This gluten free animals cookie recipe is a special kids' favorite! Dip them in chocolate and add sprinkles to be circus cookies, or enjoy them plain! These cookies are perfectly crisp on the edges and soft on the inside.
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When my kids were little, we used to love buying animal cookies and those bags of circus cookies. They were fun to eat. When we went gluten free, we missed these cookies. I never tried to recreate these classic cookies until now.
These delicious gluten free animal cookies are absolutely delicious on their own or dip them in white chocolate to make them into gluten free circus cookies. Either way you make these cookies, they taste just like the real deal!
Why These Gluten Free Animal Cookies Are The Best:
- I use simple, easy to find ingredients.
- You can use any size animal cookie cutters, though I prefer to use the mini ones so they are closer copycats.
- You can enjoy them two ways, plain or dipped in white chocolate.
- They freeze really well so you can keep them on hand to snack on any time!
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend, Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
- Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Butter - Use unsalted. To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- Eggs - Use size large.
- Salt - Sea salt or kosher salt are fine.
- Vanilla - I recommend using pure vanilla extract.
- White chocolate - I used Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers, but you can use other white chocolate. Always read the labels to ensure they are gluten free. Note, Wilton melting wafers are made on shared equipment. If you need dairy-free, use Enjoy Life's white chocolate chips.
- Sprinkles - Check my gluten free sprinkles list to ensure the sprinkles are gluten free. Many are made on shared equipment.
How To Make Gluten Free Animal Cookies:
Step 1: Add the gluten free flour blend, brown sugar, powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend the dry ingredients together,
Step 2: Add the softened butter, egg, and vanilla extract to a small bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Mix into a cookie dough.
Note: You can use a standing mixer with a paddle attachment to make the animal cookie dough. Add the wet ingredients first to a mixer bowl. Mix on low speed. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is formed.
Step 5: Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Step 6: Place the dough on wax paper or a silicone baking mat and roll it to ¼ inch thickness. Take small animal cookie cutters and cut the animals out of the dough.
Step 7: Place the animal cookie cut outs on a piece of parchment paper, or that silicone baking mat. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack.
Step 8: If you are making gluten free circus cookies, you will prep the chocolate. In a small microwave-safe dish, melt the vanilla melting wafers or chocolate chips.
Put half of the melted chocolate into another small bowl. Add 2-3 drops of red food coloring to make a bright pink color.
Step 9: Dip the animal cookies into the melted chocolate and quickly add the sprinkles. These gluten free iced animal cookies are so good!
When the chocolate is hardened, they are ready to eat!
Storage:
These gluten free animal cookies will keep for up to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or up to 4 months in the freezer. To freeze them, place the cookies into a zipper freezer bag.
Tips and Recipe Q&A
Animal cookies are made with flour, sugar, butter, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and vanilla.
Unfortunately, these cookies are sweet so they are not considered healthy. They do have less sugar than some other cookies, but they are still considered a dessert.
If you like your cookies crispy, roll the dough to be thinner.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes To Try:
- Easy Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Spritz Cookies
- Gluten Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- Nutella Filled Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
- Gluten Free Cookie Cake
Recipe
Easy Gluten Free Animal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg large
- 12 tablespoons butter * see note
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Icing
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- 2 drops red food coloring
- 1 tablespoon sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Whisk with a wire whisk to blend them together.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients. Whisk to mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix into a nice cookie dough.
- Wrap the animal cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. You can roll it on a silicone mat or wax paper.
- Use mini animal cookie cutters to cut out animal shapes. Place the cookies onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes. Remove to a wire cooling rack.
- While the cookies are cooling, melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. I melt in short 15-20 second intervals, stirring between each interval so that the chocolate doesn't burn.
- Place half of the chocolate in a separate bowl and add 1-3 drops of red food coloring. Stir to get a beautiful pink color.
- When the cookies are cool, dip each into either the white or pink chocolate. Quickly top with sprinkles.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Be sure your sprinkles are gluten free with my gluten free sprinkles list.
- These animal cookies will keep for up to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Lilly
Where did you get your animal cookie cutters?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Lilly, I found them on Amazon. I link to the specific ones I bought in the post. Have a great day.