Back-to-School Cookies for Teachers: 8 Sweet Treats

The back-to-school season isn’t just about sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks—it’s also the perfect time to show gratitude to teachers.

Few gifts warm the heart like homemade cookies, especially when they’re fun, themed, and delicious.

Whether you’re sending a sweet surprise in a gift box or baking with kids for a thoughtful classroom treat, these eight back-to-school cookie ideas strike the perfect balance between creativity and flavor.

1) Oatmeal Raisin “Teacher’s Choice” Cookies

Classic, chewy, and comforting—oatmeal raisin cookies have long been a teacher’s favorite. Packed with wholesome oats and plump raisins, these cookies are both nostalgic and satisfying.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until smooth.
4. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Fold in oats and raisins.
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto lined baking sheets and bake 10–12 minutes, until golden brown.

2) Apple Sugar Cookies

What says “teacher” more than an apple? These adorable sugar cookies are decorated like red apples, making them a charming edible gift.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Red royal icing
• Green icing for leaves
• Brown icing for stems

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla.
5. Gradually mix in dry ingredients.
6. Roll dough to ¼ inch, cut with an apple-shaped cookie cutter.
7. Bake for 8–10 minutes; cool completely.
8. Decorate with red icing, adding green leaves and brown stems.

3) Chalkboard Cookies

Fun and clever, these cookies look like mini chalkboards, perfect for writing little messages of appreciation.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Black royal icing
• White edible marker or white icing

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Prepare classic sugar cookie dough and roll it out.
3. Cut into rectangles to resemble chalkboards.
4. Bake 8–10 minutes, then cool completely.
5. Flood cookies with black royal icing.
6. Once dry, write “ABC,” “123,” or thank-you notes with edible marker or white icing.

4) Pencil-Shaped Cookies

Colorful and playful, pencil cookies make back-to-school gifting extra fun. Perfect for cookie decorators!

Ingredients:

• Basic sugar cookie dough (same as apple sugar cookies)
• Food coloring gel (yellow, pink, gray, black)
• Royal icing in coordinating colors

Instructions:

1. Roll sugar cookie dough into long rectangles.
2. Cut angled tips for pencil points.
3. Bake until lightly golden.
4. Decorate with yellow icing for the body, pink for erasers, gray for metal bands, and black for pencil tips.

5) Everybody’s After-School Kitchen-Sink Cookies

Packed with “everything but the kitchen sink,” these chewy cookies are perfect for using leftover snacks. They’re fun, indulgent, and sure to be a hit with any teacher.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup pretzel pieces
• ½ cup butterscotch chips
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugars until light.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt, then fold into the wet mixture.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, pretzels, coconut, and extras.
6. Drop spoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet.
7. Bake 10–12 minutes until edges are golden.

6) School Bus Cookies

Bright yellow school bus cookies make a cheerful back-to-school gift.

Ingredients:

• Sugar cookie dough
• Yellow, black, white, and red royal icing
• Black edible marker (optional)

Instructions:

1. Roll and cut sugar cookie dough into bus shapes (using a bus cutter or rectangle + knife).
2. Bake and cool completely.
3. Flood with yellow icing for the body.
4. Add black wheels, white windows, and red stop signs.
5. Use edible markers to add details like outlines or numbers.

7) Checkerboard Cookies

These stylish cookies look like tiny checkerboards with alternating squares of vanilla and chocolate dough. Fun, classy, and great with coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. Mix in flour and baking powder.
4. Divide the dough in half; add cocoa to one half.
5. Roll each dough into a rectangle.
6. Cut strips and stack alternating chocolate and vanilla to form checkerboard layers.
7. Slice into cookies and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes.

8) Cereal & Oat Back-to-School Cookies

Fun, crunchy, and a little nostalgic, these cookies combine oats with colorful cereal for a treat teachers (and kids) will love.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 ½ cups cereal (like Fruity Pebbles, Cornflakes, or Cheerios)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until smooth.
4. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Fold in oats and cereal.
6. Drop spoonfuls on a baking sheet and bake 10–12 minutes until golden.

Conclusion

Cookies are more than a sweet snack—they’re a gesture of kindness and gratitude.

From creative pencil- and chalkboard-shaped cookies to comforting classics like oatmeal raisin and kitchen-sink varieties, these back-to-school cookie ideas are perfect for surprising and delighting teachers.

Pack them in a decorative box, tie with ribbon, and you’ve got a thoughtful gift that says, thank you for all that you do.