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Home » Cookies Recipes

88 Best Back-to-School Cookie Recipes (2024)

Published: Jul 6, 2023 · Updated: Apr 12, 2025 by Marye

A collage of cookies with a title text overlay for Pinterest.

Updated for the 2024 school year!

Be ready for lunches, bake sales, and class parties in the new school year with this great list of back-to-school cookie recipes! You'll find easy recipes for classic sugar cookies, old-fashioned oatmeal cookies, and plenty of unique (and delicious) cookies from all over.

Golden brown sugar cookies on a wire rack.
Table of Contents
  • Top 13 Cookies for Back to School
  • Drop Cookie Recipes
  • Rolled and Shaped Cookies
  • Icebox Cookies (Slice and Bake)
  • Bar Cookies
  • Bake Sale Favorites
  • No Bake Cookies
  • How to Package Cookies for a Bake Sale
  • Homemade Cookies Tips
  • How to flash freeze unbaked cookies
  • How to bake cookies from frozen
  • 💬 Comments

It's almost that time — kids are headed back to school.

Are you ready? More importantly — do you have your cookie recipes in order?

I loved putting homemade cookies in the kid's lunches. I hope that it was a little extra touch that told them how very important they are to me and how much I love them.

It's tough, though.

When you are busy trying to juggle home, chores, work, and relationships baking cookies ends up being kind of low on the priority list.

So here they are. Delicious back-to-school cookie ideas from here on Restless Chipotle, established blogs, new blogs, and recipe sites.

Take some time this weekend to make a few batches and get them in the freezer. The first day of school is just around the corner, y'all.

Top 13 Cookies for Back to School

These are our family favorites.

Overhead view of cookies on a cooling rack.

Bakery sugar cookies are a classic! You can use sprinkles or a thin glaze to fancy them up if you want. These are extra chewy cookies with crispy edges.

Square image of cookies.

Old-fashioned oatmeal cookies recipe is the original that was on the back of Quaker Oats in the 1950s! They're sweet and chewy with a delicately crisp crust. Perfect cookies for that first day back.

Stack of brownies with pecans.

Brownies are my downfall and these are my very favorite! Chewy and gooey dark chocolate brownies with pecans are easy to make and you don't even need a mixer!

Peanut butter molasses crinkle cookies on a plate.

Peanut butter crinkles have big peanut butter flavor that's balanced out with a bit of molasses. The texture is more like a molasses cookie - chewy and delicious.

stack of m & m cookies on a plate

m&m's cookies are even better than chocolate chip cookies! Colorful m& ms give each bite a crunch of candy and a burst of chocolate flavor. This recipe is made with peanut butter AND Reese's Pieces, too!

Closeup of cookies for the feature image.

Coconut chocolate chunk cookies have a. secret ingredient! This cookie is the BEST way to use up leftover frosting!

Homemade snickerdoodle cookies in a stack.

Chewy snickerdoodles are exactly like you remember them! Spicy cinnamon and sugar coating covers a chewy cookie.

Stack of oatmeal bar cookies with chocolate frosting.

Oh Henry BarsBest Ever Oh Henry Bars Recipe are another retro bar cookie recipe that's super easy to make and travels well.

Peanut butter cookies in a bowl showing texture of the cookies.

Classic peanut butter cookies are the old-fashioned kind that are perfect for dunking in a glass of cold milk.

A stack of ranger cookies on a plate.

Ranger cookies are a chewy, crispy cookie. It's full of chocolate chips, coconut, cereal, and pecans. They're also called Cowboy cookies. Either way they are YUMMY.

View of a pile of the finished molasses cookies.

Chewy molasses cookies? Yes please! There's nothing better with a big glass of cold milk.

A peanut butter swirled brownie on a plate.

Peanut butter swirled m&m s brownies are chewy and delicious.

A stack of pumpkin bars on a plate showing the layers of spice cake and pumpkin.

Perfect for Fall! Pumpkin gooey butter bars are full of pumpkin spice goodness.

Drop Cookie Recipes

As far as I'm concerned drop cookies are the absolute best to stick in school lunch boxes. They're easy to make in a big batch, they travel well, they're not messy, and they freeze like a charm.

  1. Super Gooey Chocolate Drops
  2. White Chocolate Chunk Cranberry and Pistachio Cookies
  3. Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies
  4. Peanut Butter Banana Drops
  5. Butterscotch, White Chocolate Chip Oat Drops
  6. Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
  7. Buckaroon Cookies
  8. Monster Cookies
  9. Butterfinger Drops
  10. Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
  11. Chocolate Drops
  12. Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
  13. Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies
  14. Quadruple Chip Cookies with Pecans
  15. Milky Way Cookies
  16. Bite Sized Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies
  17. Brown Butter Chocolate Chip
  18. Grandma's Gumdrop Cookies
  19. Cookies and Cream Cookies
  20. Strawberry Chip Cookies
  21. Sea Salt and Peanut Butter Turtle Cookies
  22. Cowboy Cookies
  23. Banana Cream Pudding
  24. Banana Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  25. Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies
  26. Orange Creamsicle Cookies
  27. Caramel Stuffed Pretzel Cookies
  28. Cinnamon Roll Cookies
  29. Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
  30. Zucchini Cookies
  31. Twix Bar Chocolate Chip
  32. Chocolate Mint Oreo Cookies
  33. 3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies
  34. Rocky Road Cookies
  35. Toffee Doodles

Rolled and Shaped Cookies

Rolled and shaped cookies take a little more effort than drop cookies but they do freeze well baked or unbaked. They're the perfect cookies for decorating.

