If they’re not already, animal crackers should be in your pie crust arsenal.
They’re one of our favorite crumb crust ingredients for two important reasons: their not-too-sweet flavor and their structurally sound texture.
In the flavor category, animal crackers’ mild vanilla sweetness won’t overshadow a pie’s filling. It pairs particularly well with citrus ingredients such as lemon and sour orange, and it’s perfectly comfortable being the supporting player and not the main character.
But texture is just as important. Animal crackers contain about 39 percent fat and sugar, so they produce sturdy, even crusts that won’t slump.
This percentage of fat and sugar makes them versatile, too. It’s similar to that of graham crackers, so we found that animal crackers are the best substitute for graham crackers in crumb crusts. When we tested using gingersnaps, Lorna Doones, and Nilla Wafers in place of graham crackers, the crusts slid down the sides of the pie plate—the result of their higher fat and sugar content.
Sign up for the Notes from the Test Kitchen newsletter
Our favorite tips and recipes, enjoyed by 2 million+ subscribers!
Ready to taste animal crackers in action? Here is a list of our favorite ways to use animal crackers in a pie crust:
For Cream Pies
For the lightest flavors, use a less intrusive pie crust and sweeten as needed.
Coconut Cream Pie with Animal Cracker Crust
For our coconut cream pie, we wanted to get honest coconut flavor by using both coconut milk and shredded coconut.
Get the RecipeFor a Welcome Contrast
An animal cracker crust provided a sweet, crunchy contrast to the creamy, tangy sour orange filling in this unique pie.
Sour Orange Pie
Making sour orange pie without sour oranges required a bit of imagination and a lot of moxie.
Get the RecipeFor Ice Cream Cakes
Imagine an ice cream sandwich where the cookies stay crunchy.
Frozen Lemonade Cake
For a refreshing, all-American summer dessert, we start with an animal-cracker crust and layer on lemonade-flavored ice cream and sweet-tart lemon curd.
Get the RecipeFor an Unforgettable Texture
Here, animal crackers are pulsed with sugar and used to dust the work surface before rolling out the pie dough. Then the remaining mixture tops the pie crust before baking.
Apple Slab Pie
Big enough to feed 20 people, traditional apple slab pie is a two-crusted affair filled with spiced apples, and baked on a baking sheet. Short in stature, the filling is thickened to ensure neat slicing, and it's topped with a sugary glaze.
Get the Recipe
The Perfect Pie
Bake beautiful, foolproof versions of the corner bakery classics and French patisserie favorites—plus a host of whimsical, modern pies and tarts of all kinds with sky-high meringue pies, uniquely flavored fruit pies with intricate lattice-woven tops, and lush elegant tarts.
Save NowFor Rich Cheesecakes
Here, animal crackers are used to make a crust thick enough to stand up to all that tangy cheesecake filling.
Goat Cheese and Lemon Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust
Lemon is a fickle flavor, and pairing it with cream cheese requires a perfect balance of juice, zest, and sugar.
Get the Recipe
Lemon Cheesecake
Lemon is a fickle flavor, and pairing it with cream cheese requires a perfect balance of juice, zest, and sugar.
Get the Recipe
Triple Citrus Cheesecake
Lemon is a fickle flavor, and pairing it with cream cheese requires a perfect balance of juice, zest, and sugar.
Get the Recipe
Key Lime Bars
Our first cracks at transforming Key lime pie into a cookie left us with a thick, dry crust--and too much lime on our hands. We wanted to raise the bar.
Get the Recipe
Key Lime Icebox Cheesecake
No-bake cheesecakes, which use gelatin to set them firm, can be a dubious affair. We set out to create an icebox cheesecake with a supple, creamy texture and great flavor, too.
Get the Recipe
