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8 easy cookie recipes for kids that go beyond chocolate chip

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Making cookies together as a family is one of the most enjoyable experiences. Especially since in the end, you’ll all have a treat to share. Letting the kids help make the cookies might sound like it will end in a lot of clean-up, but your children will love being your little baker.

These easy cookie recipes for kids will take you beyond the humble chocolate chip. While that classic is great, it’s more exciting when you have plenty of options to rotate. We’ll help you keep your pantry stocked with what you need to make any of these easy cookie recipes for kids.

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Main types of cookies

Refrigerated cookies

Sometimes it is just too hot to turn that oven on. Thankfully, some recipes only need to be popped in the fridge. From lemon to Neapolitan to pinwheels, you won’t have to worry about any burnt hands with refrigerated cookies.

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No-bake cookies

When you need cookies in a hurry, no-bakes are the way to go. You don’t need to factor in bake time or fridge time. These can be pressed into a pan or would be a lot of fun for a child to shape.

Rolled cookies

Speaking of rolling, rolled cookies are made from chilled dough that is perfect for all of your cookie cutters.

Drop cookies

Drop cookies are the way we love to make chocolate chip cookies. Just plop that spoonful of dough down and bake it right up. The dough is softer and the cookies sort themselves out as they bake.

Bar cookies

If you never get your drop cookies to look like you want them to, then bar cookies are the alternative. You can press the dough into a pan and bake it so cutting is all you need to worry about.

Molded cookies

Molded cookies are made of tougher dough that is usually rolled into balls and sometimes then pressed with a fork. The most common that you see at the holiday dessert table is peanut butter.

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Cookie ingredient must-haves

Whether you bake a batch of cookies every week or once every other month, there are things you should always have on hand.

To make almost any cookie request

  • granulated sugar
  • brown sugar
  • powdered sugar
  • flour
  • salt
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • peanut butter
  • chocolate chips
  • rolled oats
  • eggs
  • condensed milk
  • butter
  • shortening
  • honey
  • vanilla
  • vegetable oil

This might seem like a lot, but if you grab a small package of each you’ll be ready to make any kind of cookie. Once you’ve checked your cabinets and done a curbside pickup for the rest, let your kids make any of these eight cookie recipes.

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Easy cookie recipes for kids (and adults)

Cranberry nut cookies

If you want a tasty no-bake cookie option for the kids, try this one. With cereal, nuts, and dried berries, these would be fun for any age to enjoy. You can switch out the nut or berry for any kind to personalize it for your family.

Snowball fight cookies

If your children love to get their hands dirty, then let them have a turn making these cookies. Kids will have a blast rolling these cookies into tiny snowballs and then dusting them with powdered sugar to get that frosted look. Messes are encouraged when making these so let them have fun.

Chocolate shortbread cookies

This chocolatey treat only needs five ingredients to be a hit. Once the dough is ready your kids can have the best time cutting out the shapes they want. You can easily jazz these up a bit by drizzling melted chocolate or caramel on top after they are cooled.

Peanut butter cookies

Kids and peanut butter go together like – well, you know the saying. Some kids like to eat peanut butter straight out of the jar. If your kids do, let them enjoy making these peanut butter cookies. They’ll have the most fun mashing the cookies down with a fork before you bake them.

Kiss cookies

Though Hershey’s calls them Peanut Butter Blossoms, we always called them Kiss Cookies growing up. The recipe looks like a basic peanut butter cookie but the end is the best part. Have the kids add Hershey’s Kisses in the middle when they come out of the oven. These are delicious warm or after they’ve cooled, dunked into some milk (or coffee for the adults).

Three ingredient macaroons

Anything that requires only a few ingredients is our favorite. So for kids, this three-ingredient macaroon recipe is going to be great. Make these for a fast treat instead of candy.

No-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies

When you don’t have to worry about your kiddos turning on the oven, everyone wins. You can adjust the amount of cocoa to peanut butter depending on your kids’ tastes. There is a bit of stove work with this one, so if you have younger kids you may need to help. But the kids can have fun dropping these onto the parchment paper however they want.

Lucky cookies

Do you have kids that only eat the marshmallows out of the cereal box? Then you have to let them make these cookies. They can eat all of the Lucky Charms marshmallows they want mixed into these delicious treats. They are bright and colorful for the kids and you’ll be able to sneak a few after they go to bed.

Enjoy these treats!

If you don’t know which cookie recipe you are going to make first, that’s the best kind of problem to have. We made sure you have the option to keep your oven off if you want, or only need a few ingredients in a pinch. So when the kids ask if there’s anything for dessert, look back to these eight cookie recipes for inspiration and make happy memories that end with a sweet bite.

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Dannielle Beardsley
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Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite…
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