Circus Animal Cookies with Icing

My son loves the store-bought circus animal cookies, but the ingredient list scares me a little, since they contain wax and other chemicals. This recipe is a delicious variation that makes cookies that look just like the ones in the store but taste much better.

• Preparation Time: 60 mins
• Cooking Time: 7 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 7 mins
• Calories: 121 Calories

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 cups butter
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 7 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• ¼ cup multicolored candy sprinkles, or as needed
• 2 drops pink food coloring, or as desired

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Place butter in a large bowl and cream using an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar and mix until incorporated. Add each egg individually to the creamed butter, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. Add vanilla extract and mix for 3 more minutes.

Step 3

Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed. Cover and chill the dough until it is workable, 2 to 4 hours.

Step 4

Roll dough out onto a work surface and cut using small animal-shaped cookie cutters. Place cookies on a baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool completely before icing, about 45 minutes.

Step 6

Mix 2 cups confectioners' sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Divide icing and add pink food coloring to 1 half. Dip cookies in icing and decorate with sprinkles quickly before icing dries. Place cookies on a rack to let icing dry to a shiny finish.