Fun, Frustration-Free Cookie Recipes to Make With Kids

Getting in the kitchen with your grandkids is an incredibly messy, loud, and fantastic adventure. Kids LOVE to help, be hands-on, and learn new things. Getting in the kitchen is a great way for them to learn and spend quality time with you. If you want to bake with your grandkids, we’ve got you covered! Here are 5 of the most simple, frustrated-free, and delicious recipes you can make with the grands. Good luck and happy baking!

1. Chocolate Chip

Classic, chocolatey goodness. This recipe is so simple. Just one bowl, no mixer, and no chilling time involved. After you make these cookies, they’re sure to become a staple in your household!

• Ingredients:
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt (omit if you only have salted butter)
  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ (ish) cups of chocolate chips
• Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking dishes with parchment paper
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Then add in the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
  3. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt on top and mix in. And then add half the flour, mix, and add the other half. 
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips
  5. Form into balls and place on the baking sheets
  6. Bake for 9-11 minutes and then let sit for 5 minutes on the pan before placing them on a cooling rack
  7. Enjoy!

2. Peanut Butter Oatmeal

These cookies are soft, chewy, and easy with just a base of 3 ingredients and an infinite amount of add-ins. Simplicity and deliciousness combined into one stress-free recipe, these cookies are sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

• Ingredients:
  • 2 Cups of Rolled oats
  • ½ of peanut butter (or nut butter/nut butter alternative)
  • 1 ¼ cup banana (or apple sauce)
• Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking tray with parchment paper
  2. In a large mixing bowl add your oats, banana (or apple sauce), and nut butter of choice and mix well.
  3. Once the dough is mixed you can add in your choice of add-ins! Chocolate chips, caramel chips, pretzels, M&Ms. The options are endless
  4. Form the dough into either 12 medium balls or 24 small ones and place on the baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes and let cool completely before enjoying.

3. Sugar

Classic sugar cookies are beloved by all. And this recipe makes them so easy to make and enjoy with little ones. A quick 4 ingredient (ok 5 if you count sprinkles)  cookie with no extra chill time means no waiting for cookies to enjoy!

• Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup butter (salted or unsalted) at room temperature
  • ⅔ + 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • Sprinkles of your choice (What is a sugar cookie with no sprinkles?)
• Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the softened butter and sugar either with a handheld mixer, a stand mixer, or a whisk.
  3. Add in Vanilla
  4. Add in flour a little at a time
  5. Optional- add in some sprinkles now!
  6. Scoop out the dough into balls and place on the baking sheets
  7. Flatten out the cookies with the bottom of a cup and add more sprinkles!
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges become slightly browned
  9. Let rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes
  10. Transfer to a cooling rack and enjoy!

4. Snickerdoodle

Sweet, chewy, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. The Snickerdoodle is an underrated cookie in my book and deserves so much more love than it gets! This simple cookie is easy to make and delicious!

• Ingredients:
  • ½ cup butter (room temp)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (add a little extra if you are using unsalted butter)
  • 1 ⅓ cup flour
  • 3 Tablespoons + ½ teaspoon cinnamon to roll the cookies in before baking
• Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
  2. Mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (either in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer will be best)
  3. Add egg and vanilla
  4. Slowly add in baking powder, salt, and flour and mix until just combined.
  5. Scoop dough into balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
  7. Enjoy!

5. M&M Cookie Bars

While these aren’t round like traditional cookies, these M&M cookie bars are so much fun to make! Soft, chewy, and buttery these bars are easy and delicious and can be customized with any kind of M&M or candy you can think of!

• Ingredients:
  • ½ cup butter (Softened)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup of M&Ms (or candy of your choice)
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
• Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line an 8×8” square baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a standing mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
  5. Add egg and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until combined.
  6. Add dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.
  7. Add M&M’s and chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
  8. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
  9. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the edges are set, and the top is just barely browned.
  10. Place the baking pan on a wire cooling rack and let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes (preferably longer, they hold up better as they cool).
  11. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie bars out of the pan, then cut into squares and serve.
  12.  Enjoy!

Now off to the kitchen! It’s time to start baking with those amazing grandkids! Have fun, get messy, and share some laughs. Most importantly, remember to make a memory or two. Happy baking!

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