I made fudge for our bake sale - cut it in fair size pieces and put them in little ziplock plastic bags. It was a big hit.
ivamae

When they have a bake sale at the Home where my sister is, the biggest hit is peanut butter fudge. I can never seem to get there early enough anymore to get some.....may have to call in and 'reserve' it. lol Another of my sisters makes homemade chocolates (ex: choc covered cherries, peppermint patties, etc). They line up to get it.

I hope you do well with your sale.

Shirley

I recently bought a couple chocolate No Bake Oatmeal cookies at a bake sale outside a (hardware) store. I ate them as I browsed. They were so good, I got some more on my way out. They are something I really like, yet seldom make...and they are so easy.

Peanut butter fudge I agree is a great suggestion.

You might consider Chocolate-Covered Cherry Mice

Good luck with it. I hope it is a great success!

Sue

Would cupcakes fit in that category?
Cupcakes are really "in" right now.

I love these!

Peanut Butter Brownies
1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup margarine or butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Chocolate Frosting
Grease 9x13 pan. Mix peanut butter & margarine till creamy. Gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Set aside. In another bowl, stir together flower, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into peanut butter mixture until well blended. Bake at 350 ° for 35 to 40 minutes. (Until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.)
Cool and frost with chocolate frosting. (I use the ready-made frosting found in the cake section of the store.)

I bought one of the Chocolate Mice. They are so cute. They were selling a ton of them.

How about some muffins? They always go over well here. A pie or two?

Best of luck on the sale..

Susie

If this bake sale will be frequented by children or teenagers, I recommend sandwich size or even snack size ziploc bags of Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow). It's a big hit whenever we offer it at our basketball concession stand. The bonus to that is you can make it up a couple of days ahead plus it's not hard to make!

I make simple Brownies from a mix, but I put the batter into pretty cupcake papers and sprinkle with a few choc chips before putting into the oven. Bake less than directed by keeping an eye on them.

for packaging: consider cellophane bags. You can get them at crafts stores and restaurant supply stores.

they're cheap. And they look fancier than the zip-lock bags from the grocery store.

Roll the top over three times or more, and staple twice.

People w/ more time can make labels using paper and the computer printer, cut them out, and staple them onto the bag.

Here's a Martha Stewart idea: make bar cookies (blondies, brownies, short bread, etc.), but cut them into slightly unusual shapes--extreme rectangles, maybe, or triangles. They look extra appetizing and special, but aren't any more work.

Or make roll-'em-out sugar cookies, but don't use cookie cutters. Roll out a batch of dough, and cut them into rectangles or triangles or even squares (no re-rolling, and they'll cut fast w/ a pizza cutter; use a ruler to keep your lines straight). (paint them w/ food coloring in abstract patterns before you cut, if you want)

We have an Amish store that sells all sorts of containers. I usually get small clear plastic clamshell containers. They hold cupcakes (if they aren't too tall), brownies, bars, etc. They also sell containers for pie slices, small aluminum pie plates to make individual pies, etc. I start there and then decide what to bake.

Last bake sale I made Paula Deen's Pineapple Gooey Butter Cakes and they sold out quickly (they're bars). I have the recipe on my blog.

Hmm. I can't remember what else I made last time. Oh yes, I made boxed red velvet cupcakes (Duncan Hines) and canned cream cheese frosting. Don't laugh - it's my sister's 'recipe' and everytime she makes them people rave. They were cute with sprinkles on top and sold out also.

But I've made lots of other recipes that are great for bake sales too:

Lemon Oat Squares
Glazed Chocolate Chip Brownies
Ruth WakefieldÂs Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Black and White Cupcakes
Lemon-Ricotta Muffins

They key is to package it up nicely and put an attractive label on it. People buy with their eyes. Personally, I want it taste fantastic too so they don't feel cheated.

Walmart has the best price on Cello bags. Check party section and craft section.

I think packaging really helps sell. Makes them really appealing. Can you put popsicle sticks on some Rice Crispie Treats and wrap them attractively. Ditto large chocolate chip cookies.

Packaging ideas:

If you're near a craft store, there should be some Chinese cartons that would be useful for holding fudge or such.

Colorful saran wrap - wrap the item and twist the ends so the product looks like candy. Tie ribbon around the twisted ends. Or place a few cookies and such in the center of a sheet of saran wrap and tie the top with ribbon.

As for items to make:

cupcakes (plain, iced, iced with sprinkles *my favorite* :)
fantasy fudge
rice krispy treats

This is all I can think of at the moment, I'll chime in again when I think of more. :)

~Cindy Jo

Take Ritz-type crackers and make a sandwich with either peanut butter or mint flavored frosting. Dip in chocolate. Tastes like Girl Scout cookies and easy to make. (and pig out on. :)

I always appreciate cupcakes at bake sales. They're easy to eat--no fork involved.

