February 6, 2020

Healthy Sweet Cracker Cookie Recipe

When you share a home with a two year old, you learn that tools of distraction (or straight up bribery… let’s be real) are tremendously helpful. Thankfully, my child speaks my love language. Food. We’ve been utilizing the magic of Animal Crackers for about a month or so now, and as handy as they are, the loads of sugar in them is a bit concerning.

The premise for these treats is actually the Sugar Cookie recipe from the back of the White Sugar bag in my Pantry. By making some healthy ingredient swaps, rolling the dough out a little thin and letting them bake a little bit longer, I was able to create a delicious version of the tiny animal shaped cookies we’ve all come to know and love!

We store these in an airtight container that was previously used for Animal Crackers.

These are fantastic with coffee, tea, milk, fruit… really, anywhere and any time! I don’t feel quite as bad about using them as a “Motivational Tool” (cough:: bribe) for the kiddo and they’re a much less guilty snack for me as well.

I can’t wait to see how you like these! Give them a whirl and let me know how they go.

Healthy Sweet Cracker Cookie Recipe

Course: Crackers, Healthy, Kids, Simple, Snack, Sugar Free

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Directions

In a stand mixer with the Whisk attachment, mix the Honey, room temperature Butter and Applesauce and Egg till creamy.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the Flours with Baking Soda.
Combine Dry ingredients with Wet.
Add Extract and mix on High for 3-5 minutes.
Scoop out 2 halves of the dough onto 2 large pieces of Cling Wrap. Wrap and flatten.
Chill in Refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
After dough has chilled, roll onto baking mat or parchment paper using Cling Wrap as a barrier between the rolling pin and dough. The wet ingredient substitutions in this recipe make for an EXCEPTIONALLY sticky dough. Save yourself the trouble and use the Cling Wrap. Roll out dough to about 1/8″
Place your baking mat or wax paper on a baking sheet and chill the rolled out dough for 30 minutes in the freezer.
Cut your shapes! We just do simple squares and rectangles but you could easily make fun shapes out of this dough.
Bake for 15 minutes at 375°
Cool on Cooling Racks. If you used a Cutting Wheel to cut your dough, you’ll more than likely have a Sheet of Cookies. Let them harden on the Rack and then break apart at the perforations.