There’s something about back-to-school that makes me want to bake cookies. Maybe it’s that start of the school year energy that makes me feel like I can take on the world and balance work, school lunches, after school activities, and homemade cookies. Check back with me in, oh, two weeks and it’ll be a different story. But, while this surge of super human energy is still coursing, I’m going to treat my kids to these cute cookie recipes because, hello, the cutest cookies ever. Seriously. These are amazing and not totally impossible.
Related: Your kid is so cute you can now (literally, kind of) eat him up.
Oh, and no judgements if you’re not feeling the same energy right now or if “not totally impossible” doesn’t sell you on these as everyday recipes. If that’s the case, save these for a special occasion like a birthday party.
These DIY Pinocchio Cookies at Handmade Charlotte are more craft than baking since there’s no cooking required. Grab a box of Nilla wafers, some other supplies, and follow the step-by-step instructions to make these ridiculously awesome cookies.
I can’t deal with how cute these hugging Teddy Bear Cookies are. Too much! It seems the original recipe is at Neol, but since the directions there are in Japanese, try following along at DIY & Crafts, where there’s also a video tutorial. And, if you want to get really fancy, swap out the almond or cashew for whatever you want the bear to be hugging, like maybe an M&M?
More cuddly bears! These Teddy Bear Cookies at Kids Kubby are little less fussy, though you do have to make two batches of dough. Once you have both in hand, some simple layering and arranging will leave you with these super cute snacks.
Related: 9 awesome bake sale recipes you can make even if you leave baking to the night before.
Once you get the hang of making them, icebox cookies are pretty straight forward business. If you know how to make them, then you’re golden with these Penguin Icebox Cookies at Diamonds for Desserts. If you don’t know how to make them, these are a fairly easy place to start, and so cute, right? If your kids aren’t into penguins, you can also find Lion Cookies at Diamonds for Dessert, too.
Cookies and s’mores in one treat? Oh yes, these DIY Monster S’mores that we found at Say Yes are a win-win. Made with store-bought ingredients, these are an easy kitchen craft that the kids can help make. And just in time for Halloween.
If you like cute cookies as much as I do, you have to (have to!) check out the Elleventy Instagram feed that I found through Handmade Charlotte. It’s a whole stream of cute cookie photos that will have you ooh’ing and ahh’ing. The only frustrating thing is that there aren’t recipes and, well, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to recreate treats like the chocolate dipped strawberry cookies above (top collage) without directions. The turtle cookies (above), though, I can do. So can you with a simple peanut butter cookie recipe.
