I'm not actually sure what the "real" name for these is.  They go by many different names, depending on the brand. 

I recently bought a bag made by Mother's Cookies which calls them "Circus Animal Cookies," but my friends bought a bag made by Franz called "Frosted Animal Crackers."  

(Incidentally, my friend and I both accidentally brought said cookies to the same event.  Which was "she's wearing my dress" embarrassing, as well as more than a little weird. Neither of us had eaten these cookies for years, before we picked them up at the store the day before.)

At any rate, I'm sure you know the cookies I mean.  You take a perfectly good little animal cracker, then drench it in a delicious sweet frosting, and sprinkle it with little non pareils.  And it's even better!  This isn't a case of gilding the lily.

My chief objection to regular animal crackers is that they are so very dry.  They have a great crunch, but they turn dusty and threaten to choke you, should you be unwary enough to try and eat them without a beverage handy.  They are also a little on the bland side.  All of which is fine, and I like me a good handful of animal crackers from time to time.  But there is definitely room for improvement.

Enter the frosted variety!  The frosting provides that much needed bit of added moisture and creaminess, and adds a sharply sweet, vanilla flavor.  It also adds two more textures to the crunch of the animal cracker, so that in addition to the taste you also get crunch, creamy, and the little crispy dots.  

This is definitely a "little kid" treat.  I have gotten many a skeptical look from fellow adults when I confess to my love for frosted animal crackers.  But I'll tell you what, my friend and I set out our matching bags of Circus Animals, and we did not end up taking any home!  And there weren't any kids at this party.  Just a lot of adults who looked back and forth guiltily before snatching a few cookies, and then a few more.  The tell-tale dusting of little dots across the front of the shirt.

I myself cannot taste the difference between various brands of frosted animal crackers, but I know that a lot of people staunchly swear by the original - Mother's Circus Animals.  And therefore these people were utterly heartbroken when Mother's closed its doors thanks to a sudden bankruptcy in October, 2008.  

The closure was abrupt; employees were informed on Friday that the company would be closing on Monday.  Happily, Kellogg's bought the Mother's brand just a few months later, and re-opened the cookie factory in order to continue production of the original Mother's cookies.  

In addition to the beloved Circus Animals, this brought Taffy Sandwiches and Iced Oatmeal Cookies back to the hungry public, after only about a six month absence!  And we looked upon their work, and it was good.

Photo credit: Flickr/kerjsi