This is a project I’ve been thinking about doing for ages. So it was time to kick start my DIY heart and get it done. I’m hoping it will be the first of many 3-D cracker installations.
I used a gluten-free saltine cracker recipe that I found online eons ago (sorry, I don’t remember where) and I LOVE how they turned out. Of course they don’t taste quite the same as regular soup crackers, but I’d say they’re pretty darn close for being an ‘alternative’ snack bit.
I think you could probably do a straight swap for wheat flour and have great results too.
Sheepie How-To
Things you’ll need:
1. rolling pin
2. 2 cups of gluten-free flour mix (I used Pamela’s gluten-free baking & pancake mix)
3. 3/4 tsp. of baking powder
4. Sheepie templates (*see way below for instructions on how to get these)
5. salt, black pepper, & rosemary (optional)
6. pastry blender for ‘cutting’ in the shortening/butter
7. 1/3 cup of shortening or butter
8. sharp knife for cutting out sheep parts
9. measuring spoons
10. fork to poke the ‘saltine style’ holes in Sheepie’s side
11. 1/8″ thick basswood strips to help achieve thin & even dough
* not pictured: 1/6 cup of milk & 1/2 cup water
12. Patience. These guys take a while to cut out.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2 Mix flour, a pinch of the salt, & baking powder in a bowl.
3. Cut in shortening or butter with pastry blender until mixture has consistency of coarse meal.
4. Add liquid and stir to form a dough.
5. Roll into a very thin sheet, using the 1/8″ basswood strips on either side of your dough to help get uniformity. * It’s also not a bad idea, if you have
one, to use a Silpat silicone cooking mat to roll out on. It makes it much easier to get the delicate pieces off!
6. Place Sheepie templates on dough and use your sharp knife to trace the templates, cutting out the pieces.
7. Repeat this tedious but ultimately rewarding task until you have enough parts for how many sheep you want to make. !! Remember that each
sheep needs two legs! And it’s a good idea to make a few extra parts in case any warp or brake.
8. Place all the pieces, using a thin spatula, carefully onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
9. Prick the sheep body with your fork 4-5 times and sprinkle with remaining salt, pepper, & rosemary, if using.
10. Bake 6-7 minutes.
11. Remove from cookie sheet and let sit on a cooling rack until they are cool enough to handle.
12. Tab & slot the pieces together (illustration for this on template pdf sheet – read below) If a leg or ear piece is not sliding on easily, don’t force it
or they will break. Take your knife and gently shave the slots on both body & matching part a bit at a time until they fit.
That’s it! I made up a green ‘field’ soup using broccoli, onion, cauliflower, peas, & parsley, but any green soup will do!
* If you think you’d like to give the Sheepies a try, just DOWNLOAD THE PDF RIGHT HERE!
81 Comments
Adorable!!!
Wow! These are amazing! Sell this idea to some cracker-business, there must be a market for this!
it looks great. i wanna have the sheep :D
Beautiful idea and presentation of the ingredients!!!
I LOVE the sheep. please send me the template :)
Too cute! I love the sheepie!
haha! This is amazing! My daughter would be all over this – and if I make a piggy, I might even get her to eat the green soup! Thanks so much for sharing this.
I would love the template! these guys are awesome!
Really love the sheep. Would love to give it a try. Thanks!
Cute! Would love the PDF please :) Can I make this with regular flower too? (we’re not fully on the nongluten-train yet here in Europe)
ewe are too witty (sorry, couldn’t resist!). would love the PDF, thanks a bunch.
Please email me the sheepies! They look fantastic!!
suzanne dot chapell at gmail dot com
Thanks!!
These are amazing – I just moved house and they will be making an appearance at the housewarming!
too cute! and omigosh they look delicious :)
this is really cute with the sheep sipping it’s pea soup.
It is such an original idea. I love it!! I can’t wait to try them. Please send me the pdf. Thanks!
Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback on my little project. I’m not able to see all your info to know where to send the template pdf (& don’t want to bother Grace), so please either put your email address in with your comment (a la Suzanne), or if you’d rather not post it here, just send me an email at
info [at] paigerussell dot com. thanks! Also, if you do give them a try, I’d love to see pictures! Thanks!
Oh, and Kim, I think the recipe should work just fine with regular flour, but it wouldn’t hurt to look online for standard recipes just to be sure.
Oh, so cute! It’s a soup sheep, not a soup hen. :)
WOuld love the pdf!
p dot ramos dot e at gmail dot com
I would really like a copy of the pdf. Thanks for posting this! My email is carolynpurnell [at] gmail dot com
How inventive! What a great way to liven up the dinner table! Nice work!
Oh these are wonderful!!! I would really like to try if you can send my the pdf file,
Thank you sooo much!!
Those are too cute! I’d love to make some.
amazomeg [at] gmail dot com
I love this idea. These little sheep would be so cute at a knitting group.
These are so cute and yummy looking!
