Name: Easiest Animal Crackers Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 17 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup whole-wheat flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; 2 tablespoons milk; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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With just a few simple ingredients and a crazy easy method, this Animal Crackers recipe is a favorite kids snack to make and share. You can make them big or mini in whichever shapes you prefer!

Animal Crackers Recipe

We love a good baking project over here and this easy cookie recipe is a perfect one to make with the kids. The batter is super duper simple to make, even if the kids are helping, and they turn out so good. The crackers are just a little bit crisp and just a little sweet and they are so fun to make in fun animal shapes.

TIP: We like to make them using mini cookie cutters, but any size will work.

Ingredients in Animal Crackers

To make this easy recipe, you’ll need:

Whole-wheat flour
Baking powder
Milk
Unsalted butter
Maple syrup

TIP: You can use all-purpose flour if you prefer or if that’s what you have. I like the flavor from whole-wheat, but both will work.

How to Make Homemade Animal Crackers Step-by-Step

Here’s a look at how to make this easy animal cookies recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

Add the ingredients to a bowl.
Mix together with a wooden spoon or your hands. Form a ball.
Roll out between parchment paper pieces, cut out with mini cookie cutters.
Bake and enjoy.

TIP: I prefer to roll the dough out between parchment paper since it’s easy, but you can also do it by coating the rolling pin with a little flour to prevent sticking.

Tips for Making the Best Animal Crackers Recipe

I prefer to roll the dough out between parchment paper since it’s easy, but you can also do it by coating the rolling pin with a little flour to prevent sticking.
You can use all-purpose flour if you prefer or if that’s what you have. I like the flavor from whole-wheat, but both will work.
We like to make them using mini cookie cutters, but any size will work.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days at room temperature.
You can also store any dough you don’t use in a zip top plastic bag, tightly sealed and with as much air removed as possible, for up to a week in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using.

If you try this recipe with or for your kids, I’d love to hear how it went. Please comment below and leave some stars—I appreciate all feedback!

Easiest Animal Crackers Recipe

★★★★★ 4.8 from 6 reviews

Author: Amy Palanjian
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 7
Total Time: 17 minutes
Yield: About 2 dozen (nutrition info for two cookies) 1x
Category: Snacks
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Description

If you use larger cookie cutters, you may need to bake on the longer end of the baking time—and mini cookie cutters on the shorter end. This makes a relatively small batch, so double it if you want extras to last all week!

Ingredients

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place all ingredients into a bowl and use your hand to mix together to form a dough. (If the dough is a little crumbly, be sure that it’s throughly combined and then if it’s still crumbly, add 1/2-1 tablespoon additional milk until it comes together.)
Make a flattened disc of dough.
Roll the dough ¼-inch thick between two pieces of lightly floured pieces of parchment paper. (The flour will ensure that the cut outs are easy to move.)
Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7-9 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.
Remove from the oven, let cool on the baking sheet for a minute, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

I prefer to roll the dough out between parchment paper since it’s easy, but you can also do it by coating the rolling pin with a little flour to prevent sticking.

You can use all-purpose flour if you prefer or if that’s what you have. I like the flavor from whole-wheat, but both will work.

We like to make them using mini cookie cutters, but any size will work.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days at room temperature.

You can also store any dough you don’t bake in a zip top plastic bag, tightly sealed and with as much air removed as possible, for up to a week in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling out to allow it to soften up.

Filder Under:Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian