The Best Cookie Recipes to Bake with Kids

Whether it’s for the holiday season or just a weekend activity, baking cookies is something kids (everyone!) get very excited about. Below are my best cookie recipes to bake with kids. Cookies for all occasions–holiday cookies, everyday cookies, cookies with added veggies, and cookies for breakfast! My best tips for baking with kids as well as supplies recommendations are also included here.

 

Tips for Baking Cookies with Kids:

• Prepare: Get everything you’ll need out and ready while your child is busy doing something else. Running around the kitchen while you child is trying to cook without you can be very chaotic.
• Pre-measure: If you want to cut down on the amount of mess you make while cooking with kids (And it can be super messy, right?), pre-measure some ingredients before inviting your little one in the kitchen. Even measuring one or two ingredients together can be a great learning experience.
• Bigger is better: Always use a bigger bowl than you think you’ll need. Bigger means less spillage while mixing and stirring.
• Finishing touches: Remember that kids don’t have to make the entire recipe from start to finish in order to get the benefits from being in the kitchen with you. You can always pick one or two things to invite a child to help with. Often times, the final part of the recipe works best, such as adding the chocolate chips, sprinkling on some sprinkles, or drizzling with a glaze.

The Best Tools and Supplies:

• Here are my recommendations for The Best Cooking Tools for Kids.
• Looking for recommendations for the best baking essentials? Check out my Amazon list HERE.

 

Holiday Cookie Recipes to Bake with Kids:

The Easiest Soft Sugar Cookies: So you want to bake up some cookies, but you don’t want all the mess and fuss? This recipe for The Easiest Soft Sugar Cookies is for you! The dough is stirred together in one bowl –no mixer, no chilling, and no rolling involved! It’s the perfect fun and easy cookie to make with kids. The dough also happens to be egg-free, and can easily be dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free if needed. Roll the dough into colorful sprinkles for a festive, sweet treat that will put a smile on anyone’s face.

Healthier Monster Cookies: Add some red and green M&Ms to make these festive for Christmas. Or use any color that is on-theme or relevant for the holiday you want to celebrate. Perfectly chewy and packed full of goodness, these little cookies are our new favorite healthier treat. They happen to be vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened. Plus, grated carrot adds extra sweetness and moisture to the dough (but you would never know the veggies are in there if I didn’t tell you!). We love these Healthier Monster Cookies topped with fun dye-free chocolate candies. However, you can use chocolate chips on top or just mark the tops with a fork for that classic peanut butter cookie vibe. Don’t forget to get the kids into the kitchen to grate up the carrots and stir the easy, one-bowl dough together.

Chewy Ginger Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-free): My favorite cookie of all time! Perfect for Christmas or any party, but I also bake them up several times a year, not just for the holiday season! Every Mother’s Day I send them to my Mom as a gift and my boys ask for them as a special treat often too. My Chewy Ginger Cookies are gluten-free, vegan, and free from refined sugars. However, you would never know they are “healthier” cookies after tasting them. Make a double batch and bring them to a party or package them up as a homemade gift. My kids love helping make these cookies, especially rolling the dough balls in the coconut sugar before being baked. Crispy edges and soft, chewy centers with perfect warm, sweet spices….Can you tell I could go on about these cookies forever? I think you’ll really enjoy them too!

Chocolate Holiday Cookies:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies: These are my take on healthier peanut butter “Blossoms” (those classic Christmas cookies with the chocolate kiss in the center). My Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are lower in sugar, gluten free, dairy free, and only 6 basic ingredients. You just stir everything together in one bowl, so they are great for kids to help make.

Flourless Brownie Cookies: To dress these up for Christmas (or any holiday), drizzle with some melted chocolate and add some colored sprinkles. Flourless Brownie Cookies are naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free, and super easy to mix up in own bowl. These are a great dessert for Passover or for any special dinner or occasion. You can customize your brownie cookies with chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, and/or a sprinkle of flaky salt. I dropped some off for a friend to try and she said they were “like fluffy clouds of chocolate decadence”.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies: The ultimate holiday cookie: dark chocolate, toasted marshmallows, and minty candy canes. Not only are these cookies packed with festive flavor, but they happen to also be gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened. Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies are a must-make for your family Christmas party or any winter celebration. Pack some up in a tin or nice bag and you have a thoughtful homemade gift that anyone would enjoy. Not into mint flavor? Feel free to leave out the mint extract and the cookies are just as good.

