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By zp7op | Contributor
Between morning routines, busy days in class, extracurricular activities, and homework, it often feels like there’s never enough time during the school year. However, preparing delicious meals and snacks doesn’t need to add pressure to already full schedules.
These quick recipes provide a flavorful take on breakfast favorites, easy-to-make sliders with kid-friendly tastes, and delightful treats for after school that can help keep both young learners and their families energized and ready for whatever the school year brings.
Discover more recipes to navigate through the busy back-to-school period at Culinary.net.
Simple, Kid-Friendly Sliders
On those hectic school nights when time is short, these straightforward yet tasty Pepperoni Pizza Sliders can be just what you need. A fun twist on a kid favorite—pizza—they’re simple to whip up after work and activities, allowing for a few precious moments of family time enjoying their cheesy, pepperoni goodness before homework and the next day’s prep.
Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
Recipe adapted from MilkMeansMore.org
1 package slider rolls
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mini pepperoni
1 1/2 cups shredded, low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Nonstick cooking spray
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Keeping the rolls together, slice the sheet horizontally to separate the tops from the bottoms. Place the bottom halves in a baking dish.
- Evenly spread the pizza sauce over the bottom halves. Layer the pepperoni atop the sauce. Add the mozzarella cheese on top of the pepperoni and cover with the top halves of the rolls.
- Combine the melted butter with parsley flakes, oregano, garlic powder, and shredded Parmesan cheese. Drizzle this mixture evenly over the sliders.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to avoid sticking.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the Parmesan is melted and golden brown.
- Cut the sliders and serve right away.
A Fresh-Baked After-School Sweet
After a long day at school or an arduous homework session, many children crave a warm, chocolatey homemade cookie. Once the kids have packed away their school supplies, treat them to an ooey-gooey delight as a sweet reward for their hard work.
These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies come together in just 30 minutes and use quality ingredients like C&H Dark Brown Sugar for that classic homemade taste.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 18 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups C&H Dark Brown Sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it is foaming and has turned golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Cool in the refrigerator until solid, about 45 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Once the butter has solidified, take it out of the refrigerator. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, mixing until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Lower the speed and add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips on low speed. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, portion out the dough on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly with your palm.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Serve warm.
A Traditional Breakfast with a Twist
Eating the same bowl of cereal every day can become monotonous. You might be looking for new and exciting ways to start the school day on a positive note.
Kids can be picky about their breakfast choices, but this recipe for Sausage French Toast Roll-Ups provides a quick way to fill their bellies with flavors they likely already enjoy. This dish pairs a sizzling sausage link wrapped in French toast, combining a classic breakfast protein with delightful taste in a handy roll.
Sausage French Toast Roll-Ups
Servings: 12
12 sausage links
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 slices of bread, crusts removed, cut in half
3 tablespoons butter
Syrup
- In a skillet, cook the sausage links according to the package instructions and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, almond extract, and cinnamon.
- Dip each bread slice into the egg mixture. Wrap the bread around a cooked sausage link, pressing the seam to keep it from unrolling. Repeat the process with the remaining bread and sausage.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Place the roll-ups seam-side down in the skillet and cook until they are browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- Drizzle with syrup.
