes to make, but they’re so easy, beyond delicious and the most fun way to spend an afternoon…
Serious question: did you eat animal crackers growing up? My mom would occasionally buy the unfrosted crackers, but honestly, I don’t remember eating them much. How about you guys?
If you make these homemade animal crackers, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Can you double the recipe?
Hi Ann,
You bet! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made these a while back and they were GREAT and so cute!! We are going to attempt to make them again today!! I wish I could add a picture of them here!!
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Hi, I love the ingredients you used and can’t wait to try these. I want to put these in individual bags to give to the kids in my son’s class. Will the icing harden enough for them to be packaged this way?
Hey Alexis,
Yes, these will work well for that! I hope they are a hit:) xTieghan
Needs experimenting!!! The dough didn’t really get to a firm place for me (even after adding more flour and sticking in the fridge), and would recommend leaving in the oven for a few min longer or the cookie will just bake apart. Next time will try a different recipe to give me less of a headache
Hey Derek,
So sorry the recipe did not workout for you, please let me know if I can help in anyway:) Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I absolutely love the idea to use fresh berries in the frosting! Is it absolutely necessary to freeze the dough before baking? Thanks!!!
Hey Kimberly,
Yes, freezing the dough is key! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I am going to make these today! Silly question! Do you muddle all the berries together or should I do it separately? If I want purple should I muddle strawberries and blueberries together and then for pink just Strawberries? Then dive the powdered sugar and add a tablespoon to each?
Hi Carol,
You can mix them however you would like. If you prefer them all to be one color you can do that or if you want a variety of colors just mix the juices separately. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Oh my gosh this was delicious. I asked for animal crackers from the grocery store and I was turned down, so I decided to make some! This was the first recipe I found, and oh my gosh, my whole family loved them! I didn’t make the glaze because we didn’t have fresh fruit, but the cookies were just like delicious little shortbread. Thank you so much for the recipe!
I am so glad you found this recipe!! Thank you so much Ellie! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I was just going to start making these cute cookies for some friends birthday’s when I saw you are using kosher salt. I only have coarse kosher salt. Should I use plain table salt instead???
Thank you!!!
Pat
HI! You can use course kosher salt, that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I am planning to make these for a baby shower, these are so cute! Will blueberries be the best option for getting a blue color (its a boy!)?
Hi Jackie! I think blueberries would turn it more of a purple color unless you’re using to decorate! I just read that red cabbage + baking soda make a blue color, but have never tried! Lmk! xTieghan
Hey Jackie! Yes, I would use blueberries or blackberries, BUT the colors will still be a bluish purple. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
I’m making the Homemade Animal Crackers for my granddaughter’s birthday party. She Loves pink so they’ll be a perfect addition. Where did you get the pretty sprinkles? Love your blog!
Hi Maureen! I get them on Amazon! They have so many different options, especially ones you cannot find it grocery stores. I hope you love these!! xTieghan
SO CUTE! I’m going to make these for my niece. Any idea how long they’ll last for? 1 week is ok?
Hey Becka! Yes, these will keep for just about a week. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan