Animal Crackers

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Whether your kid is a pint-sized PETA member or a child carnivore, there's no denying these sweet, animal treats. And the only thing better than those cute, red boxes the commercial animal cookies come in is making a batch yourself! So grab an aproned lil buddy and a couple of cookie cutters and get baking!

Cream 1 lb. of butter with 3 and 3/4 cups of sugar. Add five eggs, two tbsp. of vanilla and ten tbsp. of milk. Next, add two tsp. of baking soda to eight and a half cups of flour. Then add the flour to the mixture — a bit at a time — and blend well. Roll on floured board and cut into animal shapes with cutters. Bake at 350°F for ten minutes. Makes about 200 cookies depending on the size of your cutters.

Last weekend a bunch of gals were coming over to chat and drink some wine. I planned a quick array of things to nosh on — cheese, crackers, grapes, strawberries, etc. — but really wanted to make something. That's when I remembered the Goat Cheese Cheesecake that TeamSugar member Mokona posted a few weeks ago. Goat cheese + cheesecake? How come I hadn't tried it already?

The flavor was sweeter than I anticipated, but the lemon really balanced out the "goatiness." The crust — which is made from Animal Crackers — also added the perfect texture and flavor. If you're looking to stray from the classic recipe — and I highly recommend that you do — then give this one a try! For the recipe, read more

Whenever my mom went grocery shopping, she would treat me to a box of Barnum's Animal Crackers. Even though they were called crackers, I considered them more of a cookie and would save them to enjoy after lunch, or as a reward for making it through a long day of school. They're great plain, but in a few steps, you can also have a delicious after school snack. Crunchy celery is filled with creamy peanut butter and topped with the crackers. If your child has an allergy to peanuts, substitute cream cheese for the peanut butter. It's so simple that older children can help make and serve it to their younger siblings. To take a look at the recipe, read more