Well - it's not really baking... but take pretzel rods & dip into melted chocolate & then roll in sprinkles or crushed nuts... The cello bags are great for packing these... a little ribbon... a couple for 50cents ?

if you can make homemade donuts they are the best thing to buy at bake sales! I always scoop up a few dozen if they have them, I freeze some for later and chow down now too! LOL (can you tell I can't make them?)

These muffins are fantastic!

BUTTER RUM MUFFINS

1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup soft oleo
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons baking powder (yes, this is correct)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter flavoring extract
1 tsp. rum flavoring extract
2 cups milk
4 cups flour
12 oz. bag butterscotch chips

Cream sugar, oleo and eggs. Add baking powder, salt, flavorings then add alternately the milk and flour. Stir in butterscotch chips. Put in greased muffin pans and bake 375 degrees for 25 mins.
12 Texas-size muffins

I have two very good recipes if you'd like me to type them out. Best Pumpkin/Chocolate Chip Muffins you will ever find and a Lemon Crumb Muffin recipe?

These are always a big hit with family & friends. For the Grands, I make smiley faces with raisins.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies 350 deg. oven. Bake approx. 8 min.

1 cup butter, softened
¾ c. white sugar
1 ½ c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.

Sending up prayers that the Bake Sale is a HUGE hit & brings in lots 'n lots of $$$ for this family.

Suzi (who, if I hadn't read this, might still have been grumbling about cooking dinner.)

These are really kid pleasers

M&m's Krispie Treats Recipe
Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter
1 (10 oz.) pkg. regular marshmallows
1/2 c. peanut butter
4 c. Rice Krispies
1 1/2 c. M&M'S

Cooking Directions:
Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallow and peanut butter. Stir until completely melted. Remove form heat. Add Rice Krispies and M&M'S. Stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into buttered 13x9x2-inch pan. Cut into squares when cool.

Little cello bags of bark candy do well also. Peppermint,lime,cherry or almost any other hard candy can be used to make different kinds along with tiger bark (peanut butter and chocolate).

The nicest packaging I've seen at a bake sale is to wrap the cookies, muffins, whatever, in cello, tie with curly ribbon and then put it all in a decorative tin you can get from the dollar store. My sister contributes to a community bake sale every Christmas and this is how she packages her cookies. They are among the first to go because they look so pretty. You could buy it and give it as a gift.

Cupcakes are a great idea!
Canned frosting and some type of gummy worms, gummy fried eggs, little candies that look like legos.
How about buying frozen tart shells - bake and fill with
lemon pie filling or canned cherry pie filling, or blueberry pie filling.

peonies and posies, would it be poosilbe to get the recipe for the muddy buddies? That sounds pretty interesting
ivamae

Thank you all so very much! I've been busy all day so I hadn't checked back since noon or so until just now.

The cello bags are the best idea! So far I've made brownies and peanut butter fudge and was lamenting how unappealing they are in their baggies. First thing in the morning I'll go get cello bags and ribbon, before I get down to some serious baking. I think I have enough ingredients to cover everything you've suggested, except ritz crackers and mint. They sound wonderful, but will have to wait for another opportunity.

Ah, I feel so much better now, thinking about cello and ribbons! Thank you, thank you.

Sherry

Here is a easy idea for cupcakes that would really appeal to kids! I think the eyes are a dot of frosting with upside down chocolate chips.

Good luck with the sale!! It sounds like a great cause.

Good Lord! ... I didn't realize how I look when I have a cookie in my mouth!

Sorry - no recipe to offer.

o j

I always used to have small bags of celery sticks, carrot sticks and snow peas in baggies on ice for the people who say they would love to buy something but can't because they are on a diet.

lydia, the cupcakes look so cute. What is the mouth made of?

If you made chocolate covered ruffled potato chips or pretzels, I would buy ALL of them!

I can't really think of much to add-the dessert all sound yummy!

If there is a Trader Joes near you, I just bought some of their mini peanut butter cups (about the size of a chocolate chip) I was thinking I'd put one on the middle of a peanut butter cookie. They are SOO cute! Or you could use the Hershey Kissables-a candy coated colorful mini Hershey kiss.

The chocolate covered pretzel rods sounds like something pretty fun and different. Would chocolate covered strawberries be too much work or too much $$? I love those!

My mom used to make Angel Food cupcakes. They were really yummy and good for those watching their calories.

Good Luck!! I hope you make a bundle!

Ivamae - the mouth is just a mini chocolate chip cookie pushed halfway into the cupcake!

Thanks. I couldn't imagine what it was.
ivamae

Does anyone know the health permit requirements for selling fudge at craft shows in NY? I read that it is exempt, but am now getting different information. Thank you! Please email me at mgroth@rochester.rr.com.