Here’s a really simple recipe to create every kid’s favorite cookie!   Your kids will love doing the cut outs with you and then trying to figure out what animal it is when it comes out of the oven!  You can find mini animal cookie cutters at Michael’s, the set I bought was about $3 and had 4 animals and a boat cookie cutter included.  Below the main recipe are two “kid at heart” versions-lavender and dark chocolate caramel!

Click here to watch the May 3, 2013 segment of Twin Cities Live when I made this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 stick Salted Butter (room-temperature)
½ cup Sugar
1 Egg
½ tsp Lemon Extract
2 ½ cups Flour
½ tsp Mace
1 tsp Baking Soda
¼ cup Water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixer, cream butter, sugar, egg and lemon extract.  In a bowl combine flour, mace and baking soda.  Add dry mixture gradually to mixer, once combined add water and mix.

In batches, roll dough out thin on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Press mini cookie cutters into dough and remove dough from around shapes.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 12 dozen

For the kids at heart!
*Lavender Animal Crackers: Add 4 drops of edible Lavender Oil and 1 TB of Lavender Buds to dough.
*Dark Chocolate Caramel: When animal crackers come out of the oven, immediately press quartered caramels into each cookie. Return to oven for 2 minutes. When cookies come out immediately press dark chocolate chips into caramel.