Animal Cracker Pie Recipes

ANIMAL CRACKERS

Steps:

• For the dough: Add the granulated sugar and butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and egg and beat again, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the mixer until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disc and put it in a plastic bag. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
• Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out as many cookies as you can in a variety of animal shapes. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake until they're just barely done, 8 to 10 minutes; you want them to be set, but not brown. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating.
• For the frosting: Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl, add the food coloring and 1/4 cup cold water and stir to combine
• Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and drizzle the frosting over them. Let the frosting dry before serving the cookies, about 2 hours.

KEY LIME BARS WITH ANIMAL CRACKER CRUST

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325°.
• Cut about 12" length extra-wide heavy duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2" width. WIth folded sides facing down, fir foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8" square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. SPray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• In workbowl of food processor, pulse animal crackers until broken down, about ten 1 second pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, ten to twelve 1 second pulses (if large sugar clumps remain, break them apart with fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about ten 1 second pulses.
• Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.
• While crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).
• Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate unti thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.
• Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking panusing foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted with toasted coconut and serve. Can refrigerate for up to 2 days, crust will soften slightly. Let refrigerated bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.
• Can make triple citrus bars using 1 1/2 teaspoons each of grated lime zest, lemon zest, and orange zest (mince zest after measuring), and using 6 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tablespoons orange juice.

SOUR ORANGE PIE-COOK'S COUNTRY

Steps:

• For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process crackers, sugar and salt in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter (easily melted in the microwave) and pulse until combined, about 8-9 pulses. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch pie plate.
• Using bottom of dry measuring cup or glass bottom, press crumbs firmly into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• For the Filling: Whisk all ingredients in bowl until fully combined. Pour filling into cooled crust.
• Bake pie until center jiggles slightly when shaken, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 3 hours or cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
• For the Whipped Cream: Whisk cream, sugar and orange zest in medium bowl until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Slice chilled pie and serve with whipped cream.