Large Gourmet Circus Animal Sugar Cookies
Large Gourmet Circus Animal Sugar Cookies: Do you have a sweet tooth and a penchant for the whimsical? Then you’ll definitely want to stick around for this recipe. We’re creating large gourmet soft circus animal sugar cookies – a deliciously fun twist on a classic treat.
These larger-than-life cookies are the perfect indulgence for anyone who loves all things sweet and playful. From their soft and chewy texture to their eye-catching designs, there’s so much to love about these delicious desserts. So, let’s dive in and discover everything you need to know about these scrumptious treats!
What do you get when you combine two of your favorite cookies? The BEST Circus Animal Sugar Cookies EVER! These sugar cookies are large, thick, and soft, filled with Circus Animal Cookies and sprinkles. Scroll down for all my tips and tricks on how you can make your own gourmet cookies at home.
No more paying high prices for gourmet cookies! Instead of serving cake at your next birthday party, serve these Large Gourmet Circus Animal Sugar Cookies. They scream, “LET’S PARTY”! Perfect for kids and adults.
What are Large Gourmet Circus Animal Sugar Cookies?
These large, bakery-like cookies are 1½ inches tall, soft, and contain almost two bags of circus animal cookies—PLUS ¼ cups of sprinkles! They’re the perfect fun cookie recipe.
CRUMBL COPYCAT RECIPE-FROSTED CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIES
At first glance, it’s clear that this homemade cookie recipe doesn’t resemble Crumbl’s. The Crumbl cookies are sugar cookies with sprinkles, topped with melted white chocolate candy, and finished with a pink circus animal cookie. So, in short, they are a disappointment to the name. To recreate their cookie, add a dollop of melted candy melts or white chocolate chips to the tops of each cooled cookie (note: you’ll need to flatten them). While the candy is still wet, add a pink animal cookie and a few more sprinkles. The end result from this delicious cookie recipe is a large, thick, chewy cookie.
FUN TREAT FOR A BABY SHOWER
If the baby is a girl, add a pink animal cookie to the top of each cookie. If the baby is a boy, add a white cookie to the top of each cookie. FUN REVEAL IDEA FOR A GIRL’S BABY SHOWER. Only use white animal cookies for the recipe. While shaping the cookies into a ball, bury a pink animal cookie in the center of the homemade circus animal cookies.
How to Make Large Gourmet Circus Animal Sugar Cookies
DELICIOUS MOTHER’S CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIE FLAVOR IN A GIANT GOURMET COOKIE!
VEGETABLE SHORTENING: Shortening traps more air bubbles and has a higher melting point than butter. As a result, recipes that use shortening tend to produce an end product that rises slightly higher, retains its shape during baking, and has a softer or lighter interior texture.
UNSALTED BUTTER: For flavor, a little fat, and a tiny bit of liquid.
CREAM CHEESE: Swapping out some of the butter for cream cheese will create a soft, cloud-like cookie.
HANDLING THE DOUGH: When forming the cookie ball, don’t press the dough together too much. Try to keep it airy. Press it together just enough to hold.
BAKING POWDER: Baking soda can make cookies crisper, but we want thick, soft cookies, so omit it and use baking powder.
CHILL THE DOUGH BEFORE BAKING: Once the dough is formed into balls and placed on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, slide the cookie sheet into the refrigerator for 2½ hours.
GIANT CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIE RECIPE INGREDIENT LIST– full printable recipe below in recipe card
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup room temperature butter
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 (9-ounce) bags Animal Circus Cookies, divided (look below for instructions)
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup rainbow nonpareils
SOFT CHEWY CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIE INSTRUCTIONS
- Break all the cookies in one 9-ounce bag in half and set them aside.
- Crush enough cookies from the remaining bag to measure 1 cup of cookie powder or finely crushed cookies; set aside. (I poured the cookies into a zip-top bag and used a rolling pin to crush them.)
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, add the shortening, softened butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until light and fluffy, using a rubber spatula to scrape around the sides of the bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 CUP CRUSHED COOKIES (see above).
