Whether you wish for back to school treats such as cupcakes, muffins or donuts; back-to-school lunch box ideas, breakfast or teacher treats, we’ve got you covered. Here are 20 unique, beautiful, delightful and easy-to-do back-to-school treats to make. Either with your kids or for your kids.
Now, we don’t all have toddlers any longer. Many of us have kids going to high school and university. All of them, however, need to have something in their tummy before they go to school, during morning snack time and in that lunchbox.
So, here’s to filling them! I’m starting with uni students and older teenager treats (that grownups will like too), and then go down to snacks for teens and toddlers. Be sure to make some for yourself too.
20 DELICIOUS BACK TO SCHOOL TREATS: BREAKFAST, SNACKS AND LUNCHES
Date & Zucchini Oatmeal Cake
A healthy cake with natural sweetness that even kids will love.
Fresh Apple & Cinnamon Donut
I think this is the ultimate Back to School treat. These are technically not donuts, but baked in-a-donut-pan in the oven (as if they were cupcakes or muffins …), making them less fat than fried donuts. They also have a generous helping of apple in them, so think of these as ‘healthy-ish’.
Savory Kale & Cauliflower Pop Tarts
Autumn Nut Brittle Recipe
Pretty Tea Eggs
For a bit of interesting Asian cooking, try these protein-packed eggs. They are infused with star anise, and the black tea makes this gorgeous crackle pattern on them. Serve with a few pickled vegetables.
Back to School Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes
Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes Recipe
(24 cupcakes)
- 1 c milk (room temperature)
- 6 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 2 1/4 c flour
- 1 3/4 c sugar
- 4 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsps cinnamon
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1-2 apples cut into fine pieces, sprinkled w/ sugar, or, 1 c apple sauce ahead of time.
Preheat oven (350˚ F |. 175˚ C). Add 24 cupcake liners to muffin tins.
Whisk the eggs, milk, add vanilla in small bowl or cup.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in your mixing bowl.
Add the butter and mix on low until it looks crumbly, 1-3 min.
Slowly add the milk mixture, and mix till smooth. (Scrap down bowl sides as you go.)
Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full and bake one cupcake pan at a time for 17 minutes, rotating half way through. Baking times vary, but bake until a toothpick stuck in a middle cupcake comes out with just a few crumbs.
While the cupcake is still warm, use the end of a wooden spoon or a turkey baster to make holes in the center of the cupcakes. Then pipe some apple pie filling into the center of each one.
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Ensure cupcakes are completely cold before frosting.
- 4 Tbsps heavy cream
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 2 tsps cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 5 c confectioners sugar
Mix together the heavy cream, vanilla, and cinnamon – in small bowl.
Beat the butter on medium setting in mixer until it is smooth and uniform.
On low mixer’s speed, slowly add the confectioners sugar.
Mix in the cream, vanilla, and cinnamon mixture til fully combined (i.e. 1 min).
(recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen and Wine and Glue).
Date Chocolate Coconut Almond Balls
Indulgently sweet but healthy snacks. Make some for yourself too!
Yogurt Banana Cake
Red Sprinkle Apple Back-to-School Cupcakes
Back-to-School Breakfast Bran Muffins
Back-to-School Cupcakes w Math Equations
I love how these cakes would be the perfect reward after a long day at school. My mom would simply NEVER make something like this as an after-school treat, however, I can imagine getting them for having a good grade for my math at year end.
Chewy Energy Bars Recipe for Back to School Treats
Goofy Back-to-School Lunch Box
Umbrella Apple Back to School Lunch box
Perfect lunchbox design for a rainy days to cheer up your little ones in school: a cloud sandwich with a happy umbrella apple. So cute!
