Homemade Animal Crackers

As I prepare and store food to feed my family when the weekly trips to the grocery store become a distant memory, my focus is still on the meals, and rarely do I think about snack times.  Maybe I’ll get there when I feel the meals are completely covered.  And truth be told, most Americans could stand to lose a few pounds, myself included.  Snacks aren’t a priority by any means.

However, I’ve got a precious little granddaughter whose company I got to enjoy for the past day and a half.  And she happens to be under the first percentile for weight.  Failure to thrive is what pediatricians call it.  She was just over five pounds at birth and now at just over two years of age weighs in right at 20 pounds.  And she generally isn’t super fond of eating.  Shocker.  But when she’s hungry, watch out!  There better be something ready to eat immediately. 

So my concern for her and other small children is having snack items that are immediately ready to eat and that don’t involve opening a can whose leftovers will require refrigeration.  Freeze-dried fruits are nice, but expensive.  Dehydrated fruits and fruit rolls (real fruit, not the fakey stuff) provide a lot of calories, but again, they don’t have a great shelf life and they are expensive to buy.  The best bang for the buck, money- and time-wise, will come from whole grains. 

Most of us grew up with animal crackers, those slightly sweet little camels, elephants, and lions that somehow tasted a whole lot better then than they do now.  I found a recipe for them several months ago and immediately ordered the miniature animal cookie cutters.  And then got busy.  Besides, I wanted to wait until Sweet Pea could help make them.  I thought I had my chance yesterday, but no dice.  She hung around until the first four ingredients were measured into the bowl, and then she was off.  So I finished mixing up the dough and then put it in the refrigerator so we could cut them out today.  She wasn’t much interested in this, either.  I probably need to wait a few more months. 

Animal Crackers

6 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons coconut oil

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, coconut oil, sugar, and honey.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix to form dough.

Roll the dough out between two sheets of waxed paper, about ¼” thick.  Use cookie cutters (or just a knife) to cut out crackers and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350°F, or until the edges are golden brown.  Let cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets before removing.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Family reviews:  This is a very nice little cracker.  It is just lightly sweetened and doesn’t taste like the store-bought versions.  It’s a little crispier but not as hard or crunchy.  I’ll be making these again.

Links to related posts:

Tips for Better Baking with Whole Wheat 

Coconut Oil—One of the Best All-Around Oils for Food Storage