Updated for the 2024 school year!
Get ready for lunches, bake sales, and classroom parties with this curated collection of back-to-school cookie recipes. Whether you want classic sugar cookies, old-fashioned oatmeal cookies, chewy brownies, or inventive bites from a range of trusted recipe sources, this list has ideas that are easy to make, freeze, and pack for busy mornings.
It’s that season again—kids are heading back to school. Are you prepared? More importantly, do you have your cookie lineup ready?
I always loved slipping a homemade cookie into my kids’ lunches. It felt like a small, consistent reminder that they were loved and important. Finding the time to bake can be a challenge, though, especially when you’re balancing home life, work, and other responsibilities.
To make mornings easier, here is a selection of delicious back-to-school cookie recipes gathered from Restless Chipotle and other reliable recipe blogs and sites. Bake a few batches on the weekend and freeze extras so you’ll have homemade treats ready all week long.
Top 13 Cookies for Back to School
These are family favorites that travel well, freeze nicely, and please a crowd.
Bakery sugar cookies are a classic — chewy with crisp edges. Use sprinkles or a thin glaze to dress them up for lunches or parties.
The old-fashioned oatmeal cookies are sweet and chewy with a delicate crisp crust — a timeless back-to-school choice.
Chewy, gooey dark chocolate brownies with pecans are an easy, no-mixer treat that kids love.
Peanut butter crinkle cookies combine bold peanut flavor with a touch of molasses and a chewy texture.
M&M cookies add a colorful crunch and chocolate burst to every bite; some versions include peanut butter or Reese’s Pieces for extra flavor.
Coconut chocolate chunk cookies are a great way to use up leftover frosting and add a tropical twist to a chocolate cookie.
Chewy snickerdoodles rolled in cinnamon sugar bring warm spice and comfort to lunchboxes.
Oh Henry bars are a retro oat-and-chocolate bar cookie that’s simple to make and travels well.
Classic peanut butter cookies are sturdy, flavorful, and perfect for dunking in cold milk.
Ranger (or Cowboy) cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, coconut, cereal, and pecans for a chewy, crunchy bite.
Chewy molasses cookies are warmly spiced and pair perfectly with a glass of milk.
Peanut butter–swirled M&M brownies are fudgy, indulgent, and a guaranteed favorite.
Pumpkin gooey butter bars capture pumpkin spice flavors in a rich bar cookie—perfect for fall school treats.
Drop Cookie Recipes
Drop cookies are ideal for packing in lunchboxes: they’re easy to make in large batches, transport well, and freeze beautifully.
- Super gooey chocolate drops
- White chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio chunk cookies
- Blueberry white chocolate cookies
- Peanut butter and banana drops
- Butterscotch white chocolate oat drops
- Oatmeal toffee cookies
- Buckaroo (coconut) cookies
- Monster cookies
- Butterfinger cookie drops
- Chewy oatmeal raisin cookies
- Chocolate drop cookies
- Classic chocolate chip cookies (including giant chewy versions)
- Butter pecan toffee cookies
- Quadruple chip cookies with pecans
- Milky Way cookie bars
- Bite-sized peanut butter pretzel M&M cookies
- Brown butter bakery-style chocolate chip cookies
- Grandma’s gumdrop cookies
- Cookies and cream cookies
- Strawberry chip cookies
- Sea salt peanut butter turtle cookies
- Texas-style cowboy cookies
- Banana cream pudding cookies
- Banana pecan chocolate chunk cookies
- Almond Joy chocolate chip cookies
- Orange creamsicle cookies
- Salted caramel stuffed pretzel cookies
- Cinnamon roll cookies
- Lemon white chocolate chip cookies
- Zucchini cookies
- Twix bar chocolate chip cookies
- Chocolate mint Oreo cookies
- 3-ingredient cake mix cookies
- Rocky road cookies
- Toffee doodle cookies
Rolled and Shaped Cookies
These take a bit more time but freeze well, baked or unbaked, and are perfect for decorating. They make thoughtful gifts for teachers and school staff.
- Cap’n Crunch peanut butter cookie stackers
- Snickers chocolate chip cookies
- Lemon snaps
- Toffee crunch cookies
- Red hot snickerdoodles
- Copycat Lofthouse soft frosted sugar cookies
- Peanut butter monster cookies
- Classic sugar cookies for decorating
- Peanut butter shaped cookies
- Southern butter cookies
Icebox Cookies (Slice and Bake)
Slice-and-bake cookies are perfect for busy weeks. Make several rolls when you have time, refrigerate, then slice and bake a few cookies as needed.
- Cherry icebox cookies
- Lavender shortbread
- Slice-and-bake butter cookies
- Slice-and-bake rainbow sugar cookies
- Key lime slice-and-bake cookies
- Pinwheel cookies
Bar Cookies
Bar cookies are quick to make, easy to wrap, and convenient to pack. I like to wrap each bar in plastic wrap before adding it to a lunchbox for freshness.
- Peanut butter cup cookie bars
- Brownie brittle or crunchy brownie bars
- Chewy granola bars
- Brown butter blondies with pecans
- Brookies (brownie–cookie hybrid)
Bake Sale Favorites
For bake sales, make cookies generously sized and package them attractively. Presentation helps sales—see packaging tips below.
- Halloween Rice Krispie treats
- Nutter Butter ghosts
- Peanut butter blossoms
- Vanilla brownies
- Kitchen sink cookies
- Chewy peanut butter M&M cookies
- Cranberry oatmeal white chocolate cookies
- 2-ingredient Snickers chocolate chip cookies
No Bake Cookies
When it’s hot out, no-bake cookies are lifesavers. They require no oven time and are quick to whip up—perfect for late-summer school starts.
- No-bake Reese’s Krispies
- Chocolate no-bake cookies
- Peanut butter no-bake cookies
- Avalanche no-bake cookies
- No-bake monster cookies
- No-bake Samoa (copycat) cookies
- No-bake Muddy Buddy cookies
- No-bake s’mores drop cookies
- No-bake Rolo cookies
- Ritz cracker cookies (no-bake)
- Haystacks
How to Package Cookies for a Bake Sale
Presentation matters at bake sales. Use attractive packaging and clear labeling to help your treats sell.
- Label each package with the cookie name and note common allergens like nuts or peanut butter.
- For small cookies, Ziploc bags work well when grouping several together.
- For a single large or decorated cookie, use food-safe cellophane and tie it with raffia; add a simple label for a polished look.
- For bar cookies, a small aluminum box with a clear lid presents them nicely and keeps them fresh.
Homemade Cookie Tips
There are ways to save time without sacrificing homemade flavor. One favorite trick is flash-freezing cookie dough so you can bake fresh cookies on short notice.
You can even air-fry some cookies if you want quick small batches. Mix a triple batch when you have free time, drop dough by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, and flash-freeze. Store the frozen dough balls in a resealable freezer bag.
When you want fresh cookies, place frozen dough balls on a baking sheet and bake as directed—add a minute or two if needed. Flash-freezing works particularly well for drop cookies and lets you pop warm cookies into lunchboxes or serve them fresh after school.
How to flash freeze unbaked cookies
- Prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe.
- Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet; they can be placed fairly close together.
- Freeze until firm and no longer sticky.
- Transfer frozen dough balls to a freezer bag or container and store for up to three months.
How to bake cookies from frozen
- Preheat the oven to the temperature specified in the recipe.
- Prepare the cookie sheet as the recipe directs (grease, silpat, etc.).
- Place frozen cookies on the sheet and bake; add a minute or two to the baking time if needed.
Many of these cookies also ship well, making them a great option for sending care packages to college students or loved ones serving away from home.