Recipe Roundup

37 Bake Sale Ideas That’ll Sell Out In a Snap

Expect crowds to gather when you show up to the fundraiser with one of these showstopping sweet (and savory) bakes.
Pumpkin whoopie pies with candied pecans in the filling.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine

Bake sale prep requires a bit of strategy. It may not be the time to show off your layer cake skills; you want to be able to hand out individual portions without getting frosting on your fingers. And you do want a lot of portions: the best bake sale recipes scale easily and produce large batches without too much effort. Still, you want to show up with treats that will draw long lines: standout spins on classic cookies, exceptionally buttery, flaky scones, and baked goods that’ll keep for a bit in case your customers aren’t devouring all their purchases on the spot. Scroll down for a few guaranteed hits, including our newest staff-favorite cookie bars and the ultimate cinnamon buns.

  • A plate of morning glory muffins with a cup of tea.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
    1/37

    Morning Glory Muffins

    There are folks who come to a bake sale looking for dessert, and others who need a little breakfast first. These Morning Glory muffins are packed with crushed pineapple, shredded carrot and apple, toasted pecans, and coconut. They’re everything you’ve always loved about the late-’70s muffin, polished up and balanced for today’s taste.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog
    2/37

    Apple Pie Cookies

    Lean into fall baking with these adorable sweets, which pack all the flavors of classic apple pie into a portable, handheld package.

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  • Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine
    3/37

    Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    Requiring just 10 minutes of active prep time, these nostalgic bars offer the ideal chewy-soft texture and just-right sweet and salty balance.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
    4/37

    Our Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

    Serve these glazed cinnamon rolls right from the pan, or wrap them individually for easy sales.

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  • Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    5/37

    Peanut Butter Brownies

    Not that bake sales need to be a competition, but these peanut brownies could certainly win a blue ribbon for their stunning look. The key to a swirl that doesn’t sink? Freeze the batter for 10 minutes before adding the peanut butter on top.

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  • Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine
    6/37

    Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

    Baked sale goods should feel fun—and these pumpkin pie-spiced pumpkin cookies sandwiched with cream cheese icing certainly qualify.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    7/37

    Lemon Bars

    These classic lemon bars from Gourmet have a buttery shortbread crust and a tangy, luscious filling. Hold off on the flurry of powered sugar until you’re headed to the fundraiser; otherwise it’ll melt into the lemon layer.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Eliza Mozer
    8/37

    Molasses Cookies

    Scented with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, these old-fashioned cookies are perpetual favorites. A stand mixer or hand mixer will make the prep faster, especially if you’re doubling the batch.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Samantha Seneviratne & Jason Schreiber
    11/37

    Peanut Butter Blossoms, but Better

    What if your peanut butter blossoms skipped the hard chocolate candy and instead opted for gooey chocolate ganache? You’d probably need to bring more of them to the bake sale, because these babies sell fast.

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  • Photo by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Micah Marie Morton
    12/37

    Easy Coffee Cake

    This no-mixer brunch favorite is such a nice way to start the day. The cinnamon streusel on top has the ideal balance of brown sugar and spice.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    13/37

    Blueberry Scones

    For bakery-worthy scones with a flaky texture and lofty height, start by freezing your butter, then grating it on a box grater.

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  • Photo by Max Milla
    14/37

    Butter Toffee Bars

    Anyone who loves Heath bars is going to adore these gooey, blondie-like squares, which are also called sometimes called brickle bars.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Eliza Mozer
    15/37

    Rugelach

    A rolled-then-sliced spiral of cream cheese dough with raspberry or apricot jam, nuts, sugar, and ground cinnamon is a smart way to make dozens of cookies at once.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    16/37

    Malted “Forever” Brownies

    If you’ve spent your entire baking life wondering how to make truly chewy brownies, this recipe is for you. A touch of malted milk powder adds a toasty character to the chocolate.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Mira Evnine
    17/37

    Double Chocolate Chunk Muffins

    Triple the chocolate, triple the fun. These muffins from baking legend Dorie Greenspan incorporate cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and big chocolate chunks. You can skip the paper liners and just grease the muffins pan well—or choose liners in festive seasonal or school colors.

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  • Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon
    18/37

    Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

    These streamlined cookies have no nuts or raisins, just a fabulous chewy texture from old fashioned oats.

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  • Photo by Carla Choy
    19/37

    Maple Pecan Scones

    Toasted pecans contribute rich caramel-like flavor to these scones, which also get a buttery maple glaze on top.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    20/37

    Philly Fluff Cake

    Cakes can be tricky at a bake sale—especially if they have elaborate frosting—but this fluffy-but-rich signature of the Northeast can be eaten out of hand, or wrapped for easy transport. Even more good news: it tastes just as good the next day.

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  • Photo by Kelley Jordan Schuyler
    21/37

    Double Chocolate Potato Drops

    Have your customers taste these tender and moist cakey cookies and see if they can guess the secret ingredient. (Psst! It’s mashed potato.)

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    22/37

    Nanaimo Bars

    This no-bake confection is a Canadian classic—and despite its impressive-looking layers, it’s actually quite easy to make.

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  • Photo by Beatriz da Costa
    25/37

    Coconut Tahini Crispy Rice Treats

    Tahini gives these no-bake bars a lovely nutty undertone. They just need 30 minutes in the fridge to set.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    26/37

    3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

    Here’s a cookie recipe that kids can make themselves—all you need is a cup of sugar, a cup of creamy peanut butter, and an egg. Add a sprinkle of flaky salt if desired. (Just make sure that the bake sale doesn’t have a nut-free policy before you get started!)

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  • Photo by Louise Hagger
    29/37

    Tamarind Millionaire’s Shortbread

    If you tend to find caramel desserts too sweet, adding tangy tamarind paste is the fix you need. The bittersweet chocolate topping gives these a polished look.

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  • Photo by Greg McBoat
    30/37

    Daydream Believer Cupcakes

    These almond-scented cupcakes get their delicate crumb and tangy richness from a batter that includes buttermilk, sour cream, and cake flour. A swirl of apricot preserves dresses up the buttercream on top.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
    31/37

    Banana Muffins

    These muffins are filled with mashed ripe banana plus extra chopped banana and topped with a heaping spoonful of brown sugar streusel.

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  • Eric Isaac
    32/37

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes

    These five-star cupcakes are finished with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache, plus salted pretzels and crunchy roasted peanuts.

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  • Photo by Tara Donne, prop and food styling by Ali Nardi
    33/37

    Strawberry Buckwheat Bars

    Buckwheat flour gives these strawberry bars a bit of toasty, nutty flavor. You’ll brighten the jammy filling with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    34/37

    Hello Dollies

    These bars are all about the crunch of chopped nuts and the balance of sweet chocolate and butterscotch with salty Ritz crackers.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou
    35/37

    Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars

    This impressive layered dessert captures the flavors of banana pudding in cheesecake form. This is the ideal make-ahead option for a bake sale since it needs to chill before serving.

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  • Photo by Dayna Smith
    36/37

    Caramel Apple Cupcakes

    Who needs to bob for apples when you can enjoy them in cupcake form with a layer of tangy cream cheese frosting?

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    37/37

    Traditional Soft Pretzels

    Not everyone at the bake sale has a sweet tooth. Dominate the savory-things-only market with these freshly baked pretzels—served with little cups of your favorite mustard for dipping.

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Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which ... Read More
Senior SEO Editor, Cooking
The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here. ... Read More
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