It doesn’t get much cuter than these zoo-tastic animal cookies! Learn to build four critters, then play around with candy melts and cookies to create your own special take on your favorite furry friend.
Animal Cookies
Level: EasyWhat You Need
- Assorted cookies (we used Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, Anna’s Ginger Thins, and oval cookies similar to Milanos)
- Candy melts (white, blue, pink and green)
- Wax paper
- Spoon
- Sprinkles
- Round candy (we used M&M’s)
- Dowel or skewer
- Tweezers (optional)
- Paramount crystals (optional)
To Make The Penguin
1. Prep the Candy Melts
Don’t just crank up the heat — there’s a method to melting candy melts you need to follow (or risk overheating and making a clumpy mess).
For successful melting, microwave a bowl of white candy melts on low power for 60 seconds. Stir and put them back in the microwave (always on low power) for 30 seconds. Stir again, then microwave a final time for 15 seconds. They should now be melted and smooth.
Pro Tip: If you need help getting your candy melts to a smooth consistency, add a few paramount crystals.
2. Ice the Cookie
Place a Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer on wax paper and spoon the white candy melts onto the bottom to make a triangle shape. If needed, use a skewer to drag the melt into the desired shape.
3. Make the Face
Add an orange sprinkle toward the top of the melt for the beak. Add the eyes by dabbing small dots of candy melt on either side of the cookie. Then put a small black candy or round sprinkle on top of the dots.
Pro Tip: This can be a bit tricky to do with your fingers. If you need more precision, use tweezers to get your placement just right.
4. Give ‘Em Happy Feet
Use the skewer to add globs of melt on either side of the cookie’s base. This should run a bit off the cookie onto the wax paper. Place a yellow M&M for each foot. (When the candy melt dries, you can peel the paper off and the feet will remain intact.)
Set your penguin aside to dry completely, and you’re done!
To Make The Bear
1. Ice the Cookie
Once your blue candy melts are smoothly melted, use a spoon to spread the melt in a circle on one end of a Milano or other oval cookie. Place a black round candy (like an M&M) right in the center of the melt to make his big black nose.
2. Draw the Ears
With your skewer, drop more candy melt for his ears. Allow it to run off the cookie and onto the wax paper.
3. What (Small) Eyes You Have
Use a skewer to place two small dots of candy melt on the cookie for the bear’s eyes. Just like with the penguin, place two small round candies or sprinkles on the melt to make the eyes realistic.
Beary cute!
To Make The Lion
1. Mix the Melts
For the lion, we’re going to mix it up a bit (literally). Add a few white candy melts to a bowl of pink melts and melt them together. You’ll get a lovely pastel color.2. Ice the Cookie
Spoon a circle of candy melt into the center of an Anna’s Ginger Thins cookie. Then use a skewer to shape the ears.
3. Define the Face
Place an M&M in the center of the melt circle. Then use sprinkles to make the lion’s mouth and eyes (you might want to use some tweezers for this).
Check out that cookie mane!
To Make The Skunk
1. Mix the Melts
Just like with the lion, mix a few white melts in with some green and melt them together.2. Dip It, Dip It Good
Dip a Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer cookie into the candy melts so about a fourth of the cookie is covered. Lift it straight up so you have a crisp line of green.
Turn the cookie so the dipped end is to the side and dip it straight down and up again. This will give your cookie a V-pattern.
3. Build the Face
Place three small round candies or sprinkles in the candy melt — one at the tip of the V, and two on either side. See the cute little face forming?
4. The Final Touch
Use your skewer to add small globs of melt for the ears. Allow them to should spread out onto the wax paper a bit.
So stinkin’ cute!