For those of you that think you know me, you probably think that I am some crazed health-nut that eats insanely "clean" 24/7.
You're not entirely wrong. I do like to keep my daily diet pretty "healthy" because that's what makes me feel best (but that's a topic for another article).
This article is for those of you that really know me: the ones that know about (and perhaps have experienced) my insatiable sweet tooth.
I don't quite know what started it but something in me has always loved the sweet, sugary treats of my youth much, much more than the savory dishes.
However, I do remember one recipe being the very thing that would make me actually look forward to the first few weeks of school. What makes going back to school easier than a cookie?
Allow me to provide the answer to my own rhetorical question: absolutely nothing. So allow me to share my childhood trick with you with a few recipes. Trust me, you will need them...even if you're not the one going back to class.
Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
In case you were wondering what that "one recipe that started it all" was, this is it. This is the grandpa of my school-onset sweets addiction.
While this recipe is not one that my mom found on Pinterest, I have been able to locate an exact replica of the recipe!
These sweet little treats were always the best part of lunch for the first couple of weeks for school (we made multiple batches at a time, these suckers go fast) and they're still the first thing I think of when August rolls around every year.
With just a few pantry staples and no baking required, these cookies just scream "back to school." I mean, who wants to heat the oven when it's so hot outside? Nobody. So raid your pantry and get to (not) baking!
Pencil Wafer Cookies
If you have to return to the daily grind of writing notes, might as well embrace it in any way that you can.
Yes, I'm saying that you should embrace your classes by indulging in these adorable school supplies-themed cookies. Back to school only happens once a year (thank God), so go ahead: have a cookie and live a little!
Apple-Shaped Cupcakes
Imagine this: you're getting through your first day of school. First period was a little rough because you didn't know any of your classmates and second period was touch-and-go because you forgot to finish the summer reading. By the time lunch rolled around in third period, you had no doubt that the teacher was going to be rough on grading. You sit down in the cafeteria, ready to start your Google search for "jobs that do not require any degrees", and find that your mom has not only remembered to pack a dessert in your lunch, she packed these.
Now tell me: how excited are you?
Personally, I would be excited enough to keep pushing for my degree. Just keep the cupcakes a-coming, Mom!
Apple Cake Pops
There's only one problem with apple-shaped cupcakes...they might not travel well.
I can say, from personal experience, that a lunchbox is highly prone to being thrown around before the lunch bell rings. Between classes you aren't really thinking about that carefully wrapped sandwich or the thinly sealed container of yogurt in there, you're just trying to avoid being late again.
Because of this, cupcakes are probably number one on the list of things that will, inevitably, get destroyed before lunchtime. We're talking frosting everywhere, folks. Everywhere.
If the mess of transporting cupcakes in a lunchbox isn't really your "thing", there's always the next best thing: cake pops!
Ruler Donuts
Let me be the first to say that, while I'm not the biggest fan of donuts, these donuts rule.
Whether you choose to save these for lunchtime or manage to slip into your lunchbox for a mid-morning snack, these donuts are too cute to pass up! What are you waiting for? Get to munching!
"Copycat" Cosmic Brownies
If you never traded desserts/snacks at lunchtime, you didn't have a childhood.
One of the most treasured treats that I recall from this lunchtime bartering was the Cosmic Brownie. Man, if you had one of those, you could get just about anything you wanted.
Now you can relive those days, even if you're taking it to work. Even better, you know exactly what's going into them so maybe, just maybe, your indulgence will feel just a little more justified. You worked hard for this! You deserve that brownie!
Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Yet another coveted treat was the Rice Krispies Treat. However, this one came with a few conditions.
If you had a prepackaged Treat, you could do pretty well in your trades. If you had a homemade treat, you could do even better, when done right.
Just imagine what you can get with this grown-up take on the classic sticky treat.
Pencil Twinkies
The only bad thing about cute back-to-school themed desserts is that they always come to an end. The seasons change and now we're on to the routine of prepackaged treats.
But that doesn't mean that those can't be fun too!
Take this little twist on Twinkies, for example. Forget about writing for a little while and bite into the cream center of a Twinkie that looks...oddly enough, just like that pencil.
PB&J Bars
When you think "lunchbox," odds are you also think "Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich."
Well, why not combine entree with dessert? It's as simple as smashing a sandwich into a bar cookie.
Salty peanut butter and sweet jelly...what's not to love?
Cookie Dough Hummus
Every kid knows that the best part of baking cookies is eating the raw batter. However, salmonella warnings always love to rain on your parade and you're left licking the spoon, wondering if you should stop before you succumb to disease.
Not with this Cookie Dough Hummus!
Okay, so I know this doesn't sound all that great but hear me out...things can't be all sweet, all the time.
Sometimes you just have to get in a little protein and fiber with your sweets.
Trust me, it's not as hard or as disgusting as you think. Sometimes it just takes a leap of faith.
You may even find that you love hummus after all!
Chocolate Chip Cornflake Cookies
I know, I know...these look like boring chocolate chip cookies but hear me out. They're not.
They're so much more than that, they're chocolate chip cornflake cookies!
Just give it a shot. You already know that you love regular chocolate chip cookies, what makes you think that the addition of cornflakes would actually make it worse?
"Copycat" Dunkaroos
I suppose I could be considered a "90s kid" but I honestly don't remember Dunkaroos. Judging by the rave reviews that I have heard, I wish I did but, alas, I do not.
However, that doesn't mean that an attempt to recreate them would prove unfruitful! All is not lost! True "90s kids" can still fill the hole in their hearts where Dunkaroos used to be!
Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Back to School can only mean one thing: Fall.
You know what that means? Pumpkin everything season is upon us yet again.
Now, you can be bitter and refuse to take part in this or you can accept it and embrace your inner "basic" with a nice muffin.
C'mon...don't let the pumpkin spice season put you off of this recipe...it also has chocolate and caramel! Give it a chance.
No Bake Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
Cereal, peanut butter, M&M's....what more could you ask for in a lunchbox treat!? I mean, it offers a little bit of sweet, a little bit of salty, a nice crunch from the cereal, and a nice sweet finish from the peanut butter. To make it all complete, these bad boys require zero baking.
Make them and thank me later.
Lemon Blueberry Energy Bites
Alright, you caught me. I had to at least try to include something semi-healthy in this list.
But hear me out, the sour notes of lemon always meld well with the sweetness of blueberry for a delicious treat. Plus, the bright flavors might even allow you to forget that you're stuck inside a stuffy cafeteria and not having a summery picnic outside.
A girl can dream.
So do you still dread going back to class?
Hopefully not but, in the event that you do, try to brighten your life with a sweet treat every now and again.
Trust me, it will work wonders.
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