Animal crackers were developed in England in the 19th century and first produced in the United States by a Pennsylvania bakery in 1871. These iconic cookies grew in popularity, and today, dozens of varieties are enjoyed. While these nostalgic favorites are fun to eat right out of the box, it’s even better to find new ways to share them with family and friends. Try these top ten wild ideas for using animal crackers to make fun and delicious desserts and snacks.
1. Build your own snack mix.
Kids love to customize their own snack packs. Set out a buffet of a variety of small snack items along with bags or cups, and let everyone pack up their favorites. Try animal crackers, dry cereal, nuts, mini marshmallows, popcorn, pretzels, raisins, and other dried fruits. Make these snack packs right before a road trip so everyone in the family has favorite treats ready for munching. Kids can also customize five snack bags on the weekend, ready to take to school each day of the coming week.
2. Give them away as party favors.
Animal crackers in their iconic boxes make for a festive party favor at the end of practically any event. They’re an easy match for kids’ birthday party themes like circus, zoo, safari, or anything to do with animals. Animal crackers would also be a cute favor for a baby shower when arranged in a goody bag with a coffee mug and box of tea. They would even be a fun and whimsical treat to put on tables at a bridal shower or wedding reception.
3. Smash animal crackers into a dessert crust.
This is a great way to use up leftover animal crackers that have gone a bit stale. You can make an animal cracker crust in any recipe that calls for a graham cracker, vanilla wafer, or other cookie crust. If you have a food processor, blend the animal crackers into crumbs in seconds. If not, put the animal crackers into a large plastic bag or between layers of waxed paper, and smash them into crumbs with a rolling pin. Mix with butter and sugar as your recipe directs, and your animal cracker crust will be a unique foundation for a yummy dessert.
4. Make bar cookies.
There are a lot of delicious recipes for 7-layer cookies and animal crackers can make a fun and unexpected addition. One option is to substitute animal crackers in the crust or to add a layer of whole animal crackers on the top.
5. Have fun with chocolate fondue.
Stir up a pot of chocolate fondue; for a crowd, prepare one pot of milk chocolate, one of dark chocolate, and one of white chocolate. Provide a variety of tasty treats to dip, including animal crackers, strawberries, apple slices, pretzels, marshmallows, and anything else that goes with chocolate.
6. Decorate a cake.
Make any cake or cupcake a little bit wild by topping it with animal crackers. You can lay the animal crackers flat on top of the frosting. To make this idea even cuter, frost each animal cracker in a contrasting color before adding to the top of the cake or cupcake.
7. Add animal crackers to rainbow bark.
You’ve probably heard of chocolate bark, but for a unique and colorful indulgence, you try a super-sweet rainbow bark. The secret is to include as brightly colored mix-ins. Melt some white chocolate and spread in a pan, then top with yummy treats. Try frosted animal crackers, pastel marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, brightly colored breakfast cereal, and candy coated nuts. Let the bark harden in the fridge, then cut or break into chunks.
8. Make mini ice cream sandwiches.
Let your favorite flavor of ice cream soften for a few minutes (or microwave for 30 seconds and stir). Put a small spoonful of ice cream between two animal crackers and press together gently. Roll the edges in mini chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, or animal cracker crumbs. Place the ice cream sandwiches in a freezer bag or container and refreeze until firm.
9. Make animal cracker truffles.
Turn 12 ounces of frosted animal crackers into crumbs by putting them in a food processor or smashing with a rolling pin between two sheets of waxed paper. Then, combine the crumbs with 4 ounces of softened cream cheese. Roll the mixture into balls, chill, and dip into melted white chocolate. Top with rainbow sprinkles and refrigerate until firm.
10. Take cereal treats to the next level.
Everyone loves classic cereal treats, but you’ll be the star of the next potluck or bake sale if you show up with a pan of animal cookie cereal treats. Use your usual treat recipe, but substitute some of the cereal with animal crackers that have been coarsely chopped. After preparing and cooling, top the treats with vanilla frosting or melted white chocolate. Add a whole animal cracker to the top of each square.
