Zoo Animal Cookies (Зоологічне) is a classic GOST hard (drawn-out) cookie recipe — one of the most recognizable Soviet-era biscuits. These small cookies are stamped in the shapes of various animals (elephant, bear, camel, lion, horse, etc.) and are made from an elastic, low-fat dough. They are characterized by a light, layered structure, moderate sweetness, and excellent shelf life.
Recipe (industrial formulation)
- Top-grade wheat flour — 100.0 kg
- Corn starch — 5.0 kg
- Powdered sugar — 24.0 kg
- Invert syrup (TS 70%) — 2.0 kg
- Margarine (TS 84%) — 9.5 kg
- Mélange (liquid whole egg) — 2.0 kg
- Salt — 0.6 kg
- Sodium bicarbonate — 0.5 kg
- Ammonium bicarbonate — 0.15 kg
- Vanilla flavoring — 0.05 kg
Technological notes
Unlike sugar cookies, hard (drawn-out) cookies are made from an elastic dough with lower sugar and fat content. The dough is mixed longer to develop gluten, then laminated (sheeted and folded multiple times) to create the characteristic layered structure. Dough temperature is typically 28–32 °C — higher than for sugar cookies. Baking temperature is 220–250 °C for 5–7 minutes. Final moisture content is typically 5.5–8.0%. The result is a less sweet, less crumbly cookie with a snappy texture.
1 kg contains approximately 200–250 pieces depending on animal shape. TS = total solids.