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blend only until combined.
- Stir in the pieces of circus animal cookies (see above) and nonpareil sprinkles.
- Divide the dough into 15 large cookie dough balls (weighing 4 ounces each)
- Place the cookie dough balls, spaced out, on a prepared baking sheet (one sheet has 7 cookie balls and the other has 8).
- Refrigerate 2½ hours. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake cookies for 20-22 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The cookies may seem raw, but they are not. The icing from the Circus Animal Cookies has melted. Once the cookies cool, they will come together and slightly harden.
- Slide the hot, baked cookies, still on the parchment paper, onto the kitchen counter or cooling rack to cool completely.
- MAKES 15 LARGE COOKIES
The Most Important Step In This Cookie Recipe
HOW TO GET THICK SOFT COOKIES: In this post, you will get a lot of tips and tricks. If you want a thick, giant, gourmet Circus Animal cookie, then this is the most important TIP. Make sure the dough is super cold before baking, and here’s why. CHILLING COOKIE DOUGH CONTROLS SPREAD. CHILLING COOKIE DOUGH BEFORE BAKING SOLIDIFIES THE FAT IN THE COOKIES. AS THE COOKIES BAKE, THE FAT IN THE CHILLED COOKIE DOUGH TAKES LONGER TO MELT THAN ROOM-TEMPERATURE FAT. AND THE LONGER THE FAT REMAINS SOLID, THE LESS THE COOKIES SPREAD.
BUTTER VS MARGARINE
Don’t skimp on this ingredient….YOU MUST USE REAL BUTTER. WHY? There are several reasons for choosing butter over margarine.
- FLAVOR: Butter provides a rich flavor. BAKER’S TIP: Always use unsalted butter when baking. You want to control the amount of salt in your recipe.
- FAT CONTENT: Margarine contains more water and less fat, resulting in thin cookies that spread out during baking.
Topping Options
I love the look of cookie pieces peeking out from the cookie dough. If you want to add another layer of flavor, try drizzling melted pink vanilla candy (you can also decorate some of the cookies with white) and sprinkles while the candy is still wet. The best tool for this job is a squeeze bottle.
In a pinch, you can also use a small zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Zip-top bags can be a bit more challenging to manage. If you’re looking for a more uniform drizzle, I recommend using a squeeze bottle. Squeeze bottles of vanilla melts are available in most stores that sell melting candy.
CAN THIS RECIPE MAKE SMALLER COOKIES?
This recipe was designed to make 15 large, thick, soft cookies, like the ones you get at a bakery.
However, this same dough can be used to make smaller cookies. They will puff up beautifully and thickly. Please remember to adjust the baking time. The serving size will also change.
HERE’S HOW TO TRANSFORM THESE LARGE BAKERY COOKIES INTO SMALL COOKIES
- LEAVE THE DOUGH IN THE MIXING BOWL and refrigerate for 2 hours. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop (about 2 ounces) to scoop the cookie dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Form into balls. You should get close to twice as many cookies.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 11 minutes. Use the back of a wooden spoon to gently flatten the cookies, and continue baking for an additional 2 minutes.
Sprinkles: Jimmies VS Non-Pareils
DON’T USE JIMMIES: This recipe calls for a lot of sprinkles. If you add jimmies, they will add a flavor to your cookie dough you don’t want. Nonpareils are the perfect choice. They have no flavor, a little crunch, and great rainbow colors. Nonpareil rainbow sprinkles match the existing colors on the Circus Animal Cookies.
GOURMET COOKIE BAKE SALE
THE BAGS
CAN CIRCUS ANIMAL SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH BE MADE IN ADVANCE?
YES! You can totally make this dough ahead of time and save it in the refrigerator or freezer!
