Great Bake Sale Cookie Tips

If the brownie is the star of a bake sale, the cookies are the supporting cast. In fact, a table filled with brownies and chocolate-chip cookies will succeed without any creative touches if both confections are baked just right. Make the most of your bake sale cookies with these tips.

• Use a light-color, quality cookie sheet. You want the bottoms to be ever-so-slightly browned.

• Undercook the cookies just a little bit.

• Either go nut-free or offer both nut-free cookies and cookies with nuts. Assign nut-free and nut-filled cookies to different volunteers.

• Use quality ingredients. Make sure nothing is expired.

• Is it okay to use a mix? Of course! But it’s pretty easy to make cookies from scratch. If you do use a mix, try one for sugar cookies and get creative with the add-ins, for example dried cranberries and pistachios.

• If you have the energy and the volunteers, offer a variety of cookies. Try M&M cookies, lemonade cookies, or toffee-chocolate cookies.

• Make sandwiches with simple chocolate or ginger cookies and a frosting filling.

• Offer at least one cookie that doesn’t contain chocolate.

• Consider making your cookies oversize like a bakery cookie and charging a premium price.

• Wrap cookies in plastic wrap to keep them fresh. You could also place a cookie or two in a plastic sandwich bag and tie with a ribbon.

• Cookie dough can be made in advance and frozen. Bake cookies the day before the sale.