Muffin-shaped Pizzas
Savory Kale & Cauliflower Pop Tarts — THE RECIPE
Recipe by ReclaimingProvincial posted below, as this site is no longer in existence. But this recipe is truly amazing, as I made it! As follows:
“SAVORY KALE, GARLIC, & CAULIFLOWER PURÉE POP TARTS
Posted on November 18, 2012 by Carey
Now, if you happen to be/know someone that really dislikes the taste of kale, there’s no need to be skeptical of it in here. The bitterness of the kale mellows a little from stir-frying it with garlic, but there’s still enough left to balance out the buttery pastry and the cheesy-cauliflower filling. Also, this cauliflower purée definitely holds its own as a stand-alone dish, if you don’t want to bother with stuffing it all inside a pastry. (I first made it ages ago, when following a recipe where it was meant to accompany lentils. At the time, I had no idea that green lentils took such a long time to cook [seriously, 30+ minutes for those flat little discs?!], and I realized my mistake when the cauliflower was almost done. I decided to blend it up and then move on to the lentils, but one bite of the purée changed my mind. Screw the lentils! I had a spoon and an apartment where no one was home to judge me — I was good.)
Savory Kale, Garlic, & Cauliflower Purée Pop Tarts
16 small pop tarts
Note: These filling measurements are approximations, as I had already made the purée for something else and just kind of threw everything together until it looked/tasted right. Use your best judgement, and just remember that you’ll want between 3/4–1 cup of filling in the end.
Cauliflower Purée:
1 small head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and diced
1 cup of water or vegetable/chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp heavy cream (sub milk or half-and-half if you like)
salt and pepper, to taste
Combine cauliflower, garlic, and water/stock in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, then mash with a fork or purée with a blender until desired consistency is achieved. (This recipe will make far more than you need for the pop tarts, but you shouldn’t have any trouble making quick work of the rest in other meals.)
Dough:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk
1 additional large egg (to brush on/seal the dough)
Filling:
3 large kale leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup of cheese (I used half cheddar and half parmesan)
1/3–1/2 cup of cauliflower purée (recipe above)
salt and pepper, to taste
spoonful of spicy, whole grain mustard (optional)
Another note: This dough has a tendency to get soft/sticky rather quickly, especially in warmer weather. I recommend rolling it out on parchment paper and chilling it every step of the way — it will make it a lot easier to work with.
Sift together flour and salt. Mix in butter with a pastry cutter or pulse in a food processor until pea-sized clumps form. Whisk together the first egg and the milk, then mix into the dough until everything is just combined, kneading very briefly if necessary. Divide dough in half, shape each half into a 3×5 rectangle, then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 days).
While the dough is chilling, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the kale, and, stirring often, cook until the kale is fully wilted. Remove from heat and transfer the contents of the pan to a cutting board. Chop cooked kale into smaller bits, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the remaining filling ingredients until well-combined, then set aside.
Remove one dough rectangle from the fridge. (If it feels a bit stiff, give it a couple minutes to soften up and become more workable.) Lightly flour dough, then roll it out into a large rectangle approximately 1/8 of an inch thick, that can be trimmed down to a 9 x 12 rectangle. (Again, I recommend rolling the dough out on parchment paper if you find it’s being a bit sticky. The process of doing this can be a little annoying, as the parchment paper has a tendency to slide. But it will be very helpful in the end.)
Cut dough into 16 even rectangles. If you’re rolled your dough out on parchment paper and it feels too soft to remove from the paper at this point, transfer the whole thing to a baking sheet and refrigerate. In the meantime, remove the other rectangle of dough from the fridge and repeat the steps above.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. Transfer the first set of dough rectangles to the baking sheet, giving them a little bit of space between. Beat the one remaining egg, then brush it over the surface of each rectangle. Spoon around 2–3 tsp of filling into the center of each one. Remove the second batch of cut dough from the fridge. Place rectangles on top of the first set, then press with a fork to seal. Pierce pastry tops several times with a fork or skewer. If you still have some remaining egg wash, brush the tops of the pastries and sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes.
While pop tarts are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°. When ready, remove from the fridge and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in the pan on a rack, then dig in!”
Got a favorite amongst these delicious Back-to-school Treats?
And there you have it for delicious back to school treats, which can also be fun additions to weekday breakfasts, lunches and dinners! Enjoy. And let us know in the comments below or on Facebook if you have any favorites. We love to hear from you.
