Homemade Frosted Animal Crackers

Make the Golden Butter: Wash your hands with soap and water. Cut the butter into cubes and place them in a saucepan. Turn the stove on medium heat to melt the butter. Stir the butter while it is cooking. Continue to cook the butter, stirring while it cooks until it bubbles. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes or until it is golden. The milk solids will be a caramel color. Remove from heat. Use a scale to weigh 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon of butter in a bowl. Set it aside to cool to room temperature and turn off the stove. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge where it will solidify.
Use a whisk to combine the eggs, egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a bowl.
Cut the Golden Butter Into Cubes: Remove the butter from the fridge and place it in a large bowl of hot water to release the butter. Dry off the bowl and invert it to release the butter onto a cutting board. Use a butter knife to cut the butter into roughly ½ inch cubes.
Mix Together the Dough Ingredients: Put the cubed butter in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high for about 1 minute, until the butter is soft and smooth but still cold. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar and continue to mix for about 1 minute. Add the baking powder and salt and beat on low for about 15 seconds. Add the flour alternately with the egg mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Beat on low and stop to scrape the bowl before each addition. Stop the mixer, clean the paddle with the spatula and scrape the bowl from the bottom up to release any ingredients that may be stuck.
Divide the Dough and Prep for Cutting: Prepare a workstation for cutting out the cookie dough with the stampers. Divide the dough into 4 sections, pat each section into 1-inch disks, wrap in plastic & refrigerate for 2 hours. Lay parchment paper on a work surface. Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on the parchment paper. Pound the dough with a rolling pin to soften it and flatten as much as possible. Lay another sheet of parchment paper on top. Applying firm, steady pressure to the rolling pin, roll to ¼ inch thick. Lay the sandwiched dough sections on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough is firm. Lay the dough out on the work surface and remove the top layer of parchment paper. Lay it back on top and flip the dough over. Peel off the top layer of parchment and lay it clean-side up on a baking sheet.
Cut Out the Shapes & Bake: Dust the stampers or cookie cutters with flour. Press them into the dough to make the shapes. Use a metal spatula or knife as needed to remove the dough from the cookie cutter. Transfer them to the baking sheet. When you've filled the baking sheet with a single layer of shapes, lay a sheet of parchment paper on top and repeat. Set the scraps aside. Reroll the scraps between parchment paper and repeat. Refrigerate the shapes for 1 hour. Turn the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Adjust the oven racks to the top third and bottom third of the oven. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the remaining shapes until it is time to bake them. Bake the cookies until the tops are golden-brown, 15-25 minutes. Switch the position of the baking sheets on the racks and rotate them to ensure even baking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Repeat until all the cookies are baked. Turn off the oven.
Make the Icing: Sift the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk until no lumps remain. Add more powdered sugar as necessary to obtain the consistency of a thick glaze.
Apply the Icing to the Animal Crackers: Dip the cookies in the icing or use a knife to apply it to the tops of the cookies.
Decorate as Desired: Shake sprinkles over the top of the cookies while the icing is wet.

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

Homemade Frosted Animal Crackers

Equipment

Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

Ingredients