These are awesome! They are perfect for school treats. I would love a copy of your sheep pattern.
How cute! What a great idea!
You just know that I am going to have to RUSSELL up a flock of theses sheep one day. I cannot believe you made those. Mad skills in the baking department!
I would love it!
Thank you!
beth dot pohlman (at) gmail dot com
i would love the template! These are so adorable.
kristenblackmore (at) gmail (dot) com
they are so cute! please, send me the pdf. my email is mayasappak at gmail dot com
thanks!
I have got to make these for my daughter, they are so cute and I can just see her eating chicken soup again with them. Thanks for the how too. I’d love to see a nice elephant ;)
Way too cute.
I would love the template! Those are amazing!
jsauvage AT earthlink DOT net
Thanks!
Wow! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing! :)
paige(dot)woolery(at)gmail(dot)com
Love, Love Love these! So much fun,
I can see an entire herd of them round a birthday cake.
Thanks for the laughter,
I forgot to ask for the template.
GFDoctor At gmail.com
Wonderful and adorable idea! I really like it!
liinale(at)gmail(dot)com
Would LOVE the template! This is such a fab idea! Thank you!
i’d love to try some sheepies….
sera.holland@gmail.com
thanks!
Great! I want to do them too! Please, email me PDF too
This is adorable! I’d like to try it.
lushplush (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you!
Yes, please send me the template! Cool. Thanks!
I’d love to have a go at the sheep, please send me a template!
forgot to add email address,
laurajdade(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks
This is the most adorable thing I ever saw. You are a genius.
UPDATE:
hi guys- so many of you would like this template that i don’t want to dump a ton of emailing on paige. so we’ll be uploading this pdf to the site asap- will update the link as soon as it’s done.
so no need to leave your email- the pdf will be up and downloadable later today :)
g
Too cute. Love it, but hopefully the wife won’t make me try it. I got real tired of cutting dough after my clever plan to make cookies shaped like our company logo: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=cookies&w=10316450%40N03
It took… forever. I did a lot of it with a cookie cutter I made from ducting steel. But far too much had to be done with x-acto.
Wow Steve, you so win the Intense Craft Award. I can’t believe you made all those! That makes my Sheepies look like a nice stroll… thanks for sharing. : )
And a big thanks to everyone else for your kind comments (tee hee to you Conn) and thanks to Grace for taking the time to upload the pdf template so that y’all can get crafty. I hope those of you who asked for it, but didn’t leave your email sees it to download! Have fun! – paige
HI GUYS–
I ADDED THE PDF LINK IN THE POST ABOVE, BUT IT’S RIGHT HERE, TOO:
designspongeshop.com/sheep.pdf
GRACE :)
Love the idea, retweeted; thanks for the concept and the pdf pattern! I have a sheep cookie cutter, may have to get some copper and heavy-duty pliers out for the legs…
I’d love a copy of the template – laboyle (at) sjca (dot) edu . Thanks!
Thanks for the template! My 6 yo son is going to love this idea!
These are too cute!! Thanks for sharing. We just feature that in our parents and kid’s section of our magazine!
we *might just feature that
I loved these. My grandaughters will most willingly eat their green soup if you put one of these sheep in the bowl. I would love the template. We all live in Mexico City and would love to have it to make soup for all my grandchildren. What a fun thing to do.!! I admire people with imagination and creativity.
I LIKE IT!!
adorei…
parabens
so cute!
Very cute!
I’d love to make one too.
I LOVE the sheepie!
can’t wait to see more soup installations…soup making will never be the same.
Quite possibly the cutest soup decor I’ve ever seen. Baa! Thank you for the pdf and step-by-steps. I posted a link on my edible crafts column, too. (ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com)
HAHA! funny! Thanks for the share
It is so cute, :)
Great idea.
hi! i tried your recipe
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_04/3577732814/
thank you so much for sharing! :D
What a fun idea! the kids would love it!
great! i want to make this !~
thanks for you
These are awesome. I have the last name Lamb. I have been looking for a fun idea for the Lamb Family Reunion and I think I just found it! Thanks!!
Nice one!
so cute! I think I will be very happy if someone give me such a lovely gift.For I was born in the year of the Sheep.what a coincidence!
Excellent !
I Loved!!!
I’d like to try this in a children camp but can’t open the pdf link…
I wanted to try it for my son but I can’t open the pdf link :(
I would like your pdf but can not access it. Is it still available?
Love, love, love the sheep! But can’t open the pdf :(
Could u make it available pls? Thanks!
I would love your pdf of the sheep crackers. I want to make these for my daughters birthday which happens to fall on the same day as her 4-H sheep meeting. Is it still available please?
Would love to use your fabulous design pdf for the sheep crackers. Unable to open the link. We’re throwing a lamb-themed baby shower. Many thanks!
would love a copy of the sheep PDF. My kids would be in Heaven if I made these crackers. Thanks.
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