Homemade Animal Crackers + Frosted Animal Cookies!

EQUIPMENT

• animal cookie cutter stamps
• hand mixer
• Rolling Pin
• large baking sheets
• parchment sheets
• wire baking rack

INGREDIENTS

DIY Animal Crackers

• 4 oz butter, softened, (½ cup or 1 stick)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar, (50g)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, (180g)

Frosting

• 1 cup powdered sugar, divided, (120g)
• 1-2 Tbsp milk of choice
• 1 drop red food coloring, (for pink frosting)
• 2-3 Tbsp nonpareil sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

Animals Crackers

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together with a hand mixer. Once mixed, beat in egg, honey, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon until combined.
2. Add flour, mixing with a rubber spatula to integrate.
3. Use your hands to shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate dough for 15-30 minutes to firm up.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
5. Prepare baking sheets with parchment and lightly spray with cooking spray.
6. Cut the dough disc in half, keeping one half wrapped in the fridge while you work with the other half.
7. On top of a cutting board, roll out dough between sheets of parchment until it’s around ¼”–⅛” thick. (The dough can get a bit warm & sticky in this process, which will make it harder to cut out your animal shapes cleanly. So I recommend chilling the rolled dough in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to let it firm up before cutting out the shapes.)
8. Cut out animal shapes with animal cookie cutter stamps. First, dip the cookie cutter in flour& shake off excess. Then, firmly press the cookie cutter into the dough &wiggle it to fully separate the animal shape from the surrounding dough. Keeping the cookie cutter flat on the parchment, firmly press down the cookie stamp knob to imprint the detail lines, then pull up on the knob to release.
9. Gently lift the cookie cutter from the parchment and transfer the cut animal cracker dough onto a prepared baking sheet. (Be gentle & patient so your animal shape doesn’t tear!) Leave some space between crackers for them to spread a little in the oven.
10. Repeat process with the rest of the dough, collecting & re-rolling scraps as you go.
11. Bake animal crackers for 6-7 minutes, until lightly browned.
12. Remove cookies and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing or frosting.
13. Store animal crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
    

Frosting

1. For white frosting: In a bowl, whisk together ½ cup powdered sugar and a splash of milk until smooth and drizzly. (Use less milk at first to make a thicker glaze, then add a splash at a time to thin it out as much as desired.)
2. For pink frosting: In a separate bowl, whisk together ½ cup powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and 1 drop red food coloring.
3. Dip homemade animal crackers (or store-bought) into desired color(s) of frosting. Use 2 forks to dip each cracker into the frosting, lift it out, and transfer to a wire baking rack to let the excess drip off. Add sprinkles while frosting is still wet.
4. Transfer frosted animal crackers to a plate to set completely. (This will prevent the lines of the wire rack from imprinting into the backs of your crackers.)
5. Store iced animal crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days, or in the fridge for up to 10 days.
   

Yields 60-65 homemade animal crackers.