If you’re a fan of soft, bakery-style cookies with a touch of nostalgia, these Copycat Crumbl Frosted Animal Cookie Cookies are a must-try! They’re thick, buttery, and packed with crushed frosted circus animal cookies in the dough. Topped with a smooth, sweet frosting and extra sprinkles, they taste just like the ones from Crumbl—maybe even better!
These cookies are easy to make at home, and the best part? You don’t have to wait for them to show up on the Crumbl menu! These are adapted from my viral Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies. Let’s get baking.
How to Make Copycat Crumbl Frosted Animal Cookie Cookies
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet (I recommend this one) with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Fold in 1 to 1.5 cups of crushed frosted circus animal cookies until evenly distributed.
Step 2: Scoop & Bake
- Use a large cookie scoop (this large one works great) to portion out dough balls onto the lined baking sheet. Place them about 2 inches apart.
- Slightly press down on each dough ball with the palm of your hand to create a thick, even cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before frosting.
Step 3: Make the Frosting & Decorate
- In a bowl, mix in powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Spread a generous layer of frosting onto each cooled cookie and sprinkle with rainbow nonpareils.
- (Optional) Press a whole frosted circus animal cookie on top for an extra fun look!
Recipe Tips
✔ Use a Cookie Scoop for Even Baking – A large cookie scoop (like this one) ensures uniform-sized cookies that bake evenly.
✔ Don’t Over mix the Dough – Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the cookies dense instead of soft.
✔ Adjust the Frosting Consistency – For a thinner frosting, add an extra teaspoon of heavy cream. For a thicker consistency, add more powdered sugar.
Storage Tips
- Room Temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week, but bring them to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw at room temperature, frost, and enjoy!
Final Thoughts
These Copycat Crumbl Frosted Animal Cookie Cookies are a treat for both kids and adults. The combination of a thick sugar cookie base, crunchy bits of frosted animal cookies, and sweet pink frosting makes them totally irresistible. Whether you’re baking for a party, a special occasion, or just a fun weekend treat, these cookies will be a guaranteed hit!
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments! Happy baking! 🍪💖
Frosted Circus Animal Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tbsp milk room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract optional
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup crushed Circus Animal Cookies I use the Mother's brand
- ¼ cup nonpareils
For the icing:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream or milk room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar for 3-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla, almond extract, eggs and milk. Mix on low until just incorporated.
- While the mixer is on low, slowly add in the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt and mix until everything is just incorporated. Do not over mix. Add in the crushed animal cookies and nonpareils and mix until just combined.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie) to make dough balls. Space 2-3 inches apart. Use a round glass and press the bottom onto the cookie dough to flatten. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 3 minutes before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.
For the icing:
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, make the icing. In a medium sized bowl mix together the powdered sugar, 2 tbsp of heavy cream and vanilla. If you want the icing to be thinner, add 1 additional tbsp of heavy cream or milk until you reach the consistency you like. I prefer mine to spread but not be too thin that if runs over the edges.
- Sprinkle nonpareils around the outside of the icing and place 1 circus animal cookie in the center. The icing will set up in 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!
These were delicious! For some reason mine turned out more cakey instead of that crumbl and i don’t know what i did wrong.