Go To School Cookies
Go to School Cookies might just be the yummiest cookie I have ever tasted! They pack an explosion of deep chocolate flavor, are chewy on the interior with crunchy edges, and are finished with a blanket of creamy almond-vanilla frosting. They are the quintessential after school treat with a glass of milk and are a breeze to pull together.
My Great Aunt Liz frequently made Go to School Cookies for my Dad and his five siblings, who she helped raise, and then passed the recipe along to them when they were grown. My mom was delighted to inherit this special recipe. Whenever she made them, I'm not sure who was more excited, my brothers and me, or my Dad!
As perfectly beloved as these cookies are in our family, I have played with the recipe over the years, and made some small modifications to deepen the chocolate flavor with coffee and chocolate chips. I also added a touch of almond extract to the classic vanilla frosting.
No one in my family knows why they are called, "Go to School Cookies." But as a nod to the name, through the generations, our family tradition is to make them to welcome in the back to school season. I always make a batch with my kids the day before school starts and they love bringing them in for a special first day treat. They always bring in extras to share with their friends. Whenever we make them, I never miss the opportunity to tell my kids about where the recipe came from and hope that making these will become a tradition for them and their kids someday too!
Recipe Featured in Bake from Scratch Magazine!
I was so honored that this beloved family recipe was featured in the Passed Down segment of the July/August 2024 issue of my most favorite baking magazine -Bake from Scratch!
Ingredients
COOKIES:
- BUTTER: Unsalted and room temperature
- GRANULATED SUGAR
- LIGHT BROWN SUGAR packed
- UNSWEETENED COCOA: Dutch processed powder
- KOSHER SALT
- BAKING POWDER
- BAKING SODA
- VANILLA EXTRACT
- EGG: Large
- BREWED COFFEE (or whole milk can be substituted)
- ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
- MINI SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS
- RAINBOW SPRINKLES (optional)
FROSTING
- UNSALTED BUTTER: room temperature
- CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR: preferably sifted
- WHOLE MILK
- VANILLA EXTRACT
- ALMOND EXTRACT
Recipe Variations
Traditionally, my family has always made a single cookie with a thick smear of vanilla/almond frosting.
But I've also found that the base cookie is a delicious customization canvas for other flavor profiles and creative inspiration.
- In recent years, I sometimes make them as sandwich cookies with sprinkles around the edges...kind of like a homemade Oreo (as pictured at the top of the page.)
- In the winter, I make "Holiday Go to School Cookies," substituting the almond extract in the frosting for peppermint and sprinkling crushed candy canes on top."
Whether you make Go to School cookies for the back to school season or just because, I hope your family enjoys this special treat as much as mine does!
Go To School Cookies
Description
Go to School Cookie with milk are the quintessential after school treat for kids of all ages! They are a deep chocolate, chewy cookie with crunchy edges that are topped or sandwiched with a creamy vanilla-almond frosting. They come together incredibly easily and are always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (73 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
- 2 TBSPs (30 grams) brewed coffee room temperature (whole milk can be substituted)
- 1 tsp (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 2 TBSP (141 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (25 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 grams) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp (1.25 grams) baking soda
- 1 cup (170 grams) mini semisweet chocolate chips
Frosting
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 TBSPs (45 grams) whole milk
- 1 tsp (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp (2 grams) almond extract
Garnish optionally with rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 2-3 minute, stopping to scrape bottom and sides of the bowl and paddle. Add egg, coffee (or milk) and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until just combined, stopping to scrape bottom bottom and sides of bowl and paddle. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a 1 1/2 TBSP spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop dough (about 32 grams each) and place two inches apart on prepared pans.
- Bake until edges are set and tops look dry, 8-10 minutes. Let cool on pans for 3 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.
- Frosting: Clean bowl of stand mixer and paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Reduce mixer to low speed, and gradually add confectioner’s sugar, beating until combined and stopping to scrap bottom and sides of bowl and paddle. Add milk and extracts, beating until combined. Gradually increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Spread 2-3 tsps (12-18 grams) frosting onto cooled cookies, garnish with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Matriarch Muse
Liz Murray was born in 1914 in Pennsylvania. She studied home economics at Marywood College and went on to serve as the head dietician of a State Hospital for 35 years. During that time, she directed her team to cook three meals per day for 1,600 people.
Liz never married and lived in bustling Irish Catholic homestead with her mother, aunts, and her younger sister Marguerite’s family, including her six nieces and nephews. When her sister tragically died at age 47, "Aunt Liz "served as a beloved mother figure to her nieces and nephews. She was kind and generous, elegant and funny. Her cooking is the stuff of legends in our family. From Thanksgiving feasts to sweet treats, to even making her niece’s massive, scrumptious cherry walnut wedding cake, Aunt Liz remains our family's culinary gold standard. It’s such an honor to celebrate and preserve her food legacy.
Aunt Liz
Other Liz Recipes