Homemade Animal Crackers

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www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com

These Homemade Animal Crackers are easy 5-ingredient crunchy whole wheat cookies that kids love. They are healthier than the store-bought version, containing 3 times less sugar and no refined sugar.

You can find the full recipe, including tips, step-by-step photos, video, storage instructions, detailed allergy swaps, FAQ, and save at: https://www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com/homemade-animal-crackers/ or scan the QR code here ➡️

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Servings: cookies

Calories: 34kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Ingredients

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour or All-purpose flour (note 1)
4 tablespoons Dairy-Free Butter (Unsalted) softened at room temperature (note 2)
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (note 3)
2 tablespoons Unrefined Cane Sugar (note 4)
2 tablespoons Almond Milk (note 5)

Optional flavors and extra sweeteness

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon Salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a large baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients including any of the optional ingredients to flavor the cookies, stir with a rubber spatula at first, then, when it starts to look dry, squeeze the dough with your hands to form a cookie dough ball. If too dry, add a little extra milk, if too wet add a bit more flour.
Lightly flour a work surface, add the dough, and press into a disc, sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the disc to prevent the rolling pin from sticking to the dough.
Roll into a 1/4 inch thick then cut with animal cookie cutter.
Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, keeping them half a thumb apart, and use the cookie cutter to mark the animal shape on top of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 12-16 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until golden brown. The longer you bake them, the harder and crunchier they will be, play with baking time to reach your favorite texture.
Cool down on a cooling rack for 1 hour before serving. The crackers firm up as they cool.

Equipment

Animal Cookie Cutter Press

Notes

Note 1: You can also swap for all-purpose flour. I didn't try gluten-free flour for this recipe.

Note 2: If you use dairy in your kitchen, unsalted butter works as well. Margarine will work as well. Coconut oil won't be a good fit, the cookies shrink back with oil and loses their shape.

Note 3: Any liquid sweetener can be used like coconut nectar or agave syrup.

Note 4: Sugar and brown sugar work as well and deliver the same level of crunchiness. If you use coconut sugar, the texture of the cookies is softer.

Note 5: Any milk work for this recipe.

Storage: Store the animal crackers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze them for up to 1 month in sealed Ziploc bags. Thaw at room temperature the day before.

Nutrition