Everything To Know About Animal Crackers
Animal crackers have been around for as long as Americans can remember, but many do not know about the history of the cracker– or the cookie for that matter.
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Animal Crackers have held their spot in the pantries of American homes for generations, but what makes this snack food special?
Animal crackers were originally created in England and instantly became a huge hit in America. The simple, yet tasty mixture of ingredients had Americans talking after the British boasted this tea-time snack as a new creation. American bakers were determined to match the recipe of the delicious and popular cookie. Stauffer’s Biscuit Company was the first establishment to come up with a recipe similar to the original crackers brought on by England.
Originally, the cookies were made by hand and punched with a cookie cutter. After technological advancements, many companies adopted the rotary die method, which was able to mass-produce the cookies with a more elaborate design. As time went on, companies started making designs for different animals, eventually expanding to the 54 animals that are in a box today. The last animal to be added to the crackers was the koala, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of animal crackers.
Following the original recipe of animal crackers, there have been a number of recipes surfacing on Pinterest. Check out this blog post on a simple recipe for animal crackers:
https://missanthropistskitchen.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/homemade-animal-crackers/
The wide variety of animal cracker renditions range from chocolate to strawberry sprinkles. The traditional animal crackers are made out of simple ingredients like flour and sugar– there really is no “secret ingredient.” So what makes the cracker so popular? Maybe it is the hard texture or the simplicity of the recipe. But one thing that everyone can agree on is that they have been a huge hit since they were originally created.
Along with the rest of the United States, many Sequoits grew up eating animal crackers.
“I used to eat the Barnum’s Animal Crackers from the boxes,” math teacher Lindsay Schwisow said.
“I ate a lot of animal crackers when I was younger,” junior Heather McNaughton said. “My personal favorites were the ones with the sprinkles and frosting on them.”
Whether it is the sugar-coated or original flavor, animal crackers have made an impact all around the world since the 1800s.