Absolutely Adorable Homemade Animal Crackers Recipe

Hi Bold Bakers! Consider this Homemade Animal Crackers Recipe my homage to store-bought animal crackers—a long-time favorite for a lot of families, including my own! But this recipe is particularly special for me because it was my first time baking in the kitchen with George lending a helping hand! Already have an account? George (and I!) adore our Sprout’s Sous Chef Toddler Tower—I’m honestly sorry I didn’t get it sooner! He is climbing up and down the tower from morning to night to help his parents at the counter. I’ll sacrifice a banana, orange, or carrot and let him stand with us and chop it up. It’s really given us all hours of entertainment, and he loves having a job to do. These homemade animal crackers taste similar to a graham cracker because I include whole wheat and cinnamon, and George loves them! He gets them as a potty training reward—and I get them as a reward for helping potty train!

What Are Homemade Animal Crackers?

Animal crackers are a classic staple in plenty of households with young children. They’re cutely shaped as circus or zoo animals, taste delicious, and are easy for little hands to hold onto. But if you check out the ingredients on the back, you may pause before giving them to your little one. Making homemade means you know exactly what goes into your crackers—I use a combination of sugar, honey, vanilla, AP flour, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon. Plus, you get the experience of making a wonderful treat together! Oh, and did I mention that these are BIGGER Animal Crackers than normal?

Tools You Need

Measuring cups and spoons Animal Cookie Cutters or any cookie cutters Mixing bowls Cling wrap Parchment paper 2 baking sheets

How To Make Homemade Animal Crackers

Making these easy-to-buy crackers are actually extremely easy-to-make at home too! Here is how you make homemade animal crackers (get the full, printable recipe with measurements below):

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Homemade Animal Crackers

Make Ahead Tip: make the dough, cut the shapes and freeze the cookies on a parchment-lined tray. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container for up to 2 months. Then, you can bake off fresh crackers whenever you want them! I like the addition of whole wheat, but I don’t recommend using 100% whole wheat and no white flour as it will make for heavy dough. Be sure that your butter is very soft or it may be difficult to cream. You can also mix this dough in a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed. Instead of using cling wrap, you can chill this dough in a reusable airtight container. You can gather and reroll your dough scraps to get more cookies. If the dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 15 minutes before rerolling. If you enjoyed this recipe, try my Homemade Goldfish Crackers next! Here are the Animal Cookie Cutters that I used.

How Do I Store Homemade Animal Crackers?

Homemade animal crackers will keep fresh in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to a week! See my note about always having some ready-to-bake by freezing the dough above!