Description
Frosted animal crackers with a healthier vegan twist! Gluten-free shortbread cookies with a hint of cinnamon, naturally-dyed pink glaze, and lots of rainbow sprinkles make these homemade circus animals fun to make and so yummy to eat. Perfect to make with kids, or as a sweet childhood throwback recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (125g) gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (125g) Organic SunButter
- 1/4 cup (50g) avocado oil*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (110g) cane sugar
- 3 tbsp (60g) agave or maple syrup
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup (180g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch**
- 2–3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp beet juice (or a few drops red food coloring)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together SunButter, avocado oil, vanilla, sugar, and agave with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients, and beat again until it starts to ball together into a slightly sticky dough.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4″ thickness. Cut out cookies with mini animal cookies cutters, fitting in as many as possible. Re-roll dough and cut out more cookies. I got about 60 total.
- Use a spatula to carefully transfer cookies to the lined pans, leaving a bit of space in between.
- Bake 8-9 minutes at 350°F, until just brown around the edges. Cool 15 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- Grate the raw beet with a microplane. Squeezing the grated beet in a towel to get out as much juice as possible (you only need one tablespoon).
- Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle-able.
- Dip each (cooled) cookie in glaze, then place back on the wire rack to let the excess drip off.
- Top with rainbow sprinkles.
- Allow the glaze to dry for 30-60 minutes, or until dry and hard to the touch.
- Enjoy! Store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge.
Notes
*Or another neutral flavored oil, not coconut. You could also use melted dairy-free butter.
**Optional, helps the glaze thicken/set faster and not drip as much. You can sub tapioca or arrowroot
Keywords: gluten free, homemade, diy, copycat, glaze, icing, pink, sprinkles, beet, shortbread, healthy, dessert, kids