Sugar Cookie Peppermint Bark: (Recipe in Instagram video linked) Need an easy baking activity this weekend or treat to bring to a party?? This Sugar Cookie Peppermint Bark is so easy and delicious.You can use store bought cookie dough or whatever homemade one you like. Then all you need is chocolate and candy canes!Kids can help bash up the candy canes, drizzle on the chocolate, and then break the bark up into pieces. Nothing has to be perfect so it’s a lot less stressful than traditional sugar cookies! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes to Bake with Kids:

Almond Butter Chocolate Chips Cookies: You can have warm, healthier cookies in less than 30 minutes! These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are made from simple, pantry ingredients and everything gets stirred together in one bowl. You can make them with peanut butter instead, which is what my husband prefers. The cookies are lower in sugar, dairy-free, and gluten-free too.

Mini Chocolate Chip Snack Cookies: A healthy little chocolate chip cookie that’s perfect for toddler snacks or lunch box treats. These Mini Chocolate Chip Snack Cookies are made in one bowl. They are nut-free, whole grain, and packed with nutritious ingredients like high-protein hemp seeds. The bite-sized cookies are vegan (dairy-free and egg-free) and easy to make gluten free too. Tiny cookies are so cute and kid-friendly, but you can also take this same recipe and make delicious regular-sized cookies as well.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies: Love the warm, comforting flavors of banana bread but also craving some chocolate chip cookies? This recipe is the best of both worlds! Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies are a treat you can feel good about making and enjoying with your kids! Made in one-bowl, this easy recipe is also packed with whole grains and lower in added sugar than most desserts. The cookies can easily be made egg-free and gluten-free too.

Cookies with Added Veggies:

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: Soft, flavorful cookies wholesome enough for breakfast and snacks, but delicious enough to crave any time of day. These Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies come together in one bowl! They are naturally egg-free, dairy-free, whole grain, and low in added sugar. Kids will love to help bake these up too!

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze: hole grain, lower in added sugar, and made in one bowl, these healthier Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze are the fall treat you need to cook with kids! The cookies are tender, light, and fluffy like portable pieces of pumpkin cake. A sweet glaze makes this treat extra special, but you could always leave it off or stir in some chocolate chips instead. It’s easy to make gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free too. Kids will love to help whip up this healthier dessert all season long.

Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Light, sweet, full of pumpkin flavor and chocolate, these Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are dairy-free, egg-free, and whole grain. Stirred up in one bowl, they couldn’t be easier to make with kids too. I tested these cookies tons of times to get the texture just right –not too cakey, but still packed with pumpkin. Make them as a fun afternoon snack, dessert, or additional to any celebration, such as Thanksgiving!

Healthier Monster Cookies: (also mentioned above) Yummy peanut butter cookies with added grated carrot!

Breakfast Cookie Recipes to Bake with Kids:

Strawberry Breakfast Cookies (Vegan and Whole Grain): This easy, one-bowl recipe is nutritious enough for breakfast but so delicious you’ll want them all day. Strawberry Breakfast Cookies combine sweet strawberries and whole grain oats in a handheld cookie form. The healthy cookies also happen to be vegan, nut-free, and can easily be made gluten-free too.

PB&J Breakfast Cookies: These healthy PB&J Breakfast Cookies are a sneak peek recipe from my new cookbook, Kid Kitchen! Kids of all ages are going to love making and eating these little morning treats. Full of fruit, protein, and whole grains, they are great fuel for home or on the go. There’s minimal clean up for this quick and easy recipe too!

Apple Pie Breakfast Cookies: The warm fall flavors of apples and cinnamon are packed into these cookies healthy enough to eat for breakfast or a snack any time of day. Apple Pie Breakfast Cookies are full of whole grain goodness, fruit, and you can even add some veggies (grated carrot) if you’d like. What kiddo wouldn’t want cookies for breakfast, right?