Plus they are a thoughtful gift for new teachers and school staff.

  1. Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Drops
  2. Snickers Chocolate Chip
  3. Lemon Snaps
  4. Toffee Crunch Cookies
  5. Red Hot Snickerdoodles
  6. Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
  7. Peanut Butter Monster Cookies
  8. Classic Sugar Cookies
  9. Peanut Butter Cookies
  10. Southern Butter Cookies
Overhead view of cookies cooling on a rack.

Icebox Cookies (Slice and Bake)

Slice-and-bake cookies are great for back-to-school time because you can make a batch of cookies (or several batches) when you have an hour or so, refrigerate the rolls, then slice and bake a few cookies at a time.

  1. Cherry Icebox Cookies
  2. Lavender Shortbread
  3. Slice and Bake Butter Cookies
  4. Slice and Bake Rainbow Sugar Cookies
  5. Key Lime Slice and Bake Cookies
  6. Pinwheel Cookies

Bar Cookies

Bar cookies are a quick, easy back-to-school treat. I like to wrap them in plastic wrap before sticking them in the kids' lunch boxes.

I think bar cookies stay fresher than when they are in a ziploc bag. They tend to be a bit messier than traditional cookies, though. Be sure to include napkins.

  1. Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
  2. Brownie Brittle
  3. Chewy Granola Bars
  4. Brown Butter Blondies
  5. Brookies
Finished Nutter Butter ghosts on a plate.

Bake Sale Favorites

The best tip for bake sale cookies is to make 'em big! Check my tips for packaging cookies below. You'll find more bake sale favorites here.

  1. Halloween Rice Krispie Treats
  2. Nutter Butter Ghosts
  3. Peanut Butter Blossoms
  4. Vanilla Brownies
  5. Kitchen Sink Cookies
  6. Chewy Peanut Butter M & Ms Cookies
  7. Hooty Creeks
  8. 2-Ingredient Snickers Chocolate Chip Cookies

No Bake Cookies

Here in Texas the kids go back to school in mid-August. Let me tell you, no-one feels like baking cookies in August in Texas.

No bake cookies are the perfect solution!

  1. No Bake Reeses Krispies
  2. Chocolate No Bake Cookies
  3. Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
  4. Avalanche Cookies
  5. No Bake Monster Cookies
  6. No Bake Samoa Cookies
  7. No Bake Muddy Buddy Cookies
  8. No Bake S'Mores Drops
  9. No Bake Rolo Cookies
  10. Ritz Cracker Cookies
  11. Haystacks

How to Package Cookies for a Bake Sale

No matter how yummy the cookie is, if it doesn't look pretty it won't sell at the bake sale or fundraiser.

Here are some tips for packaging cookies especially for bake sales.

  • Label the bags!
  • It's nice to make a note of whether or not the cookie has ingredients like nuts or peanut butter that are common allergens.
  • The quickest way to wrap cookies is to put them in ziploc bags. This works well for smaller cookies when you are going to put 4 or so in a bag.
  • For big cookies or decorated cookies when you are going to sell just one in a container use a food safe cellophane bag (available at Amazon) and tie it at the top with raffia. Be sure to use a cute label.
  • For bar cookies it's nice to have a small aluminum box with a see-through lid. You can get them on Amazon.

Homemade Cookies Tips

There are ways to make it easier — sort of like having your cookie and eating it, too.

Did you know you can air fry cookies? You can!

Mix up a triple batch when you have some free time, drop them by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet, and flash freeze them. Drop the frozen cookie dough balls in a resealable freezer bag.

Then, whenever you are ready to bake your cookies, put however many you want on a cookie sheet. Bake as usual. You might just need an extra minute or two to bake them all the way through.

Most drop cookies are good candidates for flash freezing. You know, when you have a bunch of cookies like this in the freezer you can bake them before school and put the warm cookies in the lunchbox.

You can throw a few in the oven a few minutes before they get home and the house will smell amazing. It's a great way to fulfill that need to be a Kool-Aid Mom if you know what I mean.

How to flash freeze unbaked cookies

  1. Mix up the cookie dough as directed in your recipe.
  2. Drop by teaspoons on a cookie sheet but you can put them close together.
  3. Put in the freezer and freeze until firm and no longer sticky.
  4. Put the frozen cookies in a freezer bag or storage container and freeze for up to three months.

How to bake cookies from frozen

  1. Preheat oven to the temperature specified in the recipe.
  2. Grease the cookie sheet, lay down silpat, or whatever the recipe directs.
  3. Place the frozen cookies on the cookie sheet and bake as usual. You may need an extra minute or two baking time.

Most of these cookies also ship well for sending to loved ones at college or in the military.

More Homemade Cookie Recipes

  • Closeup of polar bear cookies on a cookie sheet.
    Christmas Polar Bear Cookies
  • Close up of Monster Cookies for the featured image.
    Monster Cookies
  • A plate of cookies with coffee cups in the background.
    50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet (Updated for 2024)
  • Overhead view of blueberry white chocolate cookies.
    Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies

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About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

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  1. Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry! says

    August 12, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    Great idea to freeze the cookie dough for baking up a quick batch later! Thanks for the tips and the plethora of recipes!

    Reply
Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

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NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

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