This post originally appeared on one of my favorite sites, Paging Supermom, last year when school started. My kids were so excited by this surprise! School starts this week for us. Not sure they will get such a cool surprise this year.
My kids have already gone back to school for the year. It came too soon and I wasn’t quite ready for my summer-fun time with them to be over. Although, I will say that during the last week or two before school started as the contention increased, I was reminded of the blessings that come with having fewer bodies in the house for the better part of the day. Still, I want our home to be the place they want to return at the end of each day, so I decided to do something special to welcome them home on that first day of school.What could be more welcoming than freshly-baked cookies and milk for an after-school snack?
How about their own giant personalized freshly-baked cookie (and milk!) with a handwritten card?
The How Does She? girls first got me thinking about the giant cookie idea, but I wanted to tie it in more directly with going back to school, so I made them “Smart Cookies!” I designed this card–“Congratulations! To One Smart Cookie!”–and printed one for each child. Inside, I wrote them each a note encouraging them to try their hardest this year and reminding them of how much we love them.
I designed the card to be a little generic so that it could work for other occasions, as well, such as a graduation party, end of the school year, or celebration of an academic award or milestone. I put one inside of a frame to set by the cookies and help them see what the surprise was all about.
The cookies weren’t at all difficult to make. I modified this yummy recipe to make them:
I bought round baking pans at the Dollar Store so each child could have their own giant cookie. This yummy cookie recipe that only calls for four ingredients!
To make three giant cookies I used:
Ingredients
- 2 packages of yellow cake mix
- 10 Tbsp. melted butter
- 4 eggs
- Large package m&ms candy (or chocolate chips, but the kids loved the m&ms!)
Instructions
- Mix it all together in a mixer (add the candy or chips last, after the other ingredients have been blended well together) and then divide dough on to the three round sheets. You might need to dampen your fingers to press the dough down into the sheet and smooth it around. Don't push the dough all the way to the edges. Leave a good inch or more of the pan showing all the way around. As the cookie bakes, it will expand and you don't want it spilling over the edge of the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 mins (depending on the thickness of your cookies). Or until the edges start to brown.
I made a simple buttercream frosting (powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla, and food coloring–I don’t usually measure anymore.) and piped a border around each cookie as well as the number of the grade they are attending in the middle of the cookie.
Their reaction was priceless! They LOVED their cookies–both the sentiment and the taste! They thought I was the coolest mom ever…At least until I made them go and do their homework.
I have made the printable smart cookie card available on my Printables Page for my Facebook followers. If you are looking for more back to school ideas, you might like our twist on the traditional “Apple for the Teacher” gift.
How are you getting ready for Back to School?
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