REFRIGERATOR: The cookie dough can be kept chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
FREEZER (BAKED COOKIES): Place baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
FREEZER (COOKIE DOUGH BALLS): Cookie dough balls will stay fresh in the freezer up to 3 months. HOW TO FREEZE: Place the balls on a cookie sheet for a few hours before placing them in a freezer bag to store. BAKE FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH FOR AN EXTRA MINUTE, no need to thaw.
COOKIE OF THE MONTH
A FRESH, FUN COOKIE RECIPE EVERY MONTH — STRAIGHT FROM OUR KITCHEN TO YOURS!
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Large gourmet circus animal sugar cookies bring a playful twist to classic elegance, blending nostalgic charm with elevated flavor and craftsmanship. Their buttery, melt-in-your-mouth base is adorned with vibrant icing or delicate sprinkles, capturing the whimsy of childhood favorites while offering the richness of a bakery-quality treat. Each oversized cookie is both a feast for the eyes and a delight for the palate, striking the perfect balance between fun and indulgence. More than a dessert, they’re a joyful celebration in edible form—proof that even the most whimsical sweets can be made with gourmet care and attention to detail. Sheryl
WHY DO THESE COOKIES LOOK “RAW”?
If you’re wondering why the inside of these cookies looks a little “doughy,” don’t worry—they’re fully baked! That’s the magic of a true bakery-style cookie. These cookies are made to be extra thick and chewy, so the centers stay soft while the edges are set and golden. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth texture that might look underdone at first glance but is actually perfectly baked.
Pro Tip: The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so resist the urge to overbake—otherwise, you’ll lose that irresistible soft and chewy center.
Large Gourmet Circus Animal Sugar Cookies
It's always a party with Circus Animal Cookies!
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ( 9 ounce) bags Circus Animal Cookies, divided (look below for instructions)
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup non pareils
Instructions
For the Circus Animal Cookies:
- Break all the cookies in one 9-ounce bag in half and set them aside.
- Crush enough cookies from the remaining bag to measure 1 cup of cookie powder or finely crushed cookies, set aside (I poured the cookies into a zip-top bag and used a rolling pin to smash the cookies)
For the Circus Animal Cookie Dough:
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the shortening, butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix until light and fluffy.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 CUP CRUSHED COOKIES (see above).
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blend only until combined.
- Stir in the broken cookies (see above) and sprinkles.
- Divide the dough into 15 large cookie dough balls (weighing 4 ounces each)
- Place cookie dough balls spaced out on cookie sheets (one sheet has seven cookie balls and one has 8).
- Refrigerate 2½ hours. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP
Circus Animal Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake 20-22 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The cookies may seem raw, but they are not. The icing from the Circus Animal Cookies has melted. Once the cookies cool, they will come together and slightly harden.
- Slide the hot baked cookies, still on the parchment paper, onto the kitchen counter to completely cool. MAKES 15 LARGE COOKIES
Notes
MAKING CIRCUS ANIMAL SUGAR COOKIES IN ADVANCE:
REFRIGERATOR: The cookie dough can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
FREEZER (BAKED COOKIES): Place baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
FREEZER (COOKIE DOUGH BALLS): Cookie dough balls will stay fresh in the freezer up to 3 months. HOW TO FREEZE: Place the balls on a cookie sheet for a few hours before placing them in a freezer bag to store. BAKE FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH FOR AN EXTRA MINUTE, no need to thaw.
WHY DO THESE COOKIES LOOK "RAW"?
If you’re wondering why the inside of these cookies looks a little “doughy,” don’t worry—they’re fully baked! That’s the magic of a true bakery-style cookie. These cookies are made to be extra thick and chewy, so the centers stay soft while the edges are set and golden. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth texture that might look underdone at first glance but is actually perfectly baked.
Pro Tip: The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so resist the urge to overbake—otherwise, you’ll lose that irresistible soft and chewy center.
So good!! I drizzled a bit of melted white almond bark over each cooled cookie — a little extra touch that we enjoyed. I’ve had requests to make these for two birthdays coming up soon — the kids said these are better than a birthday cake.
Oh my gosh Patty! THAT’